Jayden Daniels expected to practice in full ahead of possible Week 5 return

Washington Commanders fans experienced horrible déjà vu in Week 2 upon seeing quarterback Jayden Daniels go down with another dislocated elbow . But their fears may have been overblown, as the quarterback appears on schedule to return to action in Week 5.

Daniels was spotted throwing Wednesday and is expected to be listed as a full participant in practice ahead of a possible return against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Daniels' practice status shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise. Despite dealing with the injury last week, Daniels was able to put in limited practice every single day. Ultimately, he was ruled out for the team's Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts in London, but it was a sign Daniels was closer to returning than expected.

Disaster struck during that contest, however, as backup quarterback Marcus Mariota left the game with a knee injury that's expected to keep him sidelined for multiple weeks. With Daniels also out for that game, the Commanders were forced to turn to third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. While the rookie did throw his first NFL touchdown, he couldn't lead the team all the way back in a 30-13 loss.

While it looked as though Kaliakmanis was set up for multiple starts, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that wasn't the case after the loss. Quinn told reporters the hope was for Daniels to return against the Giants in Week 5. The coach doubled down on those comments the following day, saying Daniels would get all the practice reps and start in Week 5 . Quinn added that Daniels wanted to play in Week 4, but the team opted to play it cautious. The team reportedly took a similar approach with wideout Terry McLaurin, who could also return to action in Week 5, though was reportedly working off to the side during practice Wednesday.

With Daniels back, the Commanders should be in a much better spot moving forward. If the team has any hope of shaking off its 1-3 start, Daniels' return feels like a reason for optimism.

The team should still harbor some concern about Daniels moving forward. The quarterback battled the same injury last year and was forced to leave his first game back after aggravating the injury.

The Commanders will have to hope he avoids that same fate this time around, and is able to lead the team out of its early hole and get back into playoff contention.