The Washington Commanders’ 2025 season hasn’t gone as planned through eight games.
Carrying a 3-5 record into Week 9, the injury bug has bitten Washington in multiple areas, leading to a three-game losing streak that includes consecutive blowout defeats to the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.
Rising star quarterback Jayden Daniels’ absence has been noticeable — after missing Weeks 3 and 4, then returning, Daniels was out once again in Week 8. Will he be back in time for a “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Seattle Seahawks?
Here’s the latest on Daniels’ injury and whether he’ll be back in action for Week 9.
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Is Jayden Daniels playing this week?
Daniels’ status for Week 9 against the Seahawks remains up in the air. He was sidelined in Week 8, a “Monday Night Football” loss for the Commanders against the Chiefs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Monday that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Daniels sits again in Week 9.
However, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn did say Tuesday that Daniels had a “good rehab session” and that he expects the quarterback to practice on Wednesday, per John Keim. That would be a positive step forward for Daniels’ Week 9 status.
Daniels has already missed three of Washington’s eight games this season. He was sidelined in Weeks 3 and 4 due to a knee injury he sustained against the Green Bay Packers, while a hamstring ailment is the most recent injury to keep him out.
MORE: Meet Jayden Daniels’ mom, who is also an NFL agent
Jayden Daniels injury update
Daniels exited Washington’s Week 7 matchup against the Cowboys in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. An MRI revealed no long-term damage to his right hamstring, per ESPN, but the Commanders didn’t want Daniels to risk re-injury in Week 8.
#Commanders Jayden Daniels – Video concerning for hamstring strain
Thumbs up + attempting to jog on sideline = promising but initial reaction + limp suggests moderate severity
Avg = 2-3 wks. We assume from prior injury that WAS will be conservative with him
Re-injury and… pic.twitter.com/UzTU3TGpw5
— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) October 19, 2025
Daniels also dealt with a sprained left knee earlier this season, which caused him to miss two games. The Commanders have gone 1-2 in his three absences.
The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has thrown for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception in his five games this season, adding in 211 rushing yards and another score. Elsewhere in the Commanders’ offense, receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel recently returned from injuries, while running back Austin Ekeler was ruled out for the year early in the season.
MORE: Is Jayden Daniels actually as injury prone as RGIII?
Who is Jayden Daniels’ backup?
Marcus Mariota has been the Commanders’ QB1 when Daniels has been sidelined this season. That includes three starts and the second half against the Cowboys in Week 7, with Mariota offering a similar dual-threat presence as Daniels.
Mariota, the 32-year-old backup and former first-round pick, led Washington to a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but has lost his other two starting opportunities since. In his four games this season, Mariota has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 639 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions, with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Should Daniels have to sit out against the Seahawks, it would again be Mariota taking snaps for Washington.
MORE: Looking back at why Jayden Daniels went No. 2 in 2024 draft
Commanders QB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Jayden Daniels |
| 2 | Marcus Mariota |
| 3 | Josh Johnson |
Behind Daniels and Mariota on the depth chart is 39-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson, who has famously been a member of a record 14 NFL teams. Johnson, a fifth-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, has also played in the UFL and XFL.
Johnson has been the backup to Mariota in Daniels’ absence lately, but he has yet to take a snap for the Commanders in 2025.
