Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will return to the starting lineup for Sunday’s Week 5 showdown against the New York Giants. This is essentially a must-win game for Washington, so Daniels's return has everyone excited.
Daniels missed the past two games after dislocating his left (non-throwing) elbow for the second time in 10 months. After visiting multiple specialists, Daniels received good news. He did not need surgery or a stint on injured reserve. Now, he’s back. However, he won’t quite be the same as he was in Week 2, as Daniels must wear a bulky brace on his left arm.
When Daniels initially dislocated his elbow in a Week 9 game last November against Seattle, he missed four weeks, returned, and reaggravated the injury against Minnesota.
He was also wearing a brace in that game, but this one is different.
After Wednesday’s practice, Daniels met with the media and discussed playing with the brace.
“Reps,” Daniels said. “Reps with the brace, it’s a part of me for right now, so just gotta get used to it.”
Daniels is correct. If he wants to play, the brace is necessary, so he has no choice but to get used to playing with it. So, his goal is to embrace it.
“Hell yeah, I wanna play football, so it’s a part of me, so gotta go out there and body and embrace it.”
David Aldridge of The Athletic then asked Daniels an important question. What happens if Washington is facing a third-and-8, with the first-down marker in sight? Daniels answered, just as you'd expect.
“Is it the fourth quarter?” Daniels said. “Yeah. I mean, fourth quarter, we gotta do something to win, right?”
That’s the perfect answer. But it’s also one that probably worries Washington a little. Daniels is the ultimate competitor. That’s why he’s already back in the lineup. Before the injury, Daniels was doing an outstanding job of scrambling and sliding. Sliding has been an issue for Daniels before, causing him to take more hits. If Daniels can continue playing his normal style while also proving he can slide and avoid hits, he should be fine with the brace.
However, here’s the problem. Daniels dislocated the elbow in a freak occurrence. He wasn’t sacked. He wasn’t scrambling. An offensive lineman stepped on his foot, and he fell. At the end of the day, it’s still football. Daniels can do everything right, but there’s always risk.
But for Daniels, it’s all about doing everything he can to help the Commanders win.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels has perfect response about playing with brace
