Commanders' Dan Quinn confirms Jayden Daniels decision for Colts game

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels didn't play in what became his club's 33-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. 

The fact that Daniels avoided being placed on injured reserve due to the dislocated left elbow he suffered on Sept. 20 suggested there was a chance he could travel to play against the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) in London on Oct. 4. 

For a piece published early Monday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared an update on Daniels' status for the Week 4 clash with the Colts. 

There's "a chance" Jayden Daniels could do this for the Colts game

"[Commanders head coach Dan Quinn] told me Daniels will 'more than likely' travel with the team to the United Kingdom when they leave on Tuesday night," Breer wrote. "He doesn’t know yet whether Daniels will play in six days. But that there’s even a chance tells you that the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year isn’t far off. And it sure sounds like he’ll come back to a team that’s gotten stronger, simply by having to handle the challenge his absence presented. As Sunday illustrated."

Against the Seahawks, Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 19-of-31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. That performance against the reigning Super Bowl champions could make it at least a little easier for Quinn to stick with Mariota for another game and give Daniels extra time to get right for Washington's Week 5 home matchup against a New York Giants side that lost its starting quarterback (Jaxson Dart) to a knee injury for at least the rest of the regular season.

Marcus Mariota had the respect of teammates before earning a win over the Seahawks

Breer noted that Washington team captains spoke with Quinn on Sept. 21 about making Mariota the team’s sixth permanent captain following Daniels' latest injury. 

"I was always going to leave the sixth out as an honorary one, for a (franchise legend such as) Doug Williams or Brian Mitchell or somebody," Quinn explained. "But they asked and said, 'Hey, we’d like to make him a permanent captain.' And I thought, 'Man, this is the easiest decision of all time.'"

Such a tale shows how respected and admired Mariota was among his teammates even before he helped Washington improve to 1-2. Thus, Quinn may want to think twice about turning back to Daniels right away, especially if it's clear later this week that the 25-year-old isn't yet ready to make his in-game return to action. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders as three-point underdogs against the Colts.