Daniels suffered rib trauma in the first quarter of a Moment 7 win over Carolina. Marcus Mariota would start if Daniels is unable to play when the Commanders (5-2) host the Bears (4-2).
Daniels was once listed as questionable on Friday. Their stall may not be open until Sunday afternoon; the sport is scheduled to begin at 4:25 p.m.
“Today really pushed him,” said Washington schoolteacher Dan Quinn. “We’ll let our eyes decide how he responds over the next 48 hours. That will guide us and we’ll make the best decision for him and the team.”
Daniels said he feels good.
“I want to play but it’s not my decision,” he said. “It feels better, but I still have some time. I still have some marks I need to hit so they feel comfortable putting me out there.”
Daniels did not participate in practice for the approximately 20 minutes visible to the media on Friday. For part of that date, all four quarterbacks were running inside the team’s one-hour practice bubble, the rest of the players were outside stretching and doing individual drills.
But the other three quarterbacks (Mariota, Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman) arrived at the field before the unmistakable display ended. Mariota and Driskel have been collaborating on the team’s usual Friday red zone passing reps.
On the other hand, Quinn said that throughout this era, Daniels was once running well and conditioning his main segment. He then joined the practice for team-wide exercises. Quinn said there were trash barriers on Daniels on Friday and called it a “good day” for his rookie quarterback.
When he was at practice, Quinn said they examined his ability to scramble and create shots, as well as his unexpected actions in the face of a blitz or alternate force.
Daniels did not file his application on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Quinn said, they followed the plan they presented to Daniels at the beginning of the season, including for Friday.
“You have to push it to see where you are,” Quinn said. “He keeps knocking down the steps and now we’re going to [go] through them again [Saturday]”.
Daniels said he’s confident the group will make the right decision for him to enjoy Sunday.
“It’s football. At the end of the day, things happen,” Daniels said. “Sometimes you might have to fight for something, but if you can go, you can give it your all and be smart about it. Obviously they wouldn’t put me in any position that they wouldn’t feel comfortable in. For my future, I don’t want to put myself in that either.” situation.”
Daniels injured his rib on his first play from scrimmage on Sunday, a 46-yard run in which he got caught to the side and behind two Carolina defenders. He completed the order but did not return. Mariota turned it around and finished 18 of 23 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Mariota would make his first start since the 13th of the 2022 season with Atlanta.
“Marcus has really helped our offense from a maturity standpoint, from a leadership standpoint,” Washington catcher Terry McLaurin said. “He makes it really easy for everyone because he’s a great leader and knows how he’s supposed to be and how to run this offense. We’re confident moving forward with him at quarterback if that’s the case.”