Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow during Sunday night’s blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, coach Dan Quinn confirmed on Monday. The second-year signal-caller will be sidelined indefinitely.
Quinn would not provide an exact return timeline for his dual-threat quarterback or rule him out for the season. However, Daniels will miss several games, he noted.
The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year had already missed three starts this season with a knee sprain and a hamstring injury.
Washington’s coach accepted responsibility for the most recent injury. Daniels dislocated his elbow late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. Many teams would have benched their franchise quarterback. Quinn didn’t.
“I’ve been thinking about it, honestly, nonstop,” the coach said on Monday. “The answer is, man, I missed it. … It’s 100% on me.”
Sunday night’s gruesome-looking elbow injury, suffered when Daniels’ non-throwing arm got caught under his body during a tackle, is only the latest in a nightmarish season for Washington.
The Commanders experienced a handful of injuries in the loss, their fourth straight, as the season spirals out of control. Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey fractured his collarbone. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore suffered an ACL injury.
Lattimore will miss the remainder of the season, while McCaffrey’s injury will “knock him out for a while,” Quinn said.
“Tough night on the injury front; all three of these guys are absolutely elite competitors,” the coach said. “They mean a ton to our team, for the play style, for what they represent.”
Lattimore, despite inconsistent play, was Washington’s top cornerback in a struggling secondary. McCaffrey was a 2024 third-round pick who flashed in limited playing time on offense this season with two touchdown catches. On special teams, he ranked second in the NFL in kick return yardage and first in kick return average among players with at least fifteen returns.
They are just the latest additions to an extensive injury list for Washington. Star receiver Terry McLaurin didn’t play on Sunday night due to a nagging quad issue that has forced him to miss five games. He’s likely to miss at least one more game, according to Quinn.
Fellow pass-catcher Noah Brown is already on injured reserve with a groin injury.
A handful of other Commanders are already expected to miss significant time. Edge rushers Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise and Javontae Jean-Baptiste will likely miss the rest of the season. Running back Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2.
Safety Will Harris is on injured reserve with a fractured fibula, though he could potentially return before the end of the season.
Quinn said it isn’t clear who will help plug the fresh holes on Washington’s depth chart. Rookie receiver Jaylin Lane will likely see some of McCaffrey’s snaps, while former first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene could fill in at cornerback.
Veteran Marcus Mariota is expected to start in Daniels’ absence. The journeyman has appeared in five games this year, completing 64% of his passes for 639 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
The No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft wasn’t thinking about his future as a starter on Sunday night. He was worried about his teammate.
“Football is a violent game and it’s something that we understand going into it. With that being said, it still hurts,” Mariota said. “The more we can love up on him and make sure he feels supported and knows that he’s not doing this thing alone is important for us.”
The Commanders’ season is in jeopardy, though. Washington is now 3-6 and a long shot to make the postseason. Keeping morale high is an uphill battle after the Commanders’ third straight loss by more than 21 points.
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was distraught after watching his quarterback leave the game on Sunday night. He sat at his locker with his head in his hands more than twenty minutes after the game ended.
“It’s energy-sapping with the game going the way it is. But God bless Jayden. To go down like that, it’s tough. Very depressing, because I know what that injury road is like,” said Kinlaw, who missed 24 games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons with a knee injury. “It’s long. It’s lonely. A lot of dark days, where you don’t know if you’re going to come back the same.”
The Commanders need a change to stop the skid, Quinn said. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. will call plays from the sideline after starting the season in the booth. The team could make a move ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline to bolster — or strip — an injury-depleted roster. Quinn’s squad returns to action with a home game against the 5-3 Detroit Lions on Sunday.