Jayden Daniels' status for the Washington Commanders' game against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Sunday is uncertain due to a rib injury and is listed on a week-to-week basis.

Daniels has not been ruled out for the rumored matchup of the top two picks in this year's NFL draft, but coach Dan Quinn offered little clarity on the situation Monday other than suggesting it is not a serious injury that is keeping him sidelined would be the rookie quarterback for a longer period of time.

“We hope he can play, but we're also going to take every precaution and do it smartly for the player and the man,” Quinn said in a video call with reporters. “It's not going to be something that's going to throw him off in the long run.”

Daniels was injured when he flipped headlong and landed awkwardly while being tackled on Washington's first offensive snap Sunday at the end of a 46-yard run. He finished the rest of the drive before heading to the sideline for evaluation, and veteran Marcus Mariota stepped in for the rest of a 40-7 win over Carolina that moved the Commanders to 5-2 on the season.

Quinn did not provide any information about the rib injury or whether anything was broken.

“When there's a core injury, most of the time it's just the movement and everything that goes into throwing and playing the position,” Quinn said.

Mariota would start if Daniels can't go. In addition to doctors and trainers sorting out the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, the coaching staff will also be keeping a close eye on practice this week.

“He's such a unique player that I want to make sure he can be himself in his own way and with the moves and throws that go with it,” Quinn said. “It’s really important to get it right and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Daniels threw for 1,410 yards, ran for 372 yards and accounted for 10 touchdowns, making him the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Quinn said Daniels was doing “great” but suggested the 23-year-old was already laying the groundwork for Sunday's game.

“He’s a true competitor at his core and we wouldn’t expect anything less,” Quinn said. “But we're really going to trust our eyes and the medical staff and make sure we assess this every day and make sure we're banging it out when he's able to be fully himself in that area.”

The team was particularly cautious because top running back Brian Robinson Jr. recently suffered a knee injury that sidelined him against Baltimore on Oct. 13 – a 30-23 loss to the Ravens, Washington's only loss since the season opener. Robinson returned against the Panthers and rushed for 71 yards and a TD on 12 carries after thanking Quinn and general manager Adam Peters for the time off that allowed him to heal.

A similar “play it safe” approach could be in the works with Daniels, given his significant value to the organization this season and beyond.

“It’s always about them in the long run — about their health, about their careers,” Quinn said. “It's about the players and making sure they can do their thing at full speed. And when they can't, like in Brian's case a few weeks ago, we just said, “You know what, it's not there,” and we're not going to let you out there and we're not going to allow you to do your thing at full speed.”

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