Jayden Daniels has been cleared to play and will start for the Washington Commanders against the New York Giants in Week 5, giving the team a badly needed lift after he missed the previous two games with an elbow injury.
That is the key news for the Commanders, who needed a win after opening the season 1-3. Daniels dislocated his elbow in Week 2, then sat out both games that followed before returning to practice last week with a brace on his left arm. He had also seen multiple specialists and consulted with the team before being given the all-clear.
Daniels: take it day by day
Daniels said the approach has been simple: work, prepare and give himself the best chance to perform on Sunday.
“Just putting in the countless hours of work and preparation, I just go out there and give myself the best opportunity to perform to the best of my abilities on Sunday,” he said.
He also explained that the brace is now part of the routine, even if it will need to stay on for the rest of the season.
“It's just kind of a part of me now, so, for the time being, as long as I'm on that field, so just getting used to it, trying to find the different ways where it's most comfortable and I'm not really just thinking about [it],” Daniels said.
A tough divisional test for Washington
Dan Quinn confirmed on Friday that Daniels had been cleared and would start against the New York Giants. Daniels himself was clear about the size of the challenge ahead.
“This week is the game that we have, so obviously we wanna get a win and we got a tough divisional opponent coming in and we know what's at stake, but you just gotta go out there and take it day by day, play by play and try to execute to the best of our abilities,” he said.
That is the right tone for a quarterback coming back from injury. The Commanders do not need Daniels to force the issue straight away; they need him to settle the offense, protect the ball and give the team the structure it missed while he was out.
The more important point is that Washington now has its starter back for a game it badly wants to win. Against a division opponent, there is no room for easing in quietly. Daniels is available, the Commanders are desperate for momentum, and Week 5 suddenly looks far more significant than it did a few days ago.
