Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is considered "week-to-week" with a rib injury, coach Dan Quinn confirmed in his Monday press conference.
The Commanders are "hopeful" that Daniels can play next week against the Chicago Bears after missing all but the opening drive of the team's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers but will take every precautionary measure to ensure that the quarterback's health is the top priority. The injury is not considered to be a long-term issue by the team.
"We'll see where he is going through the steps at practice this week, and we'll make a decision as we go," Quinn said. "We're not going to miss one step of this. It's really important to get it right, and we will."
Quinn confirmed that Daniels injured himself while falling awkwardly on the opening play of the Commanders' first offensive drive. Daniels broke into the open field for a 46-yard gain and tried to cut back inside to try and score but ended up being tackled by two defenders. Daniels finished the drive, which ended with a field goal, but showed signs of discomfort and grabbed his left side after taking a three-yard loss.
Daniels went into the medical tent after the drive and was evaluated briefly before trying to warm up for the next series. After a few throws, it was clear that Daniels would not be able to continue the game.
"That's from the medical side with [Head Athletic Trainer] Al [Bellamy] and the team doctors, so they were very clear in the communication," Quinn said after the game. "We warmed him up, he threw some, we took him to the tent and the next step was we're gonna him take inside and get images there and he'll do some more images tomorrow [Monday]."
While Quinn stressed multiple times that the injury was not viewed as a long-term problem, the Commanders have been adamant that their players' health will always be their top priority. Quinn doesn't want to put players on the field if they are not able to play to their skill sets. That was the case with Brian Robinson Jr., who sat out of the team's game against the Baltimore Ravens. It was tough to play without him, but Quinn believed it was still the right decision because of how Robinson practiced the following week.
As Daniels goes through practice this week, Quinn and the Commanders will keep a close eye on whether he can do all the things that make him a unique player.
"I want to make sure he can be him fully in his own way," Quinn said. "The movements, the throwing and all the stuff that would go with that ... I know that he'll do everything he can, but I'll trust my eyes and I certainly know him well. So, like I said, we'll take it every step of the way."
If it's determined that Daniels is unable to play against the Bears, the Commanders will rely on veteran backup Marcus Mariota to lead the offense against Chicago's sixth-ranked defense. Mariota proved that he could be efficient in a starting role by completing 78% of his passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers. Aside from the first drive with Mariota under center, the offense functioned as expected, as it amassed 421 yards with another 200-yard performance on the ground and five third-down conversions.
Quinn said after the game that he was proud of the way Mariota handled himself, and it was clear on the sideline that his teammates supported him.
"I think that goes a long way of being ready and all the things that happen when no one's watching," Quinn said. "The staying after practice, going through a two-minute [drill] to get ready."
Quinn also wasn't surprised with the way Mariota and the offense performed on Sunday.
"I think it shows there's a lot of confidence in the plan of what we would do and how we would feature the players and doing the things that they do best."
Still, the hope is that Daniels will be ready to go when Caleb Williams and the Bears come to Northwest Stadium to help the Commanders get to 6-2 on the season.
"We're gonna assess this every day and make sure that when he's able to be him fully in that space, then we'll let it rip."
