No one was probably more relieved than head coach Dan Quinn about the prognosis for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels after his dislocated elbow. There will be no surgery or immediate trip to injured reserve, which is the best-possible scenario in the circumstances.
If Quinn had lost Daniels for a considerable period or even for the entire campaign, it may have cost him his job. Now, he has a chance.
But it cannot cloud the Commanders' judgment regarding his recovery process.
Dan Quinn has a shot at saving Commanders' season if Jayden Daniels gets back quickly
Quinn is feeling the heat. The Commanders are 0-2. They have to face the Seattle Seahawks this weekend without Daniels, so they'll likely be 0-3. With the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers coming up before their bye week, it could be a tenure-defining stretch for the respected leader.
If Daniels returns before the bye week, the Commanders have a shot. If not, then things could get a lot worse before they get better.
And in that scenario, Quinn's hot seat will be scorching.
This is an obvious relief for everybody involved, but it remains a fluid situation.
Daniels will be fighting with everything he has to return quickly. He wants to help, and Quinn needs his franchise player under center. But this should not come at the expense of his long-term health just because he may or may not be fighting to save his job.
That would be organizational malpractice.
If Daniels comes back at his own pace and helps the Commanders towards a strong second half of 2026, that might be enough to give Quinn a reprieve. Then, the early struggles could be attributed to the quarterback's absence rather than anything more concerning.
Dan Quinn cannot have clouded judgment on Jayden Daniels with pressure building
Even that might not be enough for Quinn. But the Commanders always have a chance with Daniels, no matter how healthy he is.
Quinn is a players' coach. He puts them first at all times, and not even the supposed uncertainty about his job status moving forward will change that. At the same time, bad results cause panic, and they can lead to some rash decisions in the pressure cooker.
That cannot happen with Daniels in Washington.
When Daniels returns, it'll give everyone a confidence boost of epic proportions. When that will be is undetermined, but the Commanders have extra motivation to tread water without him and make sure they're still in the fight.
Anything less, and things will get uncomfortable.
Quinn knows it, too.
He's been around the NFL long enough to know what might come next if the Commanders don't improve this season. Quinn was fired as Atlanta Falcons head coach, and his position as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator came under severe scrutiny after an embarrassing home playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
And even though Quinn got Washington to the conference championship game in Year 1, this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league.
The Commanders need Daniels back quickly. But not before he is ready.
That's the long and short of it, whether it impacts Quinn's job status or not.
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