Jayden Daniels vow to ‘embrace the brace’ in return from latest elbow injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was a full participant in practice Wednesday, another step toward his return from a left elbow injury.

Daniels hurt his non-throwing arm on the final play of the first half in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys and traveled with the Commanders (1-3) to London last week. He was limited in every practice before the loss to the Indianapolis Colts, when starter Marcus Mariota went down with a sprained knee.

Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis replaced Mariota, but Daniels took the reps in Wednesday’s practice. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed he plans to start Daniels this week against the visiting New York Giants (3-1), barring any setbacks.

“The goal is for him to have a full week of practice and start on Sunday,” Quinn said. “We won’t put him out there before he’s ready.”

Part of getting ready was beginning work in Wednesday’s practice on protecting his elbow. Quinn said there are some adjustments for Daniels to make and others for the team to address.

Daniels wore a brace on his left elbow and plans to keep it on for the game.

“I’m gonna embrace the brace,” Daniels said. “Go out there and be the best version of myself.”

Daniels, 25, missed time last season with the same injury and was forced to exit his first game back in 2025 after spraining the same elbow. He played a total of only seven games last season due to multiple injuries.

He has completed only 57% of his passes this season (29 of 51) but has three touchdowns and no turnovers in six quarters of game action in 2026. He is 3-0 in his career against the Giants.

“Just putting in the countless hours of work and preparation,” Daniels said. “Just go out there and give myself the best opportunity to perform to the best of my ability on Sunday.”

The Commanders hosted former United Football League MVP quarterback Jack Plummer on Wednesday morning, according to the league transactions log.