Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels insists he’s no longer injured. Head coach Dan Quinn has backed up that assertion.
Daniels injured his ribs in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. And while he didn’t miss any games, he hasn’t been as sharp as he was in the first seven weeks. Daniels is coming off his worst NFL performance in last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, this week, Daniels said the few extra days of rest that come with a Thursday night game were good for him. Quinn noted that the missed practice time impacted Daniels and the offense more than the injury.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury explained what he was looking for from Daniels in practice this week.
“I think you just give back to the basics, the fundamentals, and really hone in on those,” Kingsbury said on Thursday. “I think anytime you have a couple games that aren’t to maybe the level we all want to be at, you narrow the focus, and it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s nail the footwork, let’s nail the reads, progressions, the base stuff and start there.’ And, he’s the guy who, when he is working at it, he works really hard, he’s very focused, and so this week has been good to see him back out there going full speed and getting the reps that I think will help us play at a higher level.”
Was Kingsbury subtly saying that the offense was a bit more limited with Daniels dealing with a rib injury in recent weeks?
“I’m not gonna divulge what we did while he was, I would say, more banged up, but hopefully we play better this week. I’ll just say that.”
Kingsbury didn’t say it, but what he meant is clear. The Washington offense wasn’t exactly the same in previous weeks, and some of that can be attributed to playing against better defenses, too.
Daniels, Kingsbury and the rest of the Commanders have a chance to bounce back Sunday against the reeling Dallas Cowboys.
