Expert details how latest injuries to Jayden Daniels, JJ McCarthy could hamper their abilities

Jayden Daniels isn’t expected to miss much time, if any, but he may not look like his usual self right away.

Fresh off an Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, Daniels is dealing with a sprain in his knee that Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said will keep him out of practice until Friday.

The Commanders split each of their first two games, handling the New York Giants 21-6 in Week 1 before the Green Bay Packers took care of business with a 27-18 victory three days later.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after a play during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sept. 14, 2025 while Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sept. 11, 2025. (IMAGN)

While the Philadelphia Eagles remain the favorite to win the NFC East, the Commanders should be in the mix as long as Daniels is healthy.

However, Tom Christ, a doctor of physical therapy and founder of Fantasy Injury Team, said that Daniels’ injury could show on the stat sheet, even if he’s on the field.

“So, Daniels is really interesting. They are just vaguely labeling it a sprain, not telling us what tissue is sprained. If you watch the video, he lands on his shin with his knee nearly fully flexed, which is a common way to get a PCL injury, and by their terminology, it probably is Grade 1, which is not terrible at all. You can rehab that and return to play,” Christ said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. 

“But what we see historically is the first couple games, the athlete looks a little bit slow, a little bit hesitant to cut off that knee and a little bit unstable. Daniels is obviously a massive rushing threat, so I would be surprised if he has the same stat-line running the ball and the same effect running the ball the first couple games after he plays. Good news is it’s his left knee, so it’s not going to affect his ability to push off his right leg to throw the ball. So, can still be effective, but probably not quite as effective on the ground.”

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Daniels rushed for 891 yards, the ninth-most ever by a quarterback and the most by a rookie QB.

As for Minnesota Vikings starter J.J. McCarthy, his first year as a starter is not off to an ideal start. After missing his rookie season with a torn meniscus, he is now dealing with an ankle sprain.

He, too, may still deal with some lingering effects.

“The time frame of two-to-four weeks is pretty consistent with a Grade 2 high-ankle sprain, where there is some, what we call, tissue laxity or instability in the ankle,” Christ said. “That should be able to get under control, but what can happen there, especially with it being his right ankle, is it can be just a little less firm when he pushes off to throw the ball. So we’ll see how long he’s actually out for.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after a play during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium.  (Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)

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“I believe they have a bye week somewhere in there (Week 6), so a lot of people are speculating he may not return till after that, which, if that’s the case, he should be fine by that point, but if they do try to really speed things up, and it’s more like a two-week absence, he may have some issues pushing off that back leg initially when he’s throwing.”

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