Washington Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels did little to hide his frustration after being forced to exit Sunday's game with an injury.
On the Commanders' first offensive snap of the game, Daniels faked a handoff and rumbled down the field for 46 yards before finally being taken down at the Carolina Panthers' 44-yard line. While being wrapped up by linebacker Marquis Haynes Sr. and cornerback Lonnie Johnson, the 23-year-old attempted to slide but crumpled awkwardly to the ground.
On several ensuing carries, Daniels looked to be in considerable pain - at one point, even grabbing at his midsection and wincing upon being taken down. Following the Commanders ' opening drive - which ended in a field goal - he returned to the bench and received treatment from athletic trainers.
"In the previous series, he came up feeling a bit of discomfort in that mid-section after finishing the drive. Obviously, with that field goal, he came to the sideline with some obvious discomfort. Now we've got the athletic trainers working in that rib area," CBS reporter Evan Washburn said.
"He spent time immediately coming to the sideline with the athletic trainers and now obviously some extra attention."
Daniels initially attempted to play through the injury, at one point taking several practice throws on the sideline. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to overcome the discomfort and was forced to head to the locker room at Northwest Stadium.
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As Daniels trotted off the field alongside a trainer, he took off his helmet and angrily slammed it on the ground. The signal-caller was ruled questionable to return with a rib injury and was replaced by backup Marcus Mariota.
Regina Jackson - Daniels' mom and agent - provided a promising update on her son's wellbeing following the injury scare. Taking to social media, she wrote on X: "He's fine."
The Commanders can hardly afford to lose Daniels, who's already cemented himself as one of the brightest young stars in the NFL through the first six games of his rookie campaign. Entering play Sunday, the LSU product had completed 125-of-166 passes for 1,404 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. He's additionally excelled on the ground, rushing 63 times for 322 yards and another four scores.
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Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn commended Daniels' work ethic, revealing that the young player reminded him of other decorated quarterbacks he's worked with in the past. “For me, getting a chance to be around excellent quarterbacks and seeing what it looks like and knowing that we have an excellent quarterback here, it's fantastic,” he said.
“I would say the common thread on that is relentless work ethics and I've seen it with Jayden. Going back through Dak [Prescott] and Matt [Ryan]. That is a trait that definitely sticks out to me. There's just so much preparation that can go in finding the right balance of decision-making, competing, making the plays go. That is a trait that sticks out to me. There's just so much preparation. I love Jayden and what he brings to us. I can't wait to see him grow, man. He is absolutely relentless about it."
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