ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels said Tuesday he was “frustrated, disappointed” in his second year in the NFL, calling various injuries “just freak accidents” that limited him to just seven games before Washington’s commanders suspended him.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since head coach Dan Quinn announced Monday that Daniels won’t play this season, the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback said he wasn’t thrilled with the decision to limit him to practices the rest of the way, but he understood it.
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“It’s obviously disappointing. I’m a player; I want to play,” Daniels said. “But my health didn’t allow me to go.”
He said he was surprised he missed so many games, including a sprained left knee, a right hamstring injury and, most recently, a dislocated left elbow that sidelined him for more than two months in a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 5.
Daniels was returning from the injury on Dec. 7 against the Minnesota Vikings, but he exacerbated the problem in the third quarter of the game when he was pushed to the ground by a defender after throwing an interception.
Although Quinn said after that game that he decided to sit Daniels out that day even though the quarterback could have returned, Quinn and Daniels later reported elbow pain, so the Commanders started Marcus Mariota last weekend when Washington, who had already been eliminated from the playoffs, snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 29-21 victory over the New York Giants.
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Mariota will return to center on Saturday against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game. Washington then faces the Dallas Cowboys on December 25 before ending the season in Philadelphia.
“They are building for the future and (Daniels) should feel confident … that they are making decisions that they feel are best for the entire organization,” Mariota said. “At the same time, it’s tough being an athlete. You want to play. We all understand that.”
As a rookie, Daniels appeared in all 20 games for the Wizards, including leading the team to a 12-5 record in the regular season and completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also ran for 891 yards and six touchdowns.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU and the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has a completion rate of 60.6% for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season. His passer rating dropped from 100.1 to 88.1. He ran for 278 yards and two scores.
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“Right now,” Daniels said Tuesday, “(I’m) just focused on staying healthy and getting ready for next year.”
When asked if there was anything he could have done in the offseason to avoid health issues, Daniels responded: “That’s a tough question. I mean, I couldn’t really avoid the injuries that I had — those were just the odd accident.”
NOTES: The Commanders placed WR Noah Brown back on injured reserve with a rib injury after he was injured against the Giants. It was only his second game back after nearly three months out with knee and groin issues.
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