Commanders Make Jayden Daniels’ Return Plan Clear Ahead of Week 5

Dan Quinn laid out exactly what Washington wants to see from Jayden Daniels this week as the Commanders work toward getting their starting quarterback back on the field.

Sep 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to pass the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn finally put a clear target on Jayden Daniels' return from a dislocated elbow. "The goal… is for him to have a full week of practice, full week, and start on Sunday," Quinn said.

That's a much clearer answer than Washington was willing to give last week. Quinn had already identified a full week of practice as the next step, but Daniels remained limited and was eventually ruled out against Indianapolis. Now the Commanders want more than just participation; they want him to get through the entire week and be ready to start. The team has no interest in skipping a step in the process. This is what Quinn wanted from the start: for Daniels to progress naturally and return when he's ready, not because the situation forces him back.

After Marcus Mariota injured his knee and left the game early on, the Commanders had to turn to rookie Athan Kaliakmanis to finish the game, which is not something the team wanted to do coming into the year. That makes Daniels' availability all the more important, with Washington already having to reach further down the quarterback depth chart than it ever wanted to this early in the season. While the team has tons of faith in Kaliakmanis, nothing about the way this quarterback room was built suggested Washington ever expected him to take meaningful snaps this early in the season.

Now that the timetable has been set and the goal is known, Wednesday's practice becomes the first real checkpoint to watch. While participation obviously matters, stacking good days without any setback is what the staff is looking for as they prepare to make a decision on him this week. Overall, the mystery now shifts from what the plan is to whether Daniels can complete it.

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