Jayden Daniels dislocates his left elbow again, and Washington's season is already on the ropes

Same elbow, same cart, same terrible feeling in Washington

One yard from the end zone, three seconds left in the first half, and the Washington Commanders trailing the Dallas Cowboys by seven. Dan Quinn had a choice. He took the aggressive one and lost his quarterback for it.

With Washington one yard from the end zone and just three seconds remaining before halftime, the Commanders opted against a field goal while trailing 17-10 and ran a play with Daniels under center. Daniels stumbled while dropping back to pass and reached out with his left hand in an attempt to steady himself, but his elbow popped out of place as he awkwardly reached for the ground. Daniels was carted off the field.

Daniels, who dislocated the same elbow last year, suffered a similar-looking injury when he got stepped on by left guard Chris Paul after he took an under-center snap at the Cowboys' 1-yard line. He tried to brace his fall with his left arm when it bent unnaturally. He was carted off with an air cast on his left arm and his face covered by a towel.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels had dislocated the elbow but that X-rays "showed no fracture," after a 37-20 loss Sunday. Daniels was scheduled to undergo more tests Monday.

The crowd at AT&T Stadium went quiet the moment Daniels stayed down. Anyone who watched him play in 2025 knew exactly what they were looking at.

History repeating, and then some

This is not just bad luck. It is a pattern.

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 and did not play for the remainder of the season.

It was the same non-throwing elbow he dislocated last season. That detail matters medically. Because the elbow has now come out a second time, doctors may consider repairing the ligament to prevent this from recurring so easily for the Commanders' quarterback.

Sports medicine specialist Dr. David Chao, known as ProFootballDoc, noted publicly that a joint dislocates more readily the second time because the original ligament heals in a loosened state. He said Daniels will miss time but projected a return this season was possible with a brace, while cautioning that surgery to stabilize the elbow could also be on the table depending on what Monday's imaging shows.

Quinn, the call, and the fallout

Quinn was asked directly after the game whether he regretted the decision to run a play from the 1-yard line rather than send out the field goal unit. Quinn said he did not regret going for the touchdown in that situation rather than attempting a field goal, because he felt Washington needed to score touchdowns to compete with the Cowboys' offense.

That is a defensible philosophy. It is also irrelevant now. The Commanders are 0-2, down their starting quarterback, and staring at a Week 3 schedule with Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals looming.

Before the injury, Daniels had 96 passing yards and 69 rushing yards in the first half. He was shredding Dallas. The Commanders were in the game. Then one awkward step changed everything.

After Daniels went to the locker room, Washington was left with Marcus Mariota under center. The Commanders also have Sam Hartman on their practice squad and could elevate him in future weeks. The Notre Dame product has spent three seasons in Washington since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2024 but has never attempted a regular-season pass. Those are the options. Neither is particularly encouraging for a team that built its entire offensive identity around Daniels' mobility and arm talent.

What it means for the Commanders and the NFC

Washington came into 2026 with real expectations. The offense that Daniels ran as a rookie in 2024 was one of the most electric in the league. Last season turned into a lost year. The hope this fall was that a healthy Daniels, now 24 years old with a full offseason behind him, would finally put it together for a full 17 games.

Two weeks in, it is already gone sideways. As Daniels was carted off the field with his left arm in an air cast and a towel draped over his head, the Washington Commanders' future plunged into uncertainty. The result of the game, a 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, was irrelevant.

The NFC East picture shifts immediately. Dallas wins the division head-to-head matchup and gets to 2-0. The Commanders, who needed a fast start, are instead scrambling to figure out how long their franchise player will be on the sideline and whether the season can survive his absence.

Monday's imaging will tell Quinn and general manager Adam Peters what they are actually dealing with. If it is a clean dislocation with no new ligament damage, a return in three to four weeks with a brace is realistic, based on what happened last season. If the imaging shows structural deterioration from the repeated trauma, the calculus gets harder fast. Either way, Washington wakes up Monday morning with Mariota as its starting quarterback and no certain answer on when, or whether, that changes.

Sources

• NBC News: Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels leaves game vs. Cowboys with elbow injury
• CBS Sports: Jayden Daniels injury update, QB dislocates elbow vs. Cowboys
• The Washington Post: Jayden Daniels' dislocated elbow overshadows Commanders' loss to Cowboys
• NBC Washington: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels ruled out after being carted off field
• Heavy.com: Jayden Daniels, Commanders get optimistic injury update from longtime sports doctor
• Sports Illustrated: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels carted off, ruled out with left elbow injury vs. Cowboys