Daniels reaches full practice as Washington plans a return against Giants

Jayden Daniels was a full participant in Washington’s Wednesday, October 7 practice, advancing toward a possible return against the New York Giants after missing two games with a dislocated left elbow. The Commanders’ official practice report places him in the full category; their later practice notes say the plan is for him to start if the rest of the week goes well.

Daniels will continue wearing an elbow brace. The team’s October 7 report said Dan Quinn expects him to use it for the rest of the season and that Washington is practicing ways for him to protect the arm when going to the ground. The report describes preparation for a return, rather than final game clearance.

Marcus Mariota did not practice Wednesday with a knee injury. Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs also did not participate, both listed with hamstring injuries. Those statuses make the rest of the week meaningful to the personnel around Daniels as well as to the quarterback himself. Washington has not issued Sunday game designations in this first report.

Daniels had been limited throughout the previous practice week, and Washington ultimately gave him another game to recover instead of playing him against Indianapolis. The full-practice designation now supplies new evidence beyond that earlier limitation. NBC Sports’ Josh Alper independently reported the change Wednesday afternoon.

For RSO owners, the quarterback decision and the receiver availability decisions should be followed separately. Full practice makes Daniels’ return more plausible, while McLaurin’s and Diggs’ nonparticipation leaves their own status unresolved. The next checkpoints are subsequent participation reports and the final game-status decisions before the Giants matchup.