-
John Keim
LANDOVER, Md. — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow during the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, sources told ESPN.
He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis and help determine a recovery timeline. Daniels is expected to be sidelined indefinitely, but it is uncertain whether his season is over, according to sources.
Daniels was hurt with 7 minutes, 39 seconds remaining — and Washington trailing 38-7 — when he scrambled to his right and was sacked at the Seattle 4-yard line by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas. Daniels’ left elbow was bent back on the tackle, and he was visibly in pain.
“I’m gutted by it,” said Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who did not offer an update on the severity of Daniels’ injury after the game, saying only that it was his left elbow.
The remaining fans at Northwest Stadium gasped when they saw Daniels go down in pain, followed mostly by silence as they watched him be tended to by the medical staff.
Multiple teammates took a knee, some near Daniels. Eventually, most of his teammates surrounded him as a cart was sent. But Daniels instead walked to the locker room with a black air cast on his left, non-throwing elbow.
“Gut-wrenching,” right guard Sam Cosmi said. “You could just hear the air [come] out of everybody in the stadium. Not a good feeling to see that for sure. It really sucks.
“I put my head down and prayed for him. You don’t want to see that. … That’s our guy. It sucks.”
It’s the latest blow in a season gone awry for Washington (3-6). The Commanders have been hit hard by injuries, with multiple starters already on injured reserve: running back Austin Ekeler, defensive ends Deatrich Wise Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, safety Will Harris and receiver Noah Brown. Receiver Terry McLaurin did not play Sunday and has now missed five games because of a quad injury.
But Daniels represents hope for Washington’s present and future. A year ago, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and the franchise’s first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season.
However, his encore has proved bumpy because of injuries to himself and others. It’s the third injury this season for Daniels and appears to be the most serious. He missed two games because of a sprained knee and one because of a hamstring injury, with Marcus Mariota replacing him.
“Just distraught,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “I care about Jayden the person much more than the player. The player is phenomenal, one of the best players in the league. He meant so much to me, to see him down like that in pain is tough. Football is a tough sport, a physical sport. To see injuries like that is difficult.”
Daniels had become a team leader, a player teammates gravitated toward.
“JD is one of them ones,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “He’s a special kid, and to see him go down like that, it’s scary. He’s a true dog, and I’m going every Sunday with him.”
According to ESPN Research, Daniels was pressured on a career-high 51% of his dropbacks Sunday night, including 61% in the second half. He was hit 14 times, according to TruMedia, the second most he had been hit this season. In Week 2, Daniels was hit 17 times against Green Bay, with one of those hits to his knee resulting in a sprain and two-week absence.
Despite the pressure and Washington trailing by 31 points Sunday night, Quinn said he did not consider taking Daniels out of the game.
Quinn said Daniels suffered the injury during a play that is usually a handoff or a throw to the flat. Daniels didn’t hand off to running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., but nobody was open in the flat and there was instant pressure.
“You don’t want to think that way where an injury could take place,” Quinn said. “It wasn’t a designed read or play to that spot. If we run it 50 times, it’s either a handoff or throw 50 times. So, yeah, it’s a bummer, man.”
Daniels completed 16 of 22 passes for 153 yards and 1 interception before exiting. He also ran for 51 yards and one touchdown.
Mariota will start in place of Daniels when the Commanders host the Detroit Lions next Sunday. Mariota said he and the other quarterbacks checked on Daniels in the trainer’s room after the game.
“Football is a violent game, something we understand going into it, but that being said, it still hurts,” Mariota said. “We all talked about it afterward, just being there for him. Making sure he feels supported and know he’s not doing this alone is important for us.
“He’s always in good spirits. He’s an incredible person in that sense.”
