Washington Commanders' star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will miss Wednesday's practice with a rib injury, putting his status in jeopardy for Sunday's show against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
The Jayden Daniels-Caleb Williams matchup the NFL is anxiously awaiting may not happen after all.
After injuring his ribs on Washington's first play last week, rookie sensation Jayden Daniels won't practice Wednesday. Veteran backup Marcus Mariota will take first-team reps and is trending toward starting Sunday's game for the Commanders against the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium.
"He won't practice today," coach Dan Quinn said. "He'll continue the meetings and our individual stuff to go through that. He'll get treatment today and continue to progress today and tomorrow. I'll update you guys after Friday's practice and we'll go from there."
Daniels took off on a 47-yard run on the Commanders' first play in their rout of the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, but was hit hard on the eventual tackle. He stayed in the game, but was grabbing at his left side and visibly winced a couple times getting up after subsequent hits.
He left after one series, and was replaced by Mariota. He filled in admirably, completing 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Daniels' injury would be a disappointment for fans anticipating a showdown of the top two picks from last April's NFL Draft.
Daniels is off to an impressive start, smashing rookie completion percentage records while leading Washington to a 5-2 record and the lead in the NFC East. After a slow start, Williams has improved week-to-week and threw four touchdowns in 4-2 Chicago's last victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 6.
