Overview
- The Commanders gave Jayden Daniels only three snaps in Saturday’s preseason game, during which he recorded one throwaway, one sack and one handoff.
- Reporters and observers said the brief appearance highlighted protection breakdowns on the offensive line, with Washington missing key pieces such as left tackle Laremy Tunsil and a projected center listed out.
- Backup Marcus Mariota remains out for the preseason with a sprained MCL, so the team is shifting reps to Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis while evaluating internal options.
- The club has not added a veteran quarterback and plans to use remaining practices to assess depth, with the next likely live evaluation for Daniels set for the regular-season opener in Philadelphia.
- Daniels missed 10 games in 2025 because of injuries, and the lack of preseason snaps plus line injuries raises questions about his readiness and what adjustments the offense must make to protect him.