After extensive testing, the Washington Commanders and quarterback Jayden Daniels have decided to pass on surgery to his recently dislocated left elbow, which means he will also forego the injured reserve list (IR) — but there are a couple of caveats.
First, Daniels is going to miss at least one game, which will come this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. Had he gone on IR, the QB would sit out at least four contests, which might have been a death knell for Washington’s 2026 season after an 0-2 start.
The second condition is that Daniels will wear an accessory for the rest of the campaign that could prove anywhere between an annoyance to a mild hindrance with regards to his quarterbacking.
He’ll wear a brace over
“Commanders QB Jayden Daniels traveled to New York and Los Angeles this week, and met with multiple specialists in both places, leading to his and the team’s decision to go forward with the plan to forgo surgery and bring Daniels back in the coming weeks,” Albert Breer of SI reported via X. “He’ll wear a brace over his left elbow, he’s week-to-week and HC Dan Quinn’s only ruled him out for the Seattle game.”
Jayden Daniels’ Status for Colts Matchup in London Remains Unknown
Daniels’ status for the team’s overseas contest against the Indianapolis Colts remains in question, and the Commanders will be forced to make a call on an accelerated timeline based on the circumstances.
“The Commanders go to London to play the Colts in Week 4, and the team will have to make a decision soon on whether or not to bring Daniels with them—they actually leave Tuesday night,” Breer continued.
Even if Washington errs on the side of caution and holds Daniels out of the London game, he is all but certain to start again in either Week 5 against the New York Giants or Week 6 vs. the San Francisco 49ers — at the latest.
If the Commanders did not believe they could get the QB back on the field before their trip to the Bay Area on October 19, the team would have most likely sent him to IR and cleared another spot on the 53-man roster for the coming month.
Marcus Mariota Will Start for Commanders in Jayden Daniels’ Absence
For as long as Daniels remains out, the Commanders will turn to backup QB Marcus Mariota.
A 12-year veteran of the NFL, Mariota has started 82 games (36-46) across 105 career appearances. He is 2-6 as the starter for the Commanders over 15 appearances games played since joining the franchise in 2024.
Daniels’ more or less imminent return and Mariota’s history with Washington means the team probably will not pursue a quarterback addition via free agency or the trade market in the coming weeks, as might have been the case had Daniels chosen to undergo surgery and/or landed on IR.
However, given Daniels’ now significant injury history just three years into his professional tenure, the Commanders will probably take a harder look at a younger backup QB option with more starting upside than Mariota should Daniels run into more health problems in 2027 and/or beyond.
Commanders Reveal 2 Major Caveats to Jayden Daniels’ Return