Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will start in his team's Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (October 5), the team announced in a post shared on its X account Friday (October 3).
"QB Jayden Daniels will start on Sunday," the Commanders wrote.
Daniels has been inactive since suffering a knee sprain during his team's Week 2 Thursday Night Football loss to the Green Bay Packers, throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 24 of 42 passing, while also recording 17 yards on seven rushing attempts prior to the injury. The second-year quarterback underwent an MRI and the injury isn't suspected to be a long-term issue.
Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota went 1-1 as a starter in Daniels' absence, throwing for 363 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 31 of 48 passing. Daniels led the Commanders to their first postseason berth since the 2020 season during his rookie campaign, which ended with a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
The former Heisman Trophy winner had one of the greatest rookie seasons for the quarterback position in NFL history, winning the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after throwing for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 331 of 480 passing, while also recording 891 yards and six touchdowns on 148 rushing attempts. The Commanders also confirmed that wide receiver Deebo Samuel was a full participant in practice on Friday and would play in Sunday's game, one day after confirming that primary receiver Terry McLaurin would be ruled out.