Daniels Back at Full Practice, but the Backup Shelf Is Bare

Jayden Daniels returned to full practice Wednesday, which is the best news Washington has had at quarterback in a couple of weeks. After watching Mariota go down in London and Athan Kaliakmanis absorb the emergency starts that followed, getting Daniels back on the field in any capacity matters. Full practice is a meaningful step beyond what we've seen from him recently.

The catch is what's behind him. Mariota's knee is still a problem. Kaliakmanis has now taken the snaps that no third-string quarterback wants to take this early in a season. If Daniels goes down again — and this offense has not been kind to its quarterbacks — Washington is back to the same uncomfortable place it was ten days ago, only with fewer options and more mileage on the ones that remain.

The receiving corps adds its own wrinkle. Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs are both listed as questionable, and Daniels returning to a healthy offense is a different proposition than Daniels returning to a shorthanded one. The weapons that made this offense worth building around have been dinged up almost as consistently as the quarterbacks throwing to them.

So: good news Wednesday, real news still pending. Daniels practicing is a signal, not a guarantee. The next few days will tell us whether this is a genuine return or another false start in what has been a very long quarterback carousel.