Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was ruled out of his team’s Week 2 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys after suffering an elbow injury late in the first half.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels had dislocated the elbow but that X-rays “showed no fracture,” he said after a 37-20 loss Sunday. Daniels will undergo more tests Monday.
“Man, are we bummed for him,” Quinn said.
With the Commanders one yard from the end zone and just three seconds remaining before halftime, Washington opted against kicking a field goal while trailing 17-10 and instead 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.
Quinn said he did not regret going for the touchdown in the situation rather than attempting a field goal because he felt Washington needed to score touchdowns to compete match the Cowboys’ offense.
“Anytime someone is injured you play the what-if game; I don’t think this is one of those times for me,” Quinn said. “I hate that it happened. ... I wasn’t hestitant about going into that spot. We wanted to be aggressive.”
Daniels had completed 11 of his 17 passes against Dallas for 96 yards and a touchdown and added 69 yards on the ground before the injury. He was replaced by backup Marcus Mariota.
“It sucks,” Mariota said of the injury.
The 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels suffered multiple injuries during a difficult second professional season in 2025, including a previous elbow injury that sidelined him four games. Daniels missed 10 games overall last season.
He entered his third season healthy and looking for a bounce-back campaign, though Washington lost its season opener to Philadelphia.
Dallas moved to 1-1 with the win, while Washington fell to 0-2, including 0-2 in the NFC East.
