LOCALS IN THE NFL

Commanders Place Local Player On Injured Reserve, Ending Rookie’s Season

Aug 28, 2023, 4:41 PM

Washington-Commanders-Helmet-NFL...

A view of a Washington Commanders helmet on display during a press conference at Inova Sports Performance Center on March 17, 2022 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY – The Washington Commanders placed former Utah Utes standout Braeden Daniels on injured reserve, ending the offensive tackle’s rookie season before it officially began.

Washington made the transaction on Monday, August 28.

NFL teams are required to trim their rosters to 53 active players by August 29 at 2 p.m. (MDT).

“Players placed on injured reserve prior to the close of the waiver period following final roster cutdowns are ineligible to return that season,” NFL.com states.

Daniels was placed on IR after suffering an injury to one of his rotator cuffs, according to Matthew Paras of the Washington Post. “Braeden Daniels suffered a rotator cuff injury, sources say. That’s why he was placed on injured reserve,” Paras posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The offensive lineman reportedly suffered the injury during Washington’s preseason finale, per The Athletic’s Ben Standig.

The Commanders posted a perfect 3-0 record in the preseason. Daniels played in all three of Washington’s preseason contests.

Last season, the Commanders posted an 8-8-1 record.

Washington kicks off its regular season schedule at home against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 10 at 11 a.m. (MDT) on FOX.

About Braeden Daniels

Before entering the NFL, Daniels was a standout player for the Utes from 2018-22.

Prior to his time at the University of Utah, the Carrollton, Texas native was a standout player at Hebron High School.

Following high school, Daniels joined Utah’s football program and redshirted after playing in two games as a freshman in 2018. In his second season, Daniels started at left guard in all 14 of Utah’s games. In 2020, Daniels played in five games during a shortened season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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In 2021, Daniels had a breakout season for the Utes. He started at 14 games and was honored as All-Pac-12 second-team. Last season, Daniels followed up his 2021 campaign with another big year. In 2022, the offensive lineman started all 14 of Utah’s games and earned Pac-12 All-Conference first-team honors.

Daniels helped the Utes capture back-to-back Pac-12 Conference titles in his final two seasons with the program.

In total, Daniels played in 49 games at Utah, including 43 starts across multiple positions on the offensive line.

In April, the Commanders selected Daniels with the No. 118 overall pick during the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. He’s also co-host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on X/Twitter (@kyleireland), Instagram (@kyleirelandksl), and Threads (@kyleirelandksl).

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Commanders Place Local Player On Injured Reserve, Ending Rookie’s Season