Most of the national attention surrounding the Washington Commanders this week will be focused on the health of Jayden Daniels, who missed most of the team's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers with a rib injury. Coach Dan Quinn described Daniels as "week-to-week" during his Monday press conference and said he is "hopeful" Daniels can play against the Chicago Bears.
And that is still the case as Daniels and the Commanders go through the process of giving the quarterback the proper treatment. For now, though, that does not include Daniels suiting up, as Quinn confirmed in his press conference that Daniels would not participate in Wednesday's practice.
"He'll continue in all the meetings and our individual stuff to go through that," Quinn said. "But he'll get the treatment today, and then he'll continue to progress through today and tomorrow."
Quinn added that he would provide an update on Daniels' status after Friday's practice.
Daniels went to the locker room following the Commanders' opening offensive possession and did not return until the third quarter in team-issued warmup gear. Daniels looked to be in good spirits on the sideline, talking and laughing with his teammates. He raised his arms in celebration when Marcus Mariota, who appeared in relief for Daniels, threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Ben Sinnott to put the Commanders up 34-0.
On Monday, Quinn said the injury was not considered a long-term issue but that the team would be cautious and take every step to prioritize Daniels' health.
"We're not going to miss one step of this, all the way through," Quinn said. "It's really important to get it right, and we will."
Quinn said the next step is for Daniels to get on the practice field, and the head coach added that he is "close to there." Once Daniels can suit up, Quinn wants to see him "fully express himself and do all the things that he does, which makes him so unique and special." In terms of Daniels' progression through his injury, Quinn confirmed it will be treated just like any other physical issue with a player, meaning they will evaluate him throughout the week to ensure that "he can be him, fully turnt up."
Quinn knows that Daniels wants to play in Sunday's game against the Bears. It's an opportunity to start another win streak against a team that has won three straight games with a quality defense and a surging offense. And Quinn admires how much of a competitor Daniels has been this season and the work the quarterback has put in to be ready for each matchup.
However, Quinn said "we'll really trust our eyes" and the medical staff's judgement to assess whether Daniels is physically fit to play.
"We're going to make sure we assess this every day and make sure when he's able to be him fully in that space, then we'll let it rip," Quinn said. "But we'll just take it as we're going through the whole week. We got practice to assess and movements and going through it, and then each day we'll have a better update."
