Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media from Arizona and had some final thoughts on the team's 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals before moving on to the Cardinals in Week 4. Here are some of the highlights.

A quick update on Austin Ekeler.

Austin Ekeler had another solid night against the Bengals on Monday Night Football, accounting for 57 total yards and a touchdown on five touches, but had to leave the game after being evaluated for a concussion in the second half. He did not make the trip to Arizona with the team, and as of Monday, Ekeler was still back at the team facility. Quinn also confirmed that Ekeler had a laceration on his ear.

"He went back to Virginia today to begin the concussion protocol," Quinn said. "So, I'll have more info as it goes towards the end of the week, but instead of coming out here to Arizona he went back home to Virginia to begin that process."

Through three games, Ekeler has been one of the Commanders' most valuable offseason acquisitions with 204 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns. He's third on the team with 121 receiving yards and has caught all nine of his targets. His 13.4 yards per reception also ranks second on the team.

Ekeler's health will be something to monitor for the rest of the week. If he is ruled out on Friday, the Commanders will need to search for other options to match his production. In addition to Jeremy McNichols, who played eight snaps after Ekeler's exit, the team could call up practice squad players Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Michael Wiley.

He wants Jayden Daniels to be free of "ghosts."

Though Jayden Daniels still has work to do before solidifying his status as the quarterback of the future, he took a big step on Monday by completing 91.3% of his passes -- a rookie record -- and throwing two touchdowns against the Bengals. Quinn can understand how much excitement that can cause for a fanbase that has been without a solid answer at quarterback for years, but he also doesn't want Daniels to be haunted by the franchise's past.

"I also don't want Jayden feeling any ghosts," Quinn said. "Making sure he understands there's only one name on the back of that jersey, and that's for him. And I don't want any comparison or any of the other stuff."

Washington has had a handful of quarterbacks with historic resumes, from Sonny Jurgensen to Doug Williams and Joe Theismann; it's also had several who simply didn't work out, whether it was veterans like Ryan Fitzpatrick or younger players like Sam Howell, Taylor Heinicke and Dwayne Haskins Jr. If you need anymore confirmation, just look at the number of quarterbacks Terry McLaurin has caught a pass from in five seasons. Daniels is the 11th player on that list.

Daniels' career has already gotten off to a better start than most of Washington's recent attempts at finding a quarterback. However, as good as he was on Monday, Daniels still has plenty of room left to grow. Quinn can't wait to see who he becomes by the end of his rookie season and beyond.

"We know how important the position is here to him, to the organization," Quinn said. "But we also wanted to make sure, 'Be you and authentically you and do it in your own way.' And we've really seen that."

The power of momentum.

As with every team that goes through a rebuild, the roster is not a finished product by the start of the season. Some of that comes from the players still figuring out how to work with each other, but Quinn has noticed several improvements in that area.

"Toughness and brotherhood can get you a long way," Quinn said. "And the team is moving up into that to where that has to become our superpower, where their ability to look after one another, support one another, go hard for one another."

As the Commanders have gone through their first three games, Quinn has seen his players root for each other more and more on the sideline. He highlighted the reaction from Olamide Zaccheaus, who Quinn said "nobody could have been more excited for a catch by Noah [Brown] or a catch by Terry than OZ." That support is allowing the team to play with more confidence, which has had a positive effect on the team's performance.

"Everybody has a little role in all of this, and so the more you can do to support the guy right next to you on your left or your right, that's to me where this confidence and momentum can be built," Quinn said.

The locker room is rallying around Daniels.

Regardless of whether Daniels is the long-term answer, his teammates certainly believe in him. Jonathan Allen called him "the answer" and McLaurin praised his poise in the locker room. Quinn believes part of that comes from Daniels going out of his way to lift the rest of the roster.

"You might see on a field goal, who's the first one out there kind of shaking the hands of the lineman and the people coming off? It was Jayden," Quinn said. "And so he has that way about him that he creates energy and belief in others as well by the way he plays, the standard that he goes for it."

Daniels' habit of relating to different players on the team has been praised by veterans and rookies alike. The coaching staff didn't want to force leadership on him from the start of his career, which is why they signed players like Ekeler, Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner, but Daniels has managed to lead in his own way because of how players gravitate towards him.

It certainly helps that Daniels has been one of the best players to come out of the 2024 draft class, but who he is as a person has also played a role in both the offense and defense making him one of the faces of the franchise.