Some of the Washington Commanders’ injured stars, including quarterback Jayden Daniels, have returned to the practice field, but it is not yet clear when they’ll be ready for a game, coach Dan Quinn said Monday.
Daniels, who dislocated his elbow in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks, participated in the team’s jog-through on Monday. He is “unlikely” to play Sunday against the Denver Broncos because he hasn’t been medically cleared for contact, Quinn said.
But the plan is to have Daniels play again this season once he receives the green light from the doctors.
“I think it’s important as Jayden gets going that he learns to play at the highest level and, competitively, that he also learns to do it safely,” Quinn said. “Those are reps that you develop as well. It’s a skill, just like throwing and processing, and so all those things are important. But him included, it was awesome today to have everyone back at practice.”
Daniels’ return is a notable milestone just three weeks after he appeared to suffer a gruesome and potentially severe injury. He fortuitously avoided any ligament tears or broken bones, which meant no surgery and the possibility of a quicker recovery. But Quinn made it clear he wouldn’t rush his return or the returns of other starters still recovering from injuries.
Receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, safety Will Harris and defensive end Drake Jackson also participated in Monday’s jog-through and continue to make progress in their recoveries.
For McLaurin and Brown, it was the first time they had done any on-field work with the team since their latest stints in recovery. McLaurin suffered a quad injury in Week 3, then aggravated it in Week 8 in Kansas City.
“It wasn’t like a full-speed, hauling-ass day, but that’s kind of what we’re hoping the progression for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday looks like for him and some of his teammates,” Quinn said of McLaurin. “He’s really worked hard and … we’ll see where it takes us, but it was awesome to have him out there today.”
Quinn declined to make any projections about McLaurin’s availability for Sunday but said he’s “excited about the possibilities because of the speed and how he’s moving.” He said he just needs to see those things repeatedly from McLaurin in a full-speed practice to know he’s ready.
Brown has been out since Week 2 with a groin injury. The team opened his 21-day window to return from injured reserve, creating the possibility that, for the first time, Daniels might get to play a game with his top two wideouts as well as his starting right guard, Sam Cosmi, who missed the first six games while recovering from an ACL injury.
Harris is also getting closer to returning from the fractured fibula he suffered in Week 3. The team opened his 21-day return window while practicing in Madrid, ahead of its loss to the Miami Dolphins.
“We’re very optimistic heading into this week for him and all that he’s done to get himself ready to go,” Quinn said of Harris.
Washington has dealt with a slew of injuries to key players — 21 in total — that has cost them a combined 82 games. Daniels has missed five of those because of a knee sprain (Week 2), a hamstring strain (Week 7) and then the elbow.
Brown has dealt with a string of injuries throughout his career, and especially in his two seasons in Washington. A lacerated kidney sidelined him for the final four games of last season, and then a knee injury that he suffered in minicamp in the spring cost him most of training camp and preseason. The groin injury was the latest to keep him out.
Jackson, a 2022 second-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers, signed with the Commanders in October but was immediately placed on injured reserve because he was still recovering from patellar tendon surgery in August 2024. Like Harris, his 21-day window to return to the field began during the team’s trip overseas.
His next game will be his first for Washington and first since 2023.
