Can QB Jayden Daniels find this balance “to reduce risks, reap a reward?

ASHBURN, Va. — The hit that took out Jayden Daniels three weeks ago didn’t look all that dangerous. He dropped back to pass, got flushed from the pocket, ran to his left, and got clipped on his left knee as he tried to pick up a few extra yards.

When he got up with a slight limp, there was no indication that he’d miss the next two weeks due to a knee sprain. In fact, he never even left the game against the Green Bay Packers. But the play turned out to be a reminder for everyone of the two sides of the Commanders’ impressive franchise quarterback.

He has a huge potential for greatness, a dynamic ability to create plays seemingly out of nothing. But that potential comes with a huge potential risk: The 24-year-old Daniels will admittedly do anything to make a big play.

But the cost might be unavoidable. Sometimes there may be a price to pay.

“You find that balance,” Daniels insisted on Wednesday afternoon after he returned to practice. “Obviously, you want to be able to be available for the rest of the games. You’ve got to be smart, and that’s kind of what we talked about. Just live to see another down.

“But just know if the game is on the line, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win.”

That is what the Commanders both love and fear about their spectacular second-year quarterback. At his best, Daniels is one of the most dynamic players in the league. He’s as much of a threat with his right arm as he is with his legs.

But his willingness to do anything, especially outside of the pocket, can be dangerous for a quarterback who is essentially a sitting duck for opposing defenses when he’s on the run. Daniels was forced to play through fractured ribs for several games during his spectacular rookie season. And who knows how many more games he’ll be affected by the current injury to his knee?

Daniels is expected to return on Sunday when the Commanders (2-2) face the Chargers (3-1) in Los Angeles (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX). And even his return to practice on Wednesday was enough to give the sagging Commanders an emotional lift. 

“It was definitely all smiles today to see 5 back out there, just getting in a groove with the offense,” said rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. “We’re all definitely excited for him.”

They’re excited to see him back to his usual self on game day, too. But his style, his willingness to run, and his penchant for creating off-schedule plays as he avoids the pass rush makes it feel constantly like his next injury could just be one hit, one misstep away.

And there’s not a lot the Commanders can do about it either. Daniels is their most dynamic, most explosive weapon. They can’t afford to, nor do they want to, pull back too hard on his reins.

“I think that’s really why we were overly cautious with him,” said Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. “We didn’t want to put him out there until he can be Jayden. That’s what he’s going to be. That’s how he’s going to play.”

To be fair, it’s not as if Daniels, though slightly built at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, has been an injury risk throughout his college career and into the NFL. For the most part, he has been fairly healthy — at least healthy enough not to miss many games. He sprained an ankle in the 2022 SEC Championship Game when he was sacked by Georgia’s Jalen Carter, but he bounced back to play in LSU’s bowl game that season. And in a 2023 game against Alabama, he was knocked out with a concussion, only to return one week later to throw for 372 yards and run for 234 in a spectacular performance against Florida.

Even last season, his first in the NFL, he didn’t miss any time after suffering broken ribs at the end of a 46-yard run in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. The next week, in fact, he capped an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears with his play of the year — a 52-yard Hail Mary with no time left on the clock.

So his injuries so far have been more of a nuisance than a catastrophe. But it still feels like the Commanders are playing with fire with the one player they simply can’t afford to lose.

“Jayden’s a unique talent,” Kingsbury said. “The way he plays, moves, throws, he’s generational. So any time you get him back out there, it’s going to lift up your team.”

Added running back Jeremy McNichols: “Five can make a play at any moment. We know that. He’s explosive. He can take it the distance. Whatever it takes. He’s got that kick-ass competitor in him. It’s that aura. We all feel it throughout that organization and on the field.”

So how can they keep Daniels on the field? That’s the big question hovering over everyone. Washington was 1-1 in his short absence, with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota leading the way, but the offense clearly was missing Daniels’ spark. The Commanders want that back as much as Daniels can give it, but they don’t want to risk losing him again.

He says he can find a “balance.” But can that really be done?

“Yeah, I think you can,” said Commanders coach Dan Quinn. “Not necessarily [in] Invitation to the game. But I said that a few weeks ago: The only worst thing of losing games is not to take lessons from there. As the stampede goes, when did I get? When do I get out of the border? “

“It is instinctive,” Kingsbury added. “Men are like him and a cice [Murray, whom Kingsbury coached in Arizona]They played this way throughout their lives. They know how to protect themselves. They know where the soft spot is found. “

However, it can be practical. Daniels may be limited on Sunday against chargers, especially with a huge pillar on his knee. He said: “I am not the biggest fans of it, but if this is what I should wear, I will do anything possible to play.” But otherwise, leaders have no long -term plans to reduce his creativity just to keep him better.

And why are they? One year ago, he led his explosive style and his ability to create an -range plays to the NFC tournament – the first Washington trip there in 33 years. Daniels ended the season with 3568 yards, 25 declines and nine objections, in addition to 891 yards and six points on the ground. It was good enough to get MVP sounds and win the offensive rising award at the American Football Association.

Leaders love that version of Daniels, and the risks are cursed. But there are still things they can do to help reduce any possible damage. When he is out of the pocket, they want him to run and stimulate more intelligent. Choose its sites. Slide when he can. Drazes to avoid a big blow. Access to the margin. Do his best to keep himself trouble.

“These are some things: Where are you growing?” Queen said. “When do you take your shot? When don’t you do that? These are the lessons that you want to learn someone in Gardbebeck, and I certainly expect him to do so. This is the type of competitor he is.”

Can Daniels really learn those lessons and keep his body while he was explosive as it was ever? It was difficult to tell the first two games of the season, when a slow start (433 yards, three declines, no objections, and only 18 rushs for 85 yards) began. Daniels said he could. But in the next breathing, he also admitted that he is ready to take risk. He even said he was ready to push his body and play two weeks ago if the medical team in Washington did not enter and forced him to sit.

He seems to know only one style of playing, which he served well in Arizona, LSU, and in the American Football Association as well. It has also been proven exactly what leaders need.

“He is explosive,” Mccans said. “The explosive plays are everything. It brings energy. It brings juice.

“We know what Jayden can do there and what he offers. We are all excited to return him there what he can do.”

The key is to find a way for Deniels to continue to display it in every game every season. It is a danger to opposing defenses. Leaders only have to find a way to ensure that it is not a threat to itself.

Ralph Fakiano He is the American Football Association correspondent for Fox Sports. He spent six years coverage Giants and Planes For SNY TV in New York, before that, 16 years covering the giants and the American Football Association in New York Daily News. Follow it on Twitter on @RALPHVACCHANO.

Do you want great stories that have been delivered directly to your inbox? Create or log in to your Fox Sports accountFollow the championships, teams and players to receive a dedicated news message daily.

---

---

• Metastatic Breast Cancer: I was diagnosed four weeks after giving birth to my third child
• Tabseri tries to reach the indigenous tribe of Justin Lin Beck