Jayden Daniels Is Packing for London, and the Commanders Can Finally Exhale

Jayden Daniels is packing his bags for London, which means the Washington Commanders' season isn't officially on life support just yet.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that head coach Dan Quinn expects his star quarterback to return to practice this week and make the trip across the pond. Fowler called the update a good sign, which is a massive understatement for a fanbase that was bracing for the worst.

"Jeremy Fowler reported Daniels is returning to practice and making the trip, calling it 'a good sign.'"

Daniels dislocated his left elbow in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. It looked like the kind of injury that ruins a franchise's entire calendar year, but he somehow dodged injured reserve and the surgical table.

Washington actually managed to survive Week 3 without him, squeaking out a 33-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks with Marcus Mariota running the offense. Mariota is a fine understudy, but going from Daniels to Mariota is like trading in a sports car for a sensible minivan. It gets you to the grocery store, but nobody is having fun.

The betting markets for this Week 4 London clash against the Indianapolis Colts have been completely paralyzed waiting for this exact update. A healthy Daniels swings the line by multiple points, because he is the entire engine of this Washington offense.

Sending a guy with a freshly relocated elbow on an eight-hour transatlantic flight sounds like a medieval torture tactic, but the NFL schedule waits for no man's ligaments. He will reportedly be wearing a brace, which means his mobility might look a little less like a video game cheat code and a little more human.

Quinn hasn't officially named him the starter for Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so this is still a wait-and-see situation. But if Daniels is taking practice reps and eating airplane food with the team, the Colts better start preparing for the real deal instead of the backup plan.