Dan Quinn sends a strong message Commanders fans need to hear about Jayden Daniels’ return from injury
Jayden Daniels playing is one of the most important tasks for this season.
The Washington Commanders are coming back from their bye week as they look for a surge in the last six weeks of the season.
A lot of conversations have been around Jayden Daniels’ return from injury, and whether or not he should play with a 3-8 record and the playoffs out of reach. Head coach Dan Quinn started the week by saying he’s back at practice, even though he’s not cleared for contact to play yet, but his return could be soon.
Daniels said he wants to play, and Quinn followed that up by laying out the reasoning for him being out there, despite fans wanting to protect the franchise quarterback.
Dan Quinn stresses the importance of Jayden Daniels playing this season
After suffering his third injury of the season, which was a gruesome elbow dislocation that sent a sick feeling into fans’ stomachs, people wanted Daniels to be shut down for the season. That’s not going to be the case, though, and his return is happening sooner than expected, and it’s critical for many reasons.
You can’t waste in-game experiences for a young quarterback in only his second season in the NFL, and these final six games will impact next season and beyond. Quinn sent a message on why Daniels playing is so important right now, a fans need to really hear it out.
“So all of us in life, sometimes we’re looking all the way down the road,” Quinn said. “Let’s get to the next step, and we’re not going to miss any with him [Daniels]. He knows. We all know the importance of him and the franchise. We’re not going to miss any steps. But this is also a developing football player who is hungry to get back, and we’re hungry to help him become the player that he’s going to become. And like, that’s a really cool thing.”
Jayden Daniels wants to play, and shutting him down never would’ve happened
We all know Daniels is the ultimate competitor, and there’s no way Quinn and the team would’ve been able to shut him down if he were healthy enough to play. Even Joe Burrow is looking forward to getting out there on the field as a top quarterback in the league, despite the Cincinnati Bengals being 3-8. Daniels addressed the desire to get back on the field and straight up said if he’s healthy, he has to be out there.
Sitting on the sideline watching would do nothing for Daniels’ development, and playing in the game, no matter who it’s with, is vital for his future and the success of next season. The Commanders are getting back Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown soon, and Daniels hasn’t played with them since Week 2. It’s understandable for fans to want to protect Daniels, but him playing and developing is one of the most important tasks for the rest of the season, even if they don’t win many more games.