Daniels cleared to practice as Commanders prepare to play Chargers

The 2-2 Washington Commanders are finally receiving positive injury news after a tough opening month.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels was cleared to practice Wednesday, putting him on a path for him to play Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers after missing two starts.

Keeping the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year on the bench for another week was going to be a tough assignment for Commanders coach Dan Quinn.

“He’s definitely chomping at the bit to get going. Just running the offense, being back to himself, that was our discussion today. Just to make sure all the looks, all the calls and the speed of the practice,” the coach said. “It’s good that I’ve known him for a year and a half now.”

Daniels suffered a knee sprain during a prime-time loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. Backup Marcus Mariota started in his place the past two weeks and went 1-1.

“As a competitor, you want to go out there and help your team in any way possible,” Daniels said. “Being sidelined for these past couple of weeks was super tough.”

He was thrilled to be a full participant in practice on Wednesday after weeks of being limited. 

The 2024 first-round pick donned a knee brace as he worked with teammates on Wednesday. He said last week that he hadn’t worn a device like that in the past, but he was getting used to it. 

“I’m not the biggest fan of it,” Daniels said. “But if that’s what I have to wear, then I’ll do anything possible. We’ll see on Sunday.”

Right guard Sam Cosmi, who missed offseason practices while he recovered from a torn ACL, also returned to practice on Wednesday. The team opened his 21-day practice window, giving him three weeks to ramp up and return to the active roster. 

The offensive line has been in flux throughout Cosmi’s absence. Brandon Coleman and Nick Allegretti started the first two games at guard but lost the spots to Chris Paul and Andrew Wylie the past two weeks.

Working Cosmi back into the lineup is another change for the inconsistent group.

“You’d love for all the guys to play in their spots, but that’s just not how it is,” Quinn said. “When we look around the NFL right now, there’s a lot of moving parts on all the teams, ours included.”

Cosmi practiced with the scout team on Wednesday and is unlikely to suit up against the Chargers. The Texas product is still working back into football shape. 

He’s just happy to take another step back toward the field. 

“The ups and the downs — a lot of downs — climbing up that mountain and getting to points where I might think to myself, ‘This is not easy. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this,” he said, thanking the team’s training staff and his family. 

Wide receivers Noah Brown and Terry McLaurin, along with tight end John Bates, are also showing signs of improvement after missing Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Brown and Bates have missed two games with groin injuries, while McLaurin missed his first game since 2020 with a quad issue. 

“All are trending up,” Quinn said. “We’re making good progress with those guys.”

Bates’ progress was encouraging enough for him to practice on Wednesday. Brown and McLaurin were not present during the portion of practice open to the media. 

Meanwhile, defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste won’t join his teammates on the practice field for the foreseeable future. The second-year pass rusher was placed on injured reserve with a chest injury. He will miss at least four games. 

Quinn expects edge rusher Preston Smith, whom the Commanders signed two weeks ago, to fill Jean-Baptiste’s role on the defensive line. 

The Commanders fly to Los Angeles on Thursday night and practice at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Friday before facing the 3-1 Chargers.