Raiders report: Team preparing to face Commanders star despite injury

The Raiders might not see star quarterback Jayden Daniels when they face the Commanders on the road Sunday.

Washington coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Daniels, the reigning offensive rookie of the year, would not practice until at least Friday because of a knee injury.

Daniels, 24, was hurt late in the Commanders’ 27-18 loss to the Packers on Sept. 11. An MRI revealed a knee sprain that puts his status for Sunday’s game in doubt.

Raiders coach Pete Carroll, however, plans to make sure his team is ready just in case.

“Well, we have to prepare for him playing, and the bet is probably that he will,” Carroll said. “They might not practice him until later in the week, but we’re going to count on him going.”

Marcus Mariota, a former Raiders quarterback, would start for Washington (1-1) if Daniels can’t play. Daniels went through an on-field workout Wednesday that included throwing.

“I’ll give you an assessment of where we’re at after we go through practice Friday,” Quinn said. “We recognize the importance of the person and the player and what he means to the franchise, so we’re going to be smart and not just fast in this assessment.”

Carroll said the Raiders (1-1) are working on game plans to defend either Daniels or Mariota. The team knows plenty about Mariota given he was the team’s backup quarterback in 2020 and 2021. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was also Mariota’s college coach his first two seasons at Oregon.

“We’ve already introduced about Marcus playing in place of (Daniels),” Carroll said. “We have a lot of background about Marcus on the staff and all that, so we know what his capabilities are, we think. And so we’re planning for both guys, but primarily for Jayden.”

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby knows Mariota is capable of producing big plays if he’s called upon Sunday.

“Obviously they are different players, respect to both of them,” Crosby said. “It’s not going to be the same, but they’re both really big dual-threat guys that can make big plays. We have to be ready for whoever it’s going to be. We’ll find out more as the week goes, but I know we’ll be ready.

“We’re preparing as if Jayden is going to play, and we’ll see what happens.”

Injury report

Starting right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was back on the practice field Wednesday after missing Monday’s loss to the Chargers because of a concussion.

Powers-Johnson wore a red no-contact jersey and was listed as a limited participant.

Tight end Brock Bowers also was limited in Wednesday’s indoor practice by the knee injury he suffered Week 1 against the Patriots. Bowers played through the injury Monday but was limited to five catches for 38 yards.

The only other Raiders player on the injury report was safety Jeremy Chinn, who was limited by a pectoral injury.

Washington had a much longer list of players dealing with various ailments.

Tight end John Bates (groin) and wide receiver Noah Brown (groin/knee) missed practice along with Daniels. Cornerback Trey Amos (shoulder), guard Brandon Coleman (shoulder), running back Jeremy McNichols (hamstring) and tight end Colson Yankoff (hip) were limited.

Tight end Zach Ertz, edge rusher Von Miller and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil were given the day off to rest.

Roller coaster

Crosby said it’s important for the Raiders to put Monday’s loss behind them, just as it was crucial for them to not get too confident after their win in Week 1.

“A loss is a loss,” he said. “You can’t get too high or too low in this league. You have to learn from it and respond. That’s the NFL season. You can’t ride that roller coaster because you can literally see the tale of two tapes in the film from Week 1 compared to this week. Last game, it was, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl,’ and now everybody is the worst player on the planet.”

It’s a lesson Crosby has learned over the years and one he tries to pass on to his teammates.

“You know how it goes so you take everything with a grain of salt, whether it’s good or bad,” he said. “Then you just keep showing up trying to get better. That’s what the guys are going to do, and it’s sure what I’m going to do.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.