The top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft -- quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels -- are scheduled to meet Sunday when the Chicago Bears visit the Washington Commanders. Whether they're actually on the field will not be determined until Sunday, as the Commanders classified Daniels as a game-time decision following his only practice of the week on Friday. However, ESPN did report in the wee hours of Sunday morning that Daniels was expecting to play.
Daniels sustained a rib injury on the Commanders' first play from scrimmage in a 40-7 blowout of the Carolina Panthers last week. He stayed in the game after his 46-yard run but didn't return after the drive ended with a field goal and was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. "Jayden was able to practice (Friday)," Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
"We followed the plan really that we set at the start of the week. ..
. Think crawl, walk, run. We will assess how he responds to the work that we did over the next 48 hours, but we really pushed it today.
We'll make the best decision for him and the team." It's a homecoming for top draft pick Williams, who grew up in the Washington area and won the Heisman Trophy at USC one year before Daniels took home his own at LSU last December. Chicago (4-2) is coming off a bye while the Commanders (5-2) rebounded from a close loss to the Ravens by hammering Carolina.
Quinn said the Commanders are viewing Daniels as week-to-week, but the hope was that he could be ready Sunday. He atte.