Jayden Daniels injury update: Washington Commanders QB in line to start vs. Chargers

Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is in line to start against the Los Angeles Chargers, the franchise announced. He had been working his way back from a knee injury, which caused him to miss two games.

Daniels suffered the injury against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 and missed the next two games as a result. Marcus Mariota stepped in at quarterback in the meantime, going 1-1 against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons.

This week, Daniels received medical clearance from doctors and returned to practice in full. As a result, the sense became the former LSU star would be able to jump back under center against the Chargers in Week 4.

“Back at practice in full yesterday,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Thursday. “After missing the last two games, he’s now set to start Sunday against the Chargers. Again, this is good news for Washington. Marcus Mariota stepped in, won one, lost one. But the doctors in Washington have cleared Daniels now, and he is expected to be out there on Sunday.”

Daniels then made it clear he thought he’d be able to play Sunday, but admitted that was up to the doctors and coaching staff. He went through practice with a brace on his knee and wasn’t sure if he’d have to wear it in a game setting or not.

“”Obviously as a competitor you want to go out there and help your team in any way possible,” Daniels said, via ESPN’s John Keim. “So being sidelined for this past couple of weeks were super tough. I felt like I could go two weeks ago, but I don’t make those calls.”

Through two games in his second NFL season, Daniels has completed 59.7% of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns to go with 85 rushing yards on 18 carries. He struggled against a talented Packers defense in Week 2, going 24 of 42 for 200 yards and two touchdowns while taking seven carries for 17 rushing yards.

Jayden Daniels will also have one of his important weapons on the field with him Sunday. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel also came off the injury report this week, meaning he’s good to go against Los Angeles. That’s important for the Commanders, who will be without Terry McLaurin as he works his way back from a quad injury.