When Washington, D.C. radio host Grant Paulsen revealed that Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was limping after Thursday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and underwent an MRI, panic set in. The loss to Green Bay was bad, partly due to the numerous injuries Washington suffered, including the loss of running back Austin Ekeler and defensive end Deatrich Wise for the season.
But to lose Daniels for any length of time would be disastrous for the Commanders on every level.
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So, what’s the latest on Daniels? We haven’t heard from Washington coach Dan Quinn since Thursday’s loss, when he told the media he’d give injury updates on Monday. On Sunday, we heard more on Daniels.
NFL insider Jay Glazer called Daniels “day to day,” while JP Finlay of NBC Washington said there are “concerns,” but nothing “major.” Essentially, Daniels could miss some practice time this week or, at the very least, be limited.
Dr. David Chao, a former NFL team physician and current injury expert for SiriusXM NFL Radio and Fox Sports Radio, said he wasn’t concerned about Daniels receiving an MRI.
“MRIs are given out like candy at Halloween,” Chao said on X. “I mean, you have no idea how often players get MRIs. We did it all the time and it’s even more and more now. We saw the play where Jayden Daniels got hit on his right side, right leg, right knee. I don’t think there’s structural damage. Is he sore? Sure. Did he limp a little bit? Yeah, I mean, it’s football. It’s the collision sport of football. I think he’s more hurt than injured. I would be very surprised if he misses time or doesn’t play. Is he as agile as normal? Maybe he’s a half-step slower, based on soreness and swelling in the kniee, but I would not expect any structural damage.”
Two things to note here: Chao says there is no structural damage, which aligns with Glazer’s “day to day” report and Finlay’s X post saying there were concerns, but nothing major.
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Secondly, Chao believes Daniels is probably more hurt than injured, which is good news. That’s more about pain tolerance.
The Commanders are always going to play it safe with Daniels. So, if he’s back on the field next week, they are 100% confident he’s fine. Until then, we’ll wait to hear from Quinn.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Latest Jayden Daniels injury update