Will Jayden Daniels play in Commanders preseason game vs. Patriots?

The Washington Commanders are set to play football against someone other than themselves for the first time in 2025 when they visit Massachusetts to face off against the New England Patriots. Depending on the team, starters can see some limited action in preseason games, but that won't be the case for the Commanders as they will sit quarterback Jayden Daniels and the rest of the starters on Friday night.

Head coach Dan Quinn made it official during the week, so expect a heavy dose of those players looking to move up the depth chart or cement their name as someone who must make the 53-man roster.

Preseason Expectations

It is never a good idea to put a ton of trust in what you see throughout training camp and preseason games. While it gives a glimpse into what a team has cooking, it doesn't give anyone the grand picture.

Quinn is playing it safe here early in preseason by sitting out his starters, which likely means we will see them in some capacity over their next two preseason games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

Aug 6, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) talk after training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

You want to get your starters some run against a side that doesn't have your teammates, so that expectation is sure to come to fruition at some point over the next couple of games as they gear up for the regular season.

The Commanders have put in the work this offseason. Fine-tuning what they have while also incorporating the new faces that have joined the franchise this offseason.

Avoiding injury is always key to how the regular season, and even postseason, will play out for a team, so it becomes easy to see why Quinn decided to sit his starters here in game one before ramping things up a bit before games start to count towards their overall record.

Washington is looking to prove that they are a true Super Bowl contender, and that all starts now. Having to go through the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, will be no easy task, so Quinn and the rest of the coaching staff are making sure that they take all the precautions and preparation seriously as they look to prove the NFL world that last year wasn't a fluke.