Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media following Wednesday’s practice. Here are four takeaways from his press conference.
1. He didn’t reveal much about his injury.
If you were hoping Daniels would reveal much about his hamstring injury, you probably felt disappointed during his press conference.
Here’s what we know: Daniels had a good rehab session on Sunday, which gave head coach Dan Quinn enough confidence to say that Daniels would be part of practice this week. One day later, Quinn announced that the plan was for Daniels to be a full participant not just for Wednesday, but for the entire week.
Of course, the first question reporters asked Daniels was about how he feels. And in typical fashion, Daniels kept his answer short.
“If all goes right, I would love to play,” Daniels said.
Daniels’ health will be something to watch throughout the week, and while Wednesday’s practice was just a walkthrough, it’s worth noting that he didn’t appear bothered by his hamstring as he went through drills with his fellow quarterbacks.
Thursday’s practice should include a regular workload, which will be a good barometer of whether Daniels can handle the physical demands that come with being in a game.
Assuming Daniels does play on Sunday, it will be without Terry McLaurin, who re-injured his quad against the Kansas City Chiefs and has been ruled out for the Week 9 matchup. It’s not an ideal situation for Washington’s offense, which has rarely had its full arsenal on the field at the same time this season, but Daniels isn’t letting that bother him.
“I just think that’s just football and you gotta be able to adapt, and I gotta go out there and control what I can control if I’m out there just like everybody else does,” Daniels said. “So, it’s very unfortunate that Terry won’t be out there, but [it’s] next man up mentality and we gotta go out there and control what we can control.”
Quinn said the Commanders feel confident about what they have at receiver, despite McLaurin being inactive this weekend. Rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year pro Luke McCaffrey have both taken on larger roles this season, and players like Robbie Chosen and Treylon Burks are available on the practice squad if necessary.
And while the Commanders would love to have Daniels and McLaurin on the field at the same time — that has only occurred in two games this season — Daniels will at least have one of his best receivers on the field again. Speaking of which…