The Commanders, who fell to 3-6 at the time of Daniels' elbow injury, have a narrow path toward making the playoffs this season after suffering their sixth consecutive loss to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Spain. They will likely need to win their last six games, starting with their Week 13 home game against the Broncos. They also have four more division games on the horizon, two of which are against the first-place Philadelphia Eagles.
While getting Daniels back on the field and fully healthy would help provide the Commanders with the best chance to win, the team also wants Daniels to play at some point this season so he can continue to grow in the position.
"It's important that Jayden's getting going, learning to play this position at the highest level competitively," Quinn said. "Also doing it safely. Those are reps that you develop as well. It's a skill just like throwing and processing. All those things are important."
Prior to his elbow injury, which caused him to miss the last two games, Daniels had already missed three games with two other injuries. He sustained a sprained left knee against the Green Bay Packers, which forced him to sit out Weeks 3 and 4. Then, after playing against the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears, he suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of the Commanders' Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Commanders remain cautious with Daniels as he returns to practice, but they also believe it is important for him to get as many snaps as possible in a game scenario, assuming he is cleared to play.
"You've just got to try to do what's best for the player," Quinn said. "We know what we're looking to do and how we want to do it, but by no means are we careless about that. It's important not just for Jayden, but important for our entire team."
And Daniels is on board with that.
"It's my second year in the NFL; you learn a lot of different things," Daniels said. "It wouldn't be my first time going through adversity."