Dan Quinn Gives Final Answer on Commanders Resting Healthy Jayden Daniels
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Dan Quinn gave a clear answer about the Washington Commanders' plans to rest QB Jayden Daniels once he's healthy.
The Washington Commanders are preparing for Jayden Daniels to return after dislocating his elbow in Week 9, but those preparations don’t include head coach Dan Quinn talking about any plans to rest the second-year quarterback once he’s healthy.
Daniels is getting closer to returning to health, based on the latest positive injury update. The Commanders will have their franchise signal-caller back at practice, but Quinn says Daniels is still “unlikely to play (Sunday)” against the Denver Broncos in Week 13 because he’s “not yet been cleared for contact,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
That makes sense, and a return date against the Minnesota Vikings on December 7 is identified by ESPN’s John Keim as “the likely target. But nothing is certain at this point. Much more to learn first.”
Daniels suiting up against the Vikings would put to rest any idea of the Commanders not risking him for the final portion of what’s been a gruelling campaign. The debate about shutting down last season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been raging for a while, but Quinn isn’t getting involved.
Instead, Quinn revealed, “That’s not something we really discussed, internally,” per The Washington Post’s Tom Schad.
Dan Quinn was asked if the #Commanders ever considered resting a healthy Jayden Daniels.
“That’s not something we really discussed, internally,” he said. Focus was just on getting Jayden healthy.
It sounds as though Quinn would be content to put Daniels back onto the field before this season is in the books. Some will see it as an unnecessary risk when the team is 3-8, but Daniels is still a young player who needs to hone his craft, and the Commanders need to engender some goodwill before a planned raising of ticket prices.
Commanders Still Need Jayden Daniels in 2025
It’s the longest of long shots, but the 2025 Commanders still aren’t officially eliminated from playoff contention. So there’s still some value to getting Daniels back into the lineup as soon as possible.
He still represents the best chance for the Commanders to win football games, even if signs of a sophomore slump have been impossible to ignore. Daniels has regressed in a few key areas, most notably when it comes to being accurate and efficient with the football.
The 24-year-old has completed 62.5 percent of his passes, down from 69 a year ago, per Pro Football Reference. Daniels has also averaged under 200 yards through the air per game across eight starts.
Those numbers show Daniels still has work to do, work he can do best on the field. Even against a Vikings defense posting the highest blitz percentage in football, sending extra rushers after quarterbacks 41 percent of the time.
His talent remains undeniable, but the Commanders need to do more to surround Daniels with playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Commanders Must Put More Talent Around Their QB
Daniels will get value from additional playing time this season, but he’ll benefit more from a stronger supporting cast. That will mean adding a competent and dynamic third wide receiver, putting a bluechip workhorse into the backfield and bolstering a defense threadbare in every area.
The onus is on general manager Adam Peters to acquire a marquee defensive end, a more athletic linebacker and a rangy safety. It’s a pretty lengthy to-do list, but every one of those moves is necessary for ensuring Daniels doesn’t have to carry a structurally unsound team.
More of that kind of pressure will not only make the Commanders a losing product at a time when Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports the franchise is “raising 2026 season ticket prices by an average of just under 10 percent.” It would also lead to Daniels taking more risks with his dual-threat skills and increasing the chances of future injuries.
T.J. Watt Shocks the NFL by Publicly Blaming Head Coach Mike Tomlin After the “Sudden Tactical Change” – Viral Video of Watt Collapsing in the Locker Room After a 5-Minute Heated Argument Leaves Steelers Nation Stunned
The Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of their 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears in frustration, but the biggest aftershock didn’t happen on the field — it erupted inside the locker room. Moments after the game, defensive captain
According to multiple team sources, Tomlin abruptly abandoned the week’s defensive game plan during the Bears’ final drive — switching from relentless pressure to a soft drop-zone look that allowed Caleb Williams to march the field with ease. Watt, who rarely shows this level of emotion publicly, could no longer hold back.
Speaking in the postgame press conference, his voice tight with frustration, Watt said:
“We controlled them the entire game. And then suddenly, we switched to something that wasn’t Steelers football. I can’t explain it, because it went against everything we prepared for all week. We deserved a better decision than that — and people will soon understand why I had to speak up tonight.”
The comments detonated across social media immediately. But the situation escalated further when a locker room video leaked shortly after:
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T.J. Watt sitting collapsed on a bench
Hoodie pulled over his face
Hands trembling in frustration and exhaustion
Cam Heyward beside him with a hand on his shoulder
Several teammates watching silently from across the room
Just minutes before that moment, Watt and Tomlin reportedly engaged in a
Within 20 minutes, the hashtag #StandWithTJ began trending on Twitter (X), with Steelers fans demanding answers as to why the team abandoned its pressure identity — the very backbone of Pittsburgh’s defense for years.
Sources inside the locker room say many defensive players side with Watt. “We practiced one thing all week, then suddenly switched to something else,” one player said anonymously.
Tomlin left the field without making eye contact with Watt and declined to answer any questions about the conflict.
The Steelers are now facing a true organizational crisis:
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Two straight losses
The most expensive defense in the NFL giving up 30+ points again
And now an open rift between their biggest star and their most powerful leader
Steelers Nation is shaken — and everyone knows one thing:
This story is far from over.
