ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow again, less than a year after the previous injury that sidelined the Washington Commanders quarterback for most of the second half of last season.
Coach Dan Quinn said imaging showed the dislocation but no fracture for Daniels, who was taken off the field on a cart at the end of the first half of the Commanders’ 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The quarterback was set to fly home with the team and undergo more testing Monday, Quinn said.
“It sucks, and you can’t even really put it into words,” said veteran backup Marcus Mariota, who took over for Daniels. “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.”
Daniels missed all but one game in the second half of last season after dislocating the elbow in a blowout loss to Seattle on Nov. 2. That injury occurred when Daniels used his non-throwing arm while trying to brace himself on a fall, and the same thing happened against the Cowboys.
“I was just disheartened for him. I know what he’s gone through,” Quinn said, though he added that Daniels was in good spirits.
The Commanders were trying to score from the Dallas 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining before halftime when left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels’ foot as he backed away from center.
Daniels’ left elbow appeared to bend the wrong way as he braced himself and threw a wild pass that was incomplete as time expired. Daniels stayed down momentarily after the play, then started to walk to the sideline before going to the turf again.
Upon seeing a video replay of the injury, Fox NFL analyst Tom Brady uttered a profanity.
“It took the air out of us a little bit,” receiver Terry McLaurin said. “One thing I know about him, he’s really resilient. And, you know, we have a lot of season left, so he’s going to be able to come back. We’ll be ready for him in his return.”
Daniels’ head was covered in a towel as the cart left the field several minutes after all the Dallas players and most of the Washington players had gone to their locker rooms.
Daniels endured several injuries last season after he was honored as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and led the Commanders to the NFC championship game. The elbow injury came after earlier issues with a knee and hamstring.
Before the injury, Daniels was keeping the Commanders close with his mobility. He had an 18-yard scramble on a drive that ended in a field goal and then a 20-yard run before his 4-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs.
Daniels had 69 yards on seven carries while going 11 of 17 for 96 yards passing.
The Commanders were out of timeouts when they had a first down at the Dallas 1 trailing 17-10 with 12 seconds left in the first half. Daniels threw two incompletions, leaving 3 seconds for the play on which he was injured.
“I don’t regret the call. Obviously, any time someone’s injured you play the what-if game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me,” said Quinn, who at the time had not seen a replay of the injury. “I wasn’t hesitant about going in that spot. I thought we’re going to be aggressive.”
Washington center Nick Allegretti knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Daniels’ face and started waving for trainers to come out on the field. He spoke briefly with his quarterback after the game.
“He said he’ll be all right,” Allegretti said. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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