The Washington Commanders may be without their starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders after suffering a knee injury in Week 2. That means that Marcus Mariota will slot in as the starter if he's sidelined. As of now, it looks like Mariota could possibly be the QB1 after the Commanders' latest move, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
“Marcus Mariota will talk at the podium today. Not Jayden Daniels. If Daniels is not ruled out Friday, he’ll talk then. The Commanders took the same approach last year ahead of the Bears game when Daniels had a rib injury. We know how that one ended,” Jhabvala wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Daniels ended up playing in that game against the Bears, which turned into a thriller when he got the Commanders a win after a Hail Mary touchdown at the end. There's a chance that Daniels can still play in Week 3, and he still has a few days to show up to practice before the game.
Head coach Dan Quinn noted that Daniels had a good rehab session and threw out on the field, but he won't practice today, according to Jhabvala.
In the event that he doesn't practice or play, Mariota will be ready. In three relief appearances for the Commanders last season, Mariota completed 34 of his 44 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns. The last time he started was in 2022 with the Atlanta Falcons.
Jayden Daniels status is up in the air for Week 3
With it being so early in the season, the Commanders could be leaning to sit Daniels, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
“I'm going to echo what Ian has since said and since reported, which is that he wouldn't be surprised if Jayden Daniels misses a game here,” Garafolo said The Insiders. “You're talking about a young, sensational quarterback and movement is a part of what he does. Could you potentially put him in a situation where he's not moving as well as can be and basically sets himself up to take another hit.”
Daniels has taken a lot of hits over the past few weeks, and the worst thing that can happen is for him to take those hits when he's already hurt. If the Commanders plan on playing it safe, the best thing to do is sit him out and let him rest to be ready for Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Mariota will have to step up in his place, and he has the skill players around him to succeed.
