The Washington Commanders have been without Jayden Daniels for the last three games because of an elbow injury. Could that change in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings?
Daniels has made slow-but-steady progress in his attempt to return from a dislocated left elbow. The second-year quarterback returned to the practice field ahead of Week 13. He hasn’t yet been cleared for contact, but once he is, he may have a chance to return to that lineup.
Naturally, if Daniels is able to return, the NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year would provide Washington’s offense a boost. It would also mark an improbably short comeback from an injury that many initially feared would knock him out for the season.
Here are the latest injury updates about Daniels and his status for Week 14 and the rest of the 2025 NFL season.
When will Jayden Daniels return?
The Commanders have not provided a definite timeline for Daniels’ return. His status for Week 14 remains in question, as Washington coach Dan Quinn revealed during a Nov. 1 media availability the second-year quarterback had not yet been cleared for contact.
‘He’s still going through that process of the functional testing,’ Quinn told reporters. ‘I’ll have a better sense as we go through the week.’
Quinn then told reporters the team wouldn’t have a concrete update on whether Daniels will potentially be able to play the team’s Week 14 game against the Minnesota Vikings until Friday.
Daniels originally returned to the practice field ahead of Washington’s Week 12 game against the Denver Broncos. Quinn made it clear the 24-year-old was ‘unlikely to play’ but characterized his participation as a good sign.
‘Man, it’s good to get started and get the return to play going,’ Quinn said at a Nov. 24 media availability. ‘That’s a big deal for us.’
Quinn has made it clear he believes ‘it’s important’ for Daniels to play again in 2025, if he’s healthy enough to do so. The second-year quarterback is in agreement with his coach.
‘If I’m healthy, and I’m ready to go, I want to be out there,’ Daniels told reporters on Nov. 25.
Who is Commanders backup QB?
Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Oregon, has posted a 1-5 record across six starts in place of Daniels. The 32-year-old has completed 63.2% of his passes for 1,359 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 248 yards and a score on the ground.
Mariota has a 35-45 career record across 80 starts. Before the 2025 season, he had not started an NFL game since he went 5-8 across 13 starts with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.
Commanders QB depth chart
Daniels is one of four quarterbacks in the Washington organization. Below is a look at the pecking order within the unit:
- Jayden Daniels (injured)
- Marcus Mariota
- Josh Johnson
- Sam Hartman (practice squad)
Johnson, 39, has backed up Mariota in Daniels’ absence. The veteran has played for an NFL record 14 different teams since being selected in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has a career record of 1-8 and last made a start for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
Hartman signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2024. He hasn’t yet played a regular-season snap at the NFL level.
