Marcus

Mariota

ESPN’s John Keim posted from Commanders practice, “Three QBs are now out here. Jayden Daniels not yet among them.” The rookie quarterback was rumored to have a chance at practicing on Friday, but his third-straight DNP likely spells a Week 8 absence, barring a surprise development. The team will give official word on Daniels’ status for the weekend on their Friday injury report, but it’s looking more and more like Marcus Mariota will make the start against the Bears.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders have “plans to attempt to try to practice Daniels on Friday.” We’ll see how that goes, but the rookie quarterback’s Week 8 availability looks “very much in doubt,” according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport earlier in the week. It seems unlikely Daniels will play against the Bears, but the Commanders will give him every chance to do so. If he can’t go, it will be Marcus Mariota starting under center for the first time this season.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn said the team would be cautious with their superstar rookie QB. “The practice field is the next step of that,” Quinn said. “We want to make sure he can fully express himself and do all the things that he does [on the field]. ... Be him, fully turnt up.” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday that Daniels, who suffered the injury in Week 7 against the Panthers, was “very much in doubt” for Week 8 against the Bears. If Daniels can’t practice on Thursday or Friday, Marcus Mariota will likely get the start against a tough Chicago defense.

The Commanders, per Rapoport, are going to be “more cautious than anything” in handling the rib injury Daniels sustained in Week 7 against Carolina. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Daniels is “week to week,” adding the team hopes he can suit up Sunday against Chicago. Fantasy managers should assume Daniels misses at least one game. Marcus Mariota, who had 205 yards and two scores in Week 7, would get the call against the Bears if Daniels is sidelined.

As head coach Dan Quinn said after the game, Daniels will undergo more tests on Monday to determine the severity of his injury, but for the time being, it sounds like the rookie dodged any serious injury in Sunday’s win. Daniels and the Commanders have a big tilt with the Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on tap for Week 8. If he can suit up, Daniels will profile as a high-end QB1 for fantasy. If he can’t play, it will be Marcus Mariota making his first start of the 2024 campaign. Mariota threw for an impressive 205/2 and completed 78.3 percent of his passes in relief of Daniels in Week 7.

The most information we have on Daniels’ injury came from his mother, who posted on social media that he was “fine” shortly after he left the field. Things didn’t look too serious on the sideline, as Daniels appeared jovial and in good spirits with his teammates when he returned to the field, but these additional tests will be the real tell as to the severity of his injury. If Daniels is unable to go in Week 8 against the Bears, Marcus Mariota will make his first start of the season.

Mariota entered in the first quarter to replace an injured Jayden Daniels (ribs) and wound up leading the Commanders on three touchdown-scoring drives. His first touchdown pass came in the waning seconds of the first-half when he connected with Zach Ertz on a 12-yard pass in the end zone. He would then find rookie Ben Sinnott on a three-yard score in the third quarter and played a near-flawless game against the hapless Panthers. Daniels’ rib injury did not appear serious, although we’ll learn more about it in the coming days. In the event he can’t play in Week 8, Mariota would draw his first start of the season against the Bears.

This news comes from the CBS broadcast. With the Commanders carrying a 27-0 lead into the second half, the team opted to not put him back on the field for a game that appears well in hand. We don’t know the severity of Daniels’ injury, but he was smiling and saluting fans as he returned to the sidelines in street clothes, and his mother posted “He’s fine #httc” to her social media account soon after he went to the locker room. Daniels completed two passes for six yards and ran for another 50 yards on his lone drive of the game. All eyes are now on the rookie’s Week 8 availability, when the Commanders take on No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Bears.

Mariota rejoins the team after suffering a pectoral injury during the summer and missing the first four games of the season. He should immediately slot into the primary backup quarterback role behind starter Jayden Daniels, sending Jeff Driskel back to the emergency quarterback role on game days.

The team elevated quarterback Sam Hartman from the practice squad in an associated move, who is likely to serve as the emergency quarterback behind starter Jayden Daniels and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel. Mariota began the offseason in a competition with the first-round rookie before injuring his pectoral, prompting the move to injured reserve. Even so, the 30-year-old journeyman was a long shot to earn the starting job over the promising rookie.