Jayden Daniels’ Practice Status Raises Alarms as Terry McLaurin Stays Sidelined—What It Means for the Season

The Commanders’ practice field has seen some cautious optimism these past couple of days, as Jayden Daniels made a notable return without aggravating that pesky knee injury of his. Watching him ease back as a limited participant for two sessions straight raised some eyebrows and hopes alike—Daniels himself feels game-ready, but naturally, the final word rests with the team’s medical brain trust before he possibly leads the charge against the Falcons. Of course, not all news is rosy: Terry McLaurin and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt remain sidelined, their injuries stubbornly hanging on. Meanwhile, other key players are juggling their own setbacks, with some inching closer to full tilt and others resting up. With Friday’s injury list looming, the Commanders are in that classic midweek limbo—part hopeful, part cautious. LEARN MORE

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels returned to practice on Wednesday and his uptick in work didn’t do anything to make his knee injury worse.

Daniels was listed as a limited participant in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Daniels said on Wednesday that he feels well enough to play and that it will be up to the team’s medical staff if he gets the green light to start against the Falcons.

More word on that will come with the release of the team’s injury designations on Friday, but the chances of wide receiver Terry McLaurin and rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt being in the lineup don’t look good. McLaurin remains out with a quad injury that led him to solicit multiple opinions in recent days and Croskey-Merritt has been out all week with a knee injury.

Tight end John Bates (calf, groin), wide receiver Noah Brown (groin, knee), and safety Percy Butler (hip) were also out. Cornerback Trey Amos (calf) went from limited to full participation and tight end Colson Yankoff (ankle) remained a full participant.