3:53 PM: Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn announced during his Monday press conference that the team is shutting down quarterback Jayden Daniels for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“We’re going to sit him for the final three games,” Quinn said.
Daniels has yet to be cleared for contact from a dislocated elbow injury that was suffered initially during the November 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Daniels missed only three games before returning on December 7 against Minnesota, but he landed hard on his elbow, reaggravating the injury.
The Commanders, who snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sunday against the Giants, held out hope that Daniels could return, despite the team being eliminated from playoff contention. With the Commanders playing against the Eagles on Saturday, and then on Christmas against Dallas just five days later, the decision was made for Daniels to rest.
“You adjust and this is the best plan for him and for the team right now,” Quinn said.
For the second straight game, a former Eagles backup quarterback will start against Philadelphia. Marcus Mariota will be under center when the Commanders host the Eagles this Saturday evening (5 PM on FOX). It’s the first of two meetings in a three-week span for the NFC East rivals, who battled in January for the NFC Championship. With a win on Saturday, the Eagles would become the first team to win consecutive NFC East titles since Philadelphia did so from 2001-04.
Mariota has completed 62 percent of his pass attempts for 1,600 yards with 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions for an 87.0 QB rating.
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, leading Washington to the NFC Championship Game last season. Myriad injuries limited Daniels to just seven games this season. He’s completed 60.6 percent of his attempts for 1,262 yards with eight touchdown passes against three interceptions for an 88.1 QB rating in 2025. – Chris McPherson
