Jayden Daniels Eyes Return Against Colts

Clear Facts

• Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow on September 20 and is now practicing with the Washington Commanders in London.
• Coach Dan Quinn stated the team will assess Daniels’ practice repetitions through Friday before deciding whether to start him or backup Marcus Mariota against the Indianapolis Colts.
• Daniels told reporters his elbow feels good, that he loves football, and that he wants to lead his team on the field while protecting himself.

Jayden Daniels is back with his Washington Commanders teammates in London ahead of Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. The quarterback dislocated his left elbow just eleven days ago, yet he has already resumed practice and is speaking publicly about his recovery.

When asked about his status, Daniels kept his answer short and focused. “It feels good,” he said of the elbow. “Feels good to be back and, you know, taking it day by day.”

“What you think?” Daniels replied when pressed about his quick return. “I’m not surprised. No, everything I went through, you know, everybody said, I’d be good to go if I’m able to go out there on Sunday, but again, just taking it day by day.”

Coach Dan Quinn confirmed the team is following a standard return-to-play protocol. “As we’re working through the week, he’ll get more [repetitions in practice],” Quinn said. “It’s part of our return-to-play process where guys do individual, that kind of limited portion, then some of the team reps and then more.”

“As we get into Thursday and Friday, we’ll see what that load looks like. And by Friday, we’ll have a definite determination of where we’re at.”

A source close to Daniels indicated he is not pressuring coaches but privately wants to play. Daniels himself stressed his reasons for pushing forward. “I love football. I play football,” he said. “I mean, I get paid to play football, so, I went to my teammates and stuff like that to see that everybody’s hurting. Something’s wrong with everybody on this team.”

“So, I just feel like just for me, just being a leader, being a guy, just going out there and, give it my shot to go out there and play and obviously protect myself, you know, stuff like that. But, you know, I just love football. I have a passion for it.”

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