Commanders HC Dan Quinn Shares Big Update on QB Jayden Daniels
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Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders watches Marcus Mariota #8 warm up.
The 2025 NFL season hasn’t gone as planned for the Washington Commanders, with the team sporting a disappointing record of 3-5 heading into Week 9. One of the main reasons for the team’s struggles this season has been star quarterback Jayden Daniels playing in only five of his squad’s eight games thus far due to injuries.
Daniels initially dealt with a left knee sprain and then suffered a hamstring injury in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Veteran journeyman quarterback Marcus Mariota has shouldered the load in Daniels’ absence, but the team hasn’t functioned as well as it did last season.
After missing Week 8’s matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, Daniels appears to be trending in the right direction, with hopes of him getting back on the field for Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Commanders Get Promising Update on Jayden Daniels
GettyJayden Daniels #5 and head coach Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn gave a promising update on Daniels’ status on Wednesday, with the “plan” being for the rising star to practice fully throughout the week.
“The plan is for him to practice full all week,” Quinn said during a team press conference. “Today it will be slow-moving, but he’ll stay after, do extra, more routes. … It’ll be a little bit adjusted for him based on his readiness going in and also not playing from Monday, but the plan is for him full all week.”
With Quinn ready to ramp up Daniels’ work during practice this week, it seems like it is a foregone conclusion that the young star quarterback will be under center against the Seahawks on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
The Seahawks are 5-2 heading into this matchup and have played solid football throughout the 2025 campaign, arguably one of the best teams in the NFC. That said, Daniels will be put to the test against a conference heavyweight right out of the gate, which makes for a compelling storyline for Sunday’s game.
Dan Quinn Gives Concerning Update on Terry McLaurin
GettyTerry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Commanders.
Perhaps the biggest concern heading into Week 9’s matchup against the Seahawks is the absence of star wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
The Commanders’ wideout reinjured his quad in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, which is a costly loss for the team heading into a tough game against Seattle. Daniels discussed McLaurin’s injury again during Wednesday’s press conference and how the team has dealt with an unfortunate number of injuries this season.
“I think that’s just football,” Daniels said. “You gotta be able to adapt. I gotta go out there and control what I can control if I’m out there, just like everybody else does. It’s very unfortunate that Terry won’t be out there, but you know, next man up mentality.”
McLaurin had the only touchdown for Washington against the Chiefs on an incredible catch in the end zone as he was flying out of bounds. He hauled in three catches for 54 receiving yards in the loss.
The Commanders will have to find someone to step up in the receiving corps with McLaurin on the mend once again.
Stephen Jones Sends Bold Message on Cowboys’ Trade Deadline Plans
The Dallas Cowboys are all in on the 2025 NFL season. But they’ll also consider moving players off their roster to address areas of need.
Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president and CEO, addressed why the Cowboys would be considered both buyers and sellers ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday.
The Cowboys (3-4-1) are in second place in the NFC East and sit 2.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. They’re just 1.5 games back of the San Francisco 49ers for the final NFC playoff spot.
Dallas will host the Arizona Cardinals (2-5) on Monday Night Football mere hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Stephen Jones: ‘Sometimes Player For Player [Trades] Can Be Very Interesting’
The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. They rank first in the NFL in passing-yards per game (263.8), second in yards per game (384.1) and points per game (30.8).
Yet, Dallas is middling due to its woeful defense. The Cowboys are 31st in the NFL in yards-against per game (404.6) and points-against per game (31.3) and have allowed at least 30 points in five of their eight games this season.
So Jones knows the Cowboys can use their strength on offense to potentially acquire defensive reinforcements.
“I think there’s a lot of things that go into us improving as a defense,” Jones told KTFM on Thursday. “If you can find a player that upgrades you, as I’ve always said, we’re always looking for that every year. Whether it’s by trade or whether it’s a player acquisition, it comes by a lot of shapes, forms and fashions.”
Cowboys fans may be incensed at the team’s scuffling defense, since the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade sapped the team of one of its most talented players. Still, according to Jones, there are deals to be made to improve.
“We have areas where we have depth, and sometimes player-for-player [trades] can be very interesting to us,” Jones said. “We’re also in consideration for giving up a player for us getting a pick and vice versa. It goes all ways.”
The Dallas Cowboys’ Game Against Arizona Is ‘A Big, Big Game’
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has never lost at AT&T Stadium, and Arizona has won three straight against Dallas dating back to 2020.
“What an amazing high-school career he had,” Jones said of Murray, who won three straight state championships while playing at Allen High School and also having a standout baseball career as well. “He’s just a competitor and a winner, and that’s our goal, to put that streak to an end. But I’m sure he’s going to have his competitive juices flowing coming back home to where all he won all those championships.”
Yet, the Cardinals have been struggling with five straight losses despite their minus-1 point differential. If the Cowboys have any illusions of making the playoffs in the much-improved NFC, Jones knows they’ll need to win at home — where they are 2-0-1 despite averaging 33 points per game.
“It’d be huge for us to get a win,” Jones said. “It’s a big, big game. I know it’s a big game for the Cardinals, but it’s a huge game for us as well.”
