It took two games for the Washington Commanders' season to unravel the same way as the previous one, with a dislocated elbow for star quarterback Jayden Daniels. And the worst part is that it was completely avoidable.
Daniels injured the same elbow he dislocated against the Seattle Seahawks last season on the final play of the first half versus the Dallas Cowboys. Left guard Chris Paul stepped on him, and his arm bent awkwardly as he reached down to catch his fall.
Depending on whether or not he needs surgery, Daniels' 2026 season may be over. And as for the Commanders, general manager Adam Peters must answer for his biggest offseason mistake.
Everybody knew the Commanders' offensive line was a problem, and now Adam Peters must face the consequences
The Commanders had a strong offseason overall, making a series of moves to fix last year's mistakes. They got younger and deeper, and they significantly improved several position groups, including the wide receiver corps and the linebacker unit.
But the offensive line got worse, even before star left tackle Laremy Tunsil went down with a likely season-ending torn triceps.
Peters released serviceable starting center Tyler Biadasz. He then failed to secure an upgrade and ended up stuck with Nick Allegretti, a transitioned guard.
Washington supposedly had a handshake agreement with Tyler Linderbaum. However, he bailed and joined the Las Vegas Raiders instead after getting a market-resetting offer Peters was unwilling to match.
And there was no contingency plan.
Biadasz wouldn't be much help right now regardless, after suffering a season-ending torn ACL in training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers. Even so, letting the former Baltimore Raven walk out of the building was inexcusable.
Organizational malpractice has failed Jayden Daniels again
Paul was also kept at left guard. Reports suggested he was losing his battle with Brandon Coleman before Tunsil's injury, which gave him a reprieve. After overachieving basement expectations in 2025 to emerge as a low-end starter, keeping him in the lineup is proving to be a massive error.
Whether Daniels plays again in 2026 or not, his latest injury can only be described as a result of gross negligence by the front office.
Everyone in Washington knew after last year that protecting him was the No. 1 goal for this season. And instead, the unit responsible for that task directly injured him.
The Commanders' offensive line was projected to be below-average with Tunsil. It was considered dreadful without him. After looking disastrous all preseason, Washington then spent weeks convincing themselves everything would be okay once Allegretti, who is at least better than Julian Good-Jones, came back from a calf injury.
Peters, for the most part, did nothing. And now his franchise quarterback is hurt. Again.
Last year, the Commanders got complacent because they thought Daniels would always put on his Superman cape after his electric rookie campaign. This time, they knew they had to take protecting him seriously.
Peters must face the hard questions.
He must take a long, uncomfortable look in the mirror at what he did wrong. But it won't bring Daniels back to the field. It won't save Washington's season.
It's not just that mistakes were made. Everybody knew what a dangerous line the Commanders were walking, and nobody acted.
Now it's too late.
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