Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota addresses the media outside the locker room following the team’s Wednesday practice. Here are four takeaways from his scrum.

1. His message to Jayden Daniels.

It’s been a difficult season for Daniels, who will miss his seventh game this weekend after reaggravating his elbow against the Minnesota Vikings. His second NFL season has been marred by injuries to his knee, hamstring and elbow, leading to him only playing four full games in Weeks 1, 2, 5 and 6. Though none of the injuries have been season-ending, they have hampered the number of snaps he has taken as he tries to continue his development.

Mariota understands the frustration Daniels must feel. After all, Mariota experienced multiple injuries early in his career with the Tennessee Titans that forced him to miss time. His advice has remained the same throughout the season: take things one day at a time.

“I think it’s not always going to be clean,” Mariota said. “Not everything’s going to be nice and smooth sailing. And I think for him to be able to go through some of this, to go through this adversity, it’s really going to set himself up for his future and his career. And the more that we can continue to engage him and making sure that he’s feeling like he’s a part of it is also very important.”

2. “Setting a foundation.”

The Commanders have four games left in the season, and as expected, there is a contingent of fans who want them to lose out so they have a chance at claiming the No. 1 overall pick. The Commanders are not taking that approach and have been adamant about the importance of trying to win as many of their remaining games as possible.

There are several reasons why the Commanders want to get a strong finish to the season. They’re healthier than they have been on offense in months, and they want to see that their investments can work going forward. They also want to see what they have in terms of personnel when they enter the offseason to get a better understanding of how they should improve their roster.

There’s also the culture head coach Dan Quinn and his staff have built to consider. They want their players to compete in every game, no matter the external factors, and that’s something the players are still bought into.

“You’re setting a foundation,” Mariota said. “We talked about it in the team room and amongst the team, it’s setting a culture. We talk about a culture, we talk about the brotherhood, it’s really these moments that tell you who you are. And it’s never easy, it’s not easy to go out here when it’s 20 degrees in practice. And at the same time, it’s a great learning tool for everybody here. And the more that we can just build off of that and build for each other, the future will be better.”