The Washington Commanders will be without quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday morning the Commanders could decide this week how much more time the signal-caller will be out.
Rapoport provided updates on several quarterback injuries from around the league on NFL Network early Thursday. Most of what the league insider stated on Daniels head coach Dan Quinn already said Wednesday.
But Rapoport detailed the decision the Commanders face, which could come to a head before Sunday’s Week 3 matchup.
“Daniels is dealing with a dislocated left elbow, the second time in a couple years this has happened,” Rapoport said. “He has been soliciting opinions from experts.
“Going to have to come to a decision late this week, and really, it’s going to be this — does he go on injured reserve or not?
“If he does go on injured reserve, he’s out four games. If he does not, then the thought is he could come back a little earlier than that.”
Last year, Daniels initially missed three games because of a dislocated left elbow.
Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Could Avoid IR Stint
Pundits reacted pretty negatively to Daniels suffering a dislocated left elbow again in Week 2. But if there’s any takeaway from Rapoport’s update Thursday morning, the injury doesn’t give the Commanders a doomsday scenario.
In fact, the quarterback could avoid needing on IR stint, which is a great development. Whether or not that happens, though, likely depends on all the expert opinions the quarterback receives on his elbow.
Daniels returned within a month from his elbow dislocation last season. But, Daniels re-injured the same elbow in his return. He then didn’t play for the rest of the 2025 regular season.
Could the Commanders be more cautious with Daniels’s elbow injury timeline in 2026? Rapoport didn’t say the team would be, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they were.
Per NFL rules, any player placed on IR must miss at least four games. Moving Daniels to injured reserve, though, would allow the Commanders an open roster spot for another quarterback or a player at a different position.
Why Commanders Could Be Very Cautious With Daniels 2026 Elbow Injury
In total, Daniels missed seven games because of his left elbow last season. The Commanders quarterback also sat out two games because of a knee strain and one contest due to a hamstring issue in 2025.
Another injury to Daniels’s left elbow is alarming enough. That could cause the Commanders to be extra cautious and place the quarterback on IR.
But the growing injury resume is pretty concerning too. Daniels is set to miss his 11th game since the start of the 2025 campaign this weekend. During that time, he’s dressed for nine contests.
The multiple ailments are all the more reason for Washington to be very careful with its quarterback’s return. The Commanders shouldn’t rush back Daniels if the team would be risking the quarterback missing more games later in the season.
Completely healthy as a rookie in 2024, Daniels made the Pro Bowl with a 69% completion percentage and 7.4 yards per pass average. He also had 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Daniels rushed for 891 yards with six touchdowns as well. The quarterback won the NFL’s AP Rookie of the Year award.
Since then, Daniels has completed 59.8% of his passes while averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. He also has 11 touchdowns and three interceptions with 378 rushing yards along with two rushing scores.
Commanders Face Significant Jayden Daniels Decision: Insider