The Washington Commanders got a mix of injury news on Friday, including on quarterback Jayden Daniels, ahead of the week four matchup vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Washington Commanders have officially made the decision who will start at quarterback in week four, ending any uncertainty ahead of Sunday.
Head coach Dan Quinn named veteran Marcus Mariota as the starting quarterback in the week four matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in London with Jayden Daniels now officially ruled out.
Despite being limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, Quinn pointed to Daniels' return to practice as an encouraging sign before pointing to next week as the next chance to re-evaluate who the starting quarterback will be in week five. Daniels went down in the week two loss against the Dallas Cowboys with a dislocated left elbow, though bypassed midseason surgery to put an imminent return in 2026 back on the table to alter the outlook on Washington's season.
Still, Mariota eased concerns about Daniels' status after leading the Commanders to a win over the Seattle Seahawks, handing the defending Super Bowl champions their first loss in nearly one year. Mariota was one of two Commanders honored for his performance after tossing three touchdowns and throwing for 183 yards while completing 19 of his 31 attempts, in addition to 11 rushing yards on five carries including the game-sealing nine yard run over the final two minutes.
Whether Daniels serves as the lone notable absence this weekend was a question after Quinn pointed to running back Rachaad White not getting reps in Friday's practice after being listed as limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. The team officially ruled White out in Friday's injury report, though his absence will likely be mitigated by Austin Ekeler, who officially signed with the organization this week and traveled with the team to London alongside Bill Croskey-Merritt and rookie Kaytron Allen.
Despite one key piece sidelined, the Commanders will have two impact pieces available in week four after both tight end Chig Okonkwo and linebacker Frankie Luvu missed the last two games.
Okonkwo suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of the week one loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, the same game that linebacker Frankie Luvu suffered a groin injury, adding another layer of questions surrounding the depth at both positions.
The Commanders, now looking to get back to .500 after a winless start, will serve as the home team this weekend against the Colts with kickoff set for 9:30 AM ET. Washington will then host John Harbaugh and the New York Giants in week five, adding a question whether Daniels ultimately makes his return then.
