Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow on Sunday during a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s the same injury to his non-throwing arm that Daniels suffered last season, causing him to miss a majority of the season. Commanders coach confirmed to reporters after the game that Daniels again suffered a dislocated elbow and will undergo additional testing Monday.
“He did injure his left elbow, it was a dislocation. X-rays showed no fracture. He’ll travel back home with the team. More imaging tomorrow,” Quinn said. “Man, are we bummed for him. I thought he was really playing his a– off.”
On the final play of the first half, with the Commanders opting to try to score from the Dallas 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining instead of attempting a field goal, Daniels took the snap and lost his balance after his foot was stepped on by left guard Chris Paul. Daniels tried to brace himself but planted his left arm awkwardly on the turf, causing it to bend backwards, before being taken down while throwing the ball away.
Daniels remained down on the turf and was tended to by medical personnel before being carted off the field and back to the locker room.
The Commanders later announced that Daniels had been ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Jayden Daniels was carted off vs. the Cowboys after going down with an apparent elbow injury.
Daniels tried to hold himself up as he was falling down and his elbow bent in an awkward way.
(📺 FOX) pic.twitter.com/dcTQLDgKws
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026
Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft who was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, played in just seven games in his sophomore season due to a series of injuries.
He missed four games after suffering a dislocated left elbow in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. He reaggravated the injury in his first game back while attempting to make a tackle after an interception and did not play for the remainder of the season.
The Commanders on Sunday trailed the Cowboys 17-10 at the time of Daniels’ injury. Daniels had completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 69 yards on seven carries. Mariota replaced Daniels in the second half.
“It sucks, and you can’t even really put it into words,” Mariota told reporters of Daniels’ injury. “You watch that kid battle through all that he’d been through last year, just very, very unfortunate…He’s got an incredible support system. We’re gonna do everything we can to get him back and get him right.”
Mariota completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, but Washington lost to the Cowboys 37-20.
The Commanders fell to 0-2 and will now be without their starting quarterback for an extended period of time.
“We will rally so hard around Marcus until Jayden is back,” Quinn said after the game.
Quinn added that he did not regret the decision to go for the touchdown on the play that led to Daniels’ injury.
“Obviously, any time someone’s injured you play the what-if game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me,” Quinn said. “I wasn’t hesitant about going in that spot. I thought we’re going to be aggressive.”
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