Commanders' Jayden Daniels Not Playing vs. Patriots in Preseason Finale

The New England Patriots will be taking on the Washington Commanders without a big name in the lineup.

Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks on from the field before a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Don't hold your breath when it comes to seeing the second-overall pick in action on Sunday night.

According to Washington Commanders' head coach Dan Quinn, rookie QB Jayden Daniels will be held out of their final preseason game vs. the New England Patriots. The announcement comes after Daniels was named the team's QB1 for the regular season, and will now effectively be held out of the preliminary contest.

Dan Quinn said Jayden Daniels will NOT play Sunday against the Patriots.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 23, 2024

The Commanders' decision takes the air out of the hopes for a matchup between Daniels and the Patriots' third-overall pick in Drake Maye, who will be gearing up for his third game of the preseason on Sunday. Instead of Daniels being the one to run Washington's offense this weekend, veteran Marcus Mariota emerges as the next QB in line within the depth chart to get some reps, followed by Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman.

As for the Patriots, we should expect to see all four quarterbacks on the depth chart in the fold. Head coach Jerod Mayo revealed on Friday that offseason addition Jacoby Brissett will enter as the starter for the night, swiftly followed by Maye, Joe Milton III, and Bailey Zappe getting some snaps further into the game.

While the Commanders have their QB plans ironed out for the regular season, the same doesn't apply to the Patriots, who seem to have an open competition for the QB1 role that could end up being finalized after the happenings on Sunday.

Maye may not have as exciting of an opportunity to show out against his rookie counterpart, but regardless, expect some fireworks to come from the UNC product in an effort to stake his claim as the week one starter vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Patriots and Commanders will take the field for their last preseason action of the year this weekend on August 25th at FedEx Field, scheduled for kickoff at 7 PM MT.

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