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Practice Notes Marcus Mariota Empathizes With Jayden Daniels Injury

Bonisiwe Shabane
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practice notes marcus mariota empathizes with jayden daniels injury

Marcus Mariota wore a funereal look on his face as he addressed the media in the locker room following Jayden Daniels' injury at the end of the Washington Commanders' 38-14 loss to the Seattle... Like the rest of his teammates, Mariota's focus was on Daniels, who was escorted to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a cast on his hand. Daniels was later diagnosed with a dislocated left elbow, and while the team is still deciding on Daniels' next step, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that it would keep Daniels out for extended time. The injury is the latest wrinkle in what has been a frustrating season for Daniels. A knee sprain and hamstring injury forced him to miss three games earlier in the season. Now, with no timetable on his return, he's set to miss even more as the Commanders' playoff hopes slip farther out of reach by the week.

It's a situation Mariota is familiar with, as he dealt with injuries earlier in his career that kept him sidelined for several key games. That experience has helped him guide Daniels through the rough patch in his second season and provide some advice for the young quarterback. "I think for all of us…wanna make sure Jay [Daniels] understands those things are out of your control," Mariota said. "Focus on getting healthy, getting right, and everything else will take care of itself." Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is close with Jayden Daniels. From the time Washington signed Mariota in 2024 and drafted Daniels No.

2 overall, the pair grew close, in part because of shared experiences. Mariota knew what it was like to be the No. 2 overall pick and be a franchise savior. He was the No. 2 overall pick back in 2015. He was once considered the savior of a franchise before settling in as one of the NFL's top backup quarterbacks and the perfect friend and mentor to Daniels.

Last year, Daniels often spoke about how important it was for him to have Mariota. Mariota was frequently a sounding board for Daniels. And when he did play, he was excellent. The Commanders brought Mariota back in 2025 and, unfortunately, he's had to play more. He has started three games this season in place of Daniels, who missed two games with a sprained knee and one game with a strained hamstring. Daniels is set to miss more time beginning in Week 10, when the Commanders host the Detroit Lions.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, which will cost him significant time, if not the season. While Mariota appreciates the opportunity to play, his thoughts are with Daniels. Jayden Daniels is questionable to take the field for the Washington Commanders in Week 3 while dealing with a knee sprain, but it appears he's doing all he can in order to suit up... If Daniels can't play for the first time in his career, Marcus Mariota would be in line to draw the start for Washington. In the days leading up to Sunday's game, Mariota reportedly offered some sage advice to Daniels, encouraging the young quarterback to trust his body when making a decision as to whether he will play. "If you feel like you can do what you normally do, then go for it." Mariota told Daniels, via JP Finlay of NBC Sports.

Mariota told reporters that he's confident he's earned the trust of his teammates and would be able to deliver a strong performance if Daniels can't go. "The way Ive been preparing for years gives me the confidence I can step out there and play well," he said. Washington Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels was in the midst of trying to orchestrate a comeback against the rival Cowboys on Sunday in Week 7 when the Dallas defense was making that exceedingly difficult... In the midst of a terrific performance from the home defense, however, Daniels left the game injured after an awkward tackle led to a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys. Daniels hobbled off the field and right to the blue medical tent to be evaluated by doctors and trainers. While he ultimately emerged and looked up to his mother in the stands to give her a thumbs up, he was then taken to the locker room thereafter.

#Commanders Jayden Daniels - Video concerning for hamstring strainThumbs up + attempting to jog on sideline = promising but initial reaction + limp suggests moderate severityAvg = 2-3 wks. We assume from prior injury that WAS will be conservative with himRe-injury and… pic.twitter.com/UzTU3TGpw5 As you see there, the Commanders called this a hamstring injury. While it's an odd or unusual way for a player to hurt his hamstring, it is possible with that type of pressure on the hip from that type of hit could force a hamstring... Now, we're not breaking news here to say that Daniels being out makes the Commanders a notably worse offense. We've already seen that this season when the second-year quarterback was forced to miss time due to a separate injury.

However, even the most pessimistic Washington fan probably wouldn't have expected how immediately Marcus Mariota would kill any remaining good vibes. After Daniels dislocated his elbow during the Commanders' 38-14 loss to Seattle, Mariota revealed he spent time with him after the game. "I was in the locker room with him for a bit... just making sure that he's okay mentally... He’s always in good spirits," Mariota said. Daniels' recovery period is currently unknown but X-rays came negative.

MRI is next. Never miss an update! Download our app now. Scoring 40 points without Jayden Daniels didn’t surprise Terry McLaurin, and nor did the stellar performance of backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The latter threw for two touchdowns after rookie sensation Daniels was forced off with a rib injury early during the Washington Commanders 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. McLaurin snagged six catches for 98 yards, but all the four-time 1,000-yard wide receiver wanted to talk about was how well Mariota handled things.

Stepping in for Daniels during the first quarter was never going to be easy, but McLaurin knew Mariota wouldn’t be rattled. Speaking to reporters, including Monumental Sports Network’s Ethan Cadeaux, after the game on Sunday, October 21, McLaurin said, “shoutout to Marcus for coming in and being ready. I’d expect nothing else of him, he’s been a leader since he got here. He’s really helped Jayden along and we’ve really built some camaraderie with him as well.” On Mariota: “He’s been a leader since he got here.” Praised Mariota for stepping up and thriving in Daniels’ absence: Mariota proved he can still win in the NFL, and the Commanders might need him to if Daniels isn’t healed by Week 8’s meeting with the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium.

It’s supposed to be a star-studded quarterback battle between the top two picks in this year’s draft, Daniels and first-overall pick Caleb Williams, but details are lacking about the health of Washington’s QB1. Latest news on Marcus Mariota, an American football quarterback who played college football at Oregon and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft.

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