Raiders Get Great News on Jayden Daniels' Status

When the Las Vegas Raiders travel to Maryland to take on the Washington Commanders, they will be seeing a familiar face quarterbacking the opposition as according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Commanders have benched 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels due to injury.

"Now official: Commanders HC Dan Quinn said Marcus Mariota will start Sunday versus the Raiders," reported Schefter.

It's unclear at this time if Daniels will even be available for the contest, but it's confirmed that Mariota, a former Raiders quarterback from 2020-2021, will get the start. Daniels was limited in practice on Friday and had missed the rest of the week. Daniels, who has been dealing with a knee issue stemming from the Commanders' week two Thursday Night loss to the Packers in Green Bay, has had a rough start to his sophomore campaign.

Sep 7, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) talks to Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the field during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Dan Quinn on Daniels

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, a former assistant under Pete Carroll in Seattle, spoke about the decision to start Mariota.

"We're just not going to do this thing in a fast way," stated Quinn. "We'll do it in a smart way and make sure we make the right decisions. We know his importance to what we do."

Quinn also said that while Daniels did work out throughout the week, none of his training involved cutting, the one element in Daniels' game he does better than most of the league.

How Does This Affect the Raiders

Well, obviously not taking on one of the top quarterback talents in the NFL is always a bonus, this move should dramatically change Patrick Graham's approach to attacking the Commanders offense.

At this point in his career, due to various reasons including age and a long injury history, there is nothing Mariota can do that would have been better than the product Daniels would have put on the field.

Because of that, if the Raiders' sure-up key areas, they should be victorious in their efforts. Areas include the short, inside pass, the edges so Mariota must play from a collapsing pocket and the deep ball.

With Austin Ekeler already out and having traded away Brian Robinson in the offseason, the Commanders may give increased snaps to preseason phenom Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt so that's something to keep an eye on.

Sep 15, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

For the Raiders defense, it's about attack, attack, attack and for the Raiders offense, it's about protecting the football. Let the defense win this game with the help of the offense by playing sound, conservative, complementary football that should force Washington to catch up as the game goes on.

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