Armstrong out for season, but Daniels won’t miss time after hamstring injury

The Commanders received rare good news on Monday following a blowout loss to the rival Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, who left the game with a right hamstring injury, is not expected to miss significant time.

The second-year signal-caller received an MRI on Monday that ruled out any severe concerns, coach Dan Quinn said. His status for Monday’s game against the Chiefs in Kansas City is still up in the air.

“Not significant or long-term, but I don’t know the status for Monday night just yet,” the coach said Monday. “I’ll have a better sense as I get closer to it with the extra day and what that looks like.”

Daniels missed two games earlier this season with a left knee sprain and wore a brace to protect his leg. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year limped off the field during the third quarter of Sunday’s loss after landing awkwardly on his leg during a sack.

Though this injury came while Daniels was in the pocket, concerns about his durability have begun to crop up around the fan base. After the knee sprain, the coaching staff urged the dual-threat passer to be wise about when he decided to run, slide, duck out of bounds or take a hit.

“Me, seeing that improvement already, I’m pleased with that,” Quinn said. “Using his legs is part of his game, remaining a passer before getting outside the pocket to run. That’s something that we’re going to continue to work on.”

Commanders fans could breathe a minor sigh of relief for their quarterback. The rest of the roster isn’t as lucky. The 3-4 squad will be without top pass rusher Dorance Armstrong for the remainder of the season after he left the loss to Dallas with a knee injury.

The knee issue is unrelated to the hamstring injury that kept Armstrong out of last week’s practices, Quinn said.

The injuries have piled up for the Commanders through a disappointing start to the season. Each of Washington’s top receivers — Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Noah Brown — all missed Sunday’s game with assorted injuries.

Armstrong is now the third Washington edge rusher to suffer a season-ending injury. Deatrich Wise and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are also sidelined through the end of the year. Armstrong’s absence is particularly poignant, though.

The former Dallas Cowboy led Washington in sacks with 5½ on the year. Now, he’s another absence that the Commanders need to account for.

“That’s hard when he’s really coming on like he has. That’s a hard one for us, and we’re just bummed for him,” Quinn said. “He was really starting to make his march on in that way.”

The coaching staff and front office are working through ways to replace Armstrong on the offensive line. Veteran Von Miller, who was signed in the offseason to be a situational pass rusher, could receive more snaps in neutral downs.

“It’ll likely be some combination of, like we did in the game, of some other guys going out to play on early downs,” Quinn said. “But one thing I know about [general manager] Adam [Peters] and his team, we’re going to look and see what other options are available.”

The second-year coach opened his post-game remarks on Sunday insisting that injuries were the primary cause for the lopsided defeat. He elaborated on Monday, noting that injuries limit the margin for error and made Washington’s mistakes even more backbreaking.

“When I see turnovers or penalties or drops or missed tackles, when you hit a rash of injuries, those are the things that we should and must be able to count on and hit that. That’s disappointing to us,” Quinn said. “Our focus needs to be sharper. That’s the bare minimum, and we’re going to dig in to find out how we improve upon that.”

Through seven weeks, the Commanders squad has lacked identity. The offense, though far from terrible, has been inconsistent. Flashes of a dynamic running game have disappeared over the last two weeks, with opposing defenses crowding the line of scrimmage due to a lack of explosive receiving options.

The defense has developed a penchant for allowing explosive plays in key moments. With 45 seconds remaining in the first half on Sunday, the Commanders gave up 79 yards in three plays, allowing the Cowboys to steal a touchdown before time expired.

Something needs to change, according to Quinn. He referenced potential changes to the personnel groupings and play callings, noting that the coaching staff would explore several possibilities before heading to Kansas City.

“From a philosophy standpoint, if there’s a certain issue that can keep coming up, it’s time for that call to change,” he said. “That’s generally been the best course of action, to tighten some things up to make sure it doesn’t come up and hit you again.”