Jayden Daniels may have succumbed to another setback, suffering a left elbow dislocation to end the first half of the Commanders’ 37-20 loss to the Cowboys.
X-rays performed on Daniels didn’t show any fracture, and he will have more imaging done on Monday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game. Daniels traveled back with the team following the game.
It’s unclear how long he will be out due to the injury.
“Man, are we bummed for him,” Quinn said. “I thought he was really playing his ass off. And we will rally so hard around Marcus [Mariota] until Jayden is back.”
Daniels, who dislocated the same elbow in 2025, appeared to put his arm out to brace a fall, and his arm bent in a way that caused a severe audible reaction from Tom Brady on the Fox broadcast.
The injury occurred on a third-and-goal play with mere seconds left on the clock in the second quarter and the Commanders on the 1-yard line.
He had to be carted off to the Washington locker room, and the Commanders ruled him out for the remainder of Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium.
Left guard Chris Paul seemed to step on Daniels’ foot and caused him to lose his balance, which led to the quarterback attempting to brace his fall. Daniels’ left arm bent backwards as Cowboys defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard came toward him.
Daniels was able to throw the ball away after Bullard hit him, but the QB grabbed at his arm and went to the ground in visible pain after the play.
Washington trainers and doctors quickly rushed over to the second-overall pick in 2024.
He was eventually taken off the field on a cart, and Daniels kept a towel over his head as they did.
The injury is sure to be raising concerns for the Commanders after going through a 2025 season during which Daniels dealt with several elbow injuries that cost him 10 games.
Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow during Week 9 last season in a loss to the Seahawks. He didn’t sustain any structural damage and was able to return five weeks later, but in Week 14 against the Vikings, he reinjured the elbow while trying to make a tackle after he threw an interception, which cost him the rest of the season.
