Fans were eagerly awaiting developments around quarterback Jayden Daniels after he suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 9. The Washington Commanders placed veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on injured reserve almost immediately after the game. They did not do the same with their franchise player.
Head coach Dan Quinn revealed that the Commanders were still gathering information. The X-rays came back negative, which was encouraging, but he wasn't out of the woods by any stretch. However, a recent insider report suggests that things could have been much worse.
And there is even a chance that the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft could return sooner than initially anticipated.
Commanders could still get Jayden Daniels back at some stage in 2025
Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network revealed that Daniels suffered no ligament damage and will not need surgery. He remains out indefinitely, but the Commanders are not going to place him on injured reserve. That provides hope he could make his triumphant return to the lineup at some stage, although there is no telling for sure when that'll be.
"Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ MRI and medical opinions revealed positive news, as his dislocated left elbow is not as serious as originally anticipated. There was no ligament damage & he won't need surgery. Daniels will not be immediately placed on Injured Reserve. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ MRI and medical opinions revealed positive news, as his dislocated left elbow is not as serious as originally anticipated. There was no ligament damage & he won't need surgery. Daniels will not be immediately placed on Injured Reserve."
Ian Rapoport
Amid all the doom and gloom around Washington's injuries, this is an undoubted positive. Things looked grim for Daniels after a gruesome fall on Sunday Night Football, but the fact that there was no structural or ligament damage is an immensely encouraging development.
The Commanders will now be in constant assessment mode with Daniels, who is undergoing rehabilitation in the hope of getting the all-clear later in the campaign. But if Washington keeps losing, one has to wonder if there would be any point in having him in the firing line.
It remains a precarious situation. Daniels is an elite talent when healthy, but he's working without his whole supporting cast of pass-catchers and an offensive line that has begun to crack under the pressure. He is trying to force the issue almost single-handed, and Quinn paid a heavy price for leaving him on the field too long.
This is good news. But whether that changes anything for Daniels' involvement this season remains to be seen.