Jayden Daniels injury update: CBS broadcast updates as Washington QB returns to sidelines in street clothes

The Washington Commanders suffered a serious scare on Sunday evening, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had to go back to the locker room to get X-Rays on his ribs. The dynamic dual-threat eventually returned to the Washington sidelines in the second half, but he was in street clothes, meaning he won’t return to the game. But Washington had the game well in hand, so there was no need to put him back in with Mariota handling things well enough.

Washington was up 34-0 on the Panthers with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter. Daniels gave Evan Washburn from CBS a thumbs up and did so for the Washington fans once he returned to the sidelines.

Here is the brief update below from Evan Washburn.

Jayden Daniels was flashing thumbs up to @EvanWashburn pic.twitter.com/OSfnm7FuMi

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 20, 2024

A former NFL doctor shared his thoughts on the injury. David J. Chao went to social media to reveal if Daniels could play next week when the Commanders take on the Chicago Bears

“Jayden Daniels leaves the Commanders’ game with an apparent rib issue. X-rays seem to be negative, it’s likely a rib cartilage issue which can be more painful,” Chao said. “Not returning today because of the score, but this puts next week’s matchup with rookie sensation Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels when they play each other in doubt.”

The injury happened in the first quarter after Daniels rushed for 50 yards on three carries. During the game, Daniels’ mom said his son was “fine,” but when the game ended, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn did not provide an update.

“I don’t have a lot of information on the update yet. It sounds like a rib injury, but I don’t have an official update for you. We’ll get one as soon as possible,” Quinn said, per Sports Illustrated. “There’s a way and style we want to play. There’s a lot of ball left to play, and we’ve got a huge second half to prepare for. We’re getting the ball back out, and you’ve got to go attack.”

The Commanders didn’t need Jayden Daniels on Sunday

Even if Daniels was healthy enough to return to the game, the Commanders didn’t need him as they beat the Panthers 40-7. Marcus Mariota took over for Daniels and threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, the Commanders are 5-2 and are in first place in the NFC East.

Daniels has been a big reason the Commanders have a chance to win their first division title since 2020. The former LSU Tigers quarterback has completed 75.3 percent of his passes for 1,404 yards six touchdowns and two interceptions in his first six games this year. Daniels has also been strong in the running game, tallying 322 rushing yards and four touchdowns (not including totals from the Panthers game).

On3’s Brian Jones also contributed to this article.