Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters said Friday on 106.7 The Fan that elbow surgery is not being considered for Jayden Daniels right now, and the team has not talked about putting the third-year quarterback on injured reserve. Daniels was carted off late in the first half of the Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys after dislocating his left elbow again — an injury that echoed the one he suffered last season in a Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Fortunately, like last time, there’s no fracture to his non-throwing arm.
Daniels missed four weeks (three games) last season while recovering from the initial dislocation, then re-injured the elbow in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings when he went down making a tackle after an interception and was sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season. This week he met with specialists around the country; Peters said doctors provided thorough input and the team is weighing the best plan, but surgery and IR are off the table at the moment. That assessment suggests he could return within four weeks, since being placed on IR would cost at least that long.
Shortly after Peters spoke, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Daniels will not be placed on IR and will be treated week-to-week. He’s been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks and is expected to wear a brace on his left elbow. The Commanders leave Tuesday night for their Week 4 trip to London to face the Indianapolis Colts, so the club must decide soon whether Daniels will travel with the team, sources said.
Peters emphasized that return timelines are medical decisions and that each injury and recovery process is different. In the meantime, Marcus Mariota will continue to start. Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick nine years before Daniels, is in his third season with Washington; he started eight games and appeared in 11 last year, finishing with 10 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and 297 rushing yards. In relief of Daniels against Dallas, Mariota completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Peters praised Mariota as an excellent backup and said the team has confidence in him to run the offense and help secure wins while Daniels is out.
Fan Take: This matters because Jayden Daniels is Washington’s franchise signal-caller, and how the team manages his recovery will affect their short-term competitiveness and long-term investment in him. If Daniels returns quickly without surgery, it’s a relief for the Commanders and could preserve continuity, but recurring elbow trouble raises questions about durability that could influence roster and medical strategies league-wide.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
