NFL Rumors: Injured Jayden Daniels Uncertain for Commanders vs. Caleb Williams, Bears

The status of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels for a Week 8 matchup against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears remains unclear, according to Mike Jones of The Athletic.

Daniels exited Sunday's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers due to a rib injury. He returned to the sideline in street clothes in the third quarter.

Before Sunday, the star rookie was briefly out of action in the Commanders' Week 2 win over the New York Giants after taking a hit to his ribs. He only missed two snaps before returning to the field.

The No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft has so far more than lived up to the Commanders' expectations as a first-year starting quarterback.

Through seven games, Daniels connected on 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,410 yards and six touchdowns. He threw his first career interception in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals but rallied to lead the Commanders to victory.

Daniels has also established himself as a dual threat with 66 carries for 372 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He joined Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III and Anthony Richardson as the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to record four rushing touchdowns in the first four games of his career.

If Daniels is forced to miss time, the Commanders will need to turn to Marcus Mariota.

As well as Mariota performed against Carolina, the team would hope he'd only be a temporary replacement for Daniels, who has led Washington to its first 3-1 start since 2011 and its first back-to-back 30-point wins since 2017.

At 5-2, the Commanders have a half-game lead on the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East. Getting Daniels back as soon as possible will be critical to their hopes of earning a playoff berth for the first time since the team's Wild Card Round loss in 2020.