Jayden Daniels played just three snaps in his Commanders preseason debut, taking a sack before Washington quickly turned the offense over to its backups.

The Washington Commanders finally put Jayden Daniels on the field Saturday, but anyone hoping for an extended look at their franchise quarterback didn’t get much of one.

Daniels started against the Detroit Lions, played exactly three offensive snaps and disappeared to the sideline almost as quickly as he arrived.

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Washington went three-and-out, gained only one net yard, and Daniels finished 0-for-1 passing while taking a 10-yard sack.

That’s it.

Not exactly enough material for a quarterback controversy—or even a meaningful evaluation.

The good news for Washington is that it apparently didn’t need one.

Preseason snaps for an established starting quarterback are about getting a taste of live action without creating unnecessary risk. Daniels got his brief exposure to NFL game speed, took a hit and then watched the rest of the afternoon from safety.

Considering the Commanders’ situation behind him, protecting Daniels becomes even more important.

Veteran backup Marcus Mariota is dealing with an MCL sprain and is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason. That leaves Washington needing additional evaluation of the quarterbacks competing behind Daniels and Mariota.

Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis took over after Daniels exited. Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round selection out of Rutgers, has a significant opportunity to earn valuable reps while Mariota recovers.

That’s arguably the more important quarterback storyline for Washington right now.

Daniels’ job isn’t in question.

The depth behind him is.

Washington has one preseason game remaining against the Baltimore Ravens, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the Commanders decide Daniels needs another tune-up or simply put their starting quarterback in bubble wrap until the games count.

Given what happened Saturday, the coaching staff clearly isn’t desperate to pile up preseason snaps.

And why would it be?

The Commanders have far more to lose by exposing Daniels to unnecessary hits than they have to gain from watching him operate a vanilla August offense for several possessions.

Saturday’s stat line won’t be appearing on any highlight reels: no completions, one sack and one yard of offense.

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But the most important number was three.

Three plays.

Daniels got in, got out and stayed healthy.

With Washington opening the regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles, that’s ultimately what mattered most.