The collective gasps from fans still watching from the stands sucked the life out of Northwest Stadium when quarterback Jayden Daniels went down against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9. His dislocated elbow was gruesome and concerning in equal measure — something that all but ended the team's chances of salvaging some semblance of respectability from the campaign.
Daniels wasn't placed on injured reserve, unlike veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. That left some hope that he could return, but head coach Dan Quinn acknowledged that this was more about gathering information before deciding on further action than anything else.
All signs point to Daniels missing the rest of 2025, especially considering the Commanders are playing for nothing other than pride. It'll be a long, painful road back for the LSU product, but one ex-Washington player who also suffered the same issue during his playing career offered a promising outlook.
Former Washington star offered encouragiing outlook for Jayden Daniels
Former wide receiver Leslie Shepherd, who spent five of his seven seasons in Washington during the 1990s, told JP Finlay of NBC Sports that Daniels will be in severe pain for some time. However, it is an injury he can recover from if everything goes well.
"It's an excruciating pain injury for sure, but it's also something you can pop back from...He can definitely recover and not have any long-term effects."Leslie Shepherd
This was some solace amid the doom and gloom. Daniels is coming under fire for his durability — or lack thereof — this season. It was a worry coming out of college, given his dynamic playing style and his competitive fire, which means no play is ever dead. Shepherd offered an encouraging outlook based on his own experiences, but it's clear that something has to give in the long term.
Reining in Daniels completely will restrict what makes him so special. At the same time, there needs to be some restrictions on when to give up on plays. There is nothing wrong with sliding, throwing it away, or living to fight another day. Perhaps this will be the wake-up call he needs, and it's also worth remembering that Quinn had no business keeping him out on the field in the final stages of a complete blowout.
Daniels is a grinder. He's a competitor who'll be doing everything he can to get back healthy. But after that, some serious thought must be given to how best to reduce these risks for a profitable future.