Jay Gruden is adamantly opposed to shutting down Jayden Daniels for the rest of 2025.
The former Washington Redskins head coach follows the Commanders closely and appears weekly on Grant & Danny on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., to review the previous week’s game. Gruden has listened and read about why some want to shut down Daniels, preserving the second-year quarterback for 2026. The thinking is also that Daniels, having already been injured three times this season (vs. Packers, Cowboys, Seahawks), should not risk a fourth injury in such a short period of time. Why not begin him already on a weight-training program to gain some strength and weight for the 2026 season?
Jay Gruden is tired of hearing people say Jayden Daniels isn’t durable. He thinks Daniels should come back this season so WSH can play well and put the NFC East on notice that they are back entering the offseason. pic.twitter.com/fd8uOxFDBZ
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 18, 2025
Gruden wasn’t buying into any of that perspective on Monday.
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«I want to show the world that this guy is back,» expressed Gruden. «You know, I’m tired of the narrative, ‘He’s too little. He’s going to get injured all of the time.’ I want to have a great last two games of the season. I want to win both games and put the NFC East on a warning track for the Washington Commanders, come next year, when he’s fully healthy for 17 games.»
Indeed, Daniels has already missed five games, and the Commanders are only 2-4 in his six starts. His completion percentage is down 6.5%, and his touchdown percentage is down 0.4%. However, it is good that his interception percentage is down 0.7%. His passing success rate is down 0.6% and his average yards gained per passing attempt is down from 7.4 to 7.0 this season.
Gruden doesn’t believe the injuries are solely due to Daniels’ frame. He believes Daniels can learn ways in his game where he can minimize more injury risk. In a few weeks, it is more likely the Commanders will have back the services of receivers Terry McLaurin and Treylon Burks, who knows, perhaps even Noah Brown may make a comeback, not having played since the Packers Week 2 contest.
«I just hate the fact that people are saying, ‘I just told you he was going to be hurt all of the time because of his frame and his running style.’ No, get him in there, let him play, let him win some games. Let him show the world he is the Jayden Daniels we all know.»
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Another reason to keep Daniels out for the rest of 2025 is that the Commanders are so thin at several positions; they are going to need more draft choices next season, and keeping Daniels out would increase the likelihood of earning a higher draft position.
Gruden makes the best case yet for why Daniels should return and play this season once he’s healthy.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Jay Gruden wants to see Jayden Daniels back
