The Washington Commanders and the rest of the NFL world thought quarterback Jayden Daniels might miss the rest of the season after he suffered an injury a few weeks back.
Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in the Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that could have been prevented if head coach Dan Quinn pulled him in what was a blowout late in the fourth quarter.
Thankfully, Daniels' injury is not as serious as initially thought and there is now hope that he could return this season, although that will likely hinge on the Commanders' playoff hopes, which, to put in nicely, are slim at best.
Putting that aside for now, here's what we know about Daniels' chances of playing in Week 13 when the Commanders return from their bye.
Will Jayden Daniels return after the bye?
It is unclear if Daniels will be ready to return in Week 13.
Head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that he would have a better update once the team returns from its bye. He did note, however, that the "rehab portion is going good" for Daniels, so that's positive news.
Due to the fact that the Commanders haven't placed him on injured reserve, it's clear that they believe there's a chance Daniels could return after a three-game absence
That said, it would be foolish to bring Daniels back at this point with the team sitting at 3-8.
According to the New York Times Playoff Simulator, Washington has a less than one-percent chance of making the postseason, so there's no sense in running Daniels out there and risking him getting injured.
While no team wants to admit defeat, the Commanders need to wave the white flag on this season and look forward to 2026, when they will hopefully have a better supporting cast around their franchise quarterback.
If Daniels does sit out the rest of the season, the Commanders will continue to roll with Marcus Mariota.
For our fantasy football folks out there, Mariota is a viable starting option after ranking as QB8 overall the past two weeks.
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