Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has started four games since injuring his ribs in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Washington is 2-2 in those four games, with both losses coming within four days last week.
In those four games, Daniels completed 59.5% of his passes – a decrease from 75% in the first seven games. There is no denying that there is a difference, whether due to better opponents or due to injury.
Daniels insists he is fine and even says the team wouldn't let him play otherwise. Head coach .
After a weekend off, Quinn met with the media on Monday and reiterated that Daniels was not injured. He provided insight into why his numbers have dropped.
““I want to start by being clear and honest: Jayden is not injured right now,” Quinn said. “But we lost valuable training time with him and his teammates when he was injured. And that's hard for all boys. It's a really, really important part of our work. And we don't have any permanent representatives here, so we're really looking forward to spending a full week and regular training sessions with the boys again. That’s why we had to put this together in small steps over the last few weeks.”
Quinn's explanation makes perfect sense. Daniels only missed two full days of practice, but he could have been hampered in the following weeks.
Here's a counterpoint to Quinn's statement that the ribs no longer affect Daniels: Why are trainers working on Daniels' ribs?
Quinn can only stick to what the doctors and Daniel have said. Of course, Daniels will say he's fine, and doctors see no reason why he can't play, since rib injuries are often more about pain tolerance than what you see on an X-ray.
The Commanders are hoping the long weekend will give them a bit of a break after 11 straight games before facing Dallas in Week 12.
