Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has dislocated his elbow again, the same one he hurt against the Seattle Seahawks a season ago. His 2026 campaign may already be over, and even if it isn't, it's a disaster for head coach Dan Quinn's squad.
Washington was building everything this season around a bounce-back to rookie form for Daniels. For Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, a return to at least .500 was the expectation to save their jobs.
Now, at 0-2 already, that's going to be a massive uphill climb.
Jayden Daniels may be further away from Commanders contract extension then ever
As for Daniels? It's officially time to have a hard conversation about his future as a franchise passer.
The injury wasn't Daniels' fault. Blame it on the abomination of an offensive line Peters trotted out for this season that not only failed to protect him, but directly took him out after left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot on the final play of the first half in Dallas.
It was a freak play. Still, these "freak plays" can only happen so many times before you start to roll your eyes at the common denominator.
Daniels has now left four of the last five games he's played in the NFL with injuries, dating back to last season.
He's completed only five contests since the start of 2025, and even in them, hasn't been the transcendent field general he was as a rookie. Daniels' performance against the Cowboys' porous defense in the first half was the sharpest he'd looked in more than a year, and now that's irrelevant.
Jayden Daniels cannot stay healthy, and that's a massive problem
Daniels will be eligible this offseason to begin negotiating an extension to his rookie deal. And it's not going to be an easy decision.
One thing is for sure: Daniels isn't going to get some record-setting deal next summer, the way he looked at this time a year ago, like he was on pace to one day reset the market.
The question at this point is whether he's in Washington at all after 2028.
The Commanders will assuredly pick up Daniels' fifth-year option, but there's a real chance next year will be a "prove it" campaign — with "it" being that he can stay healthy for a full season. Because if not, then as harsh as it is to say, he might not be the guy moving forward.
Daniels has been a victim of circumstances for sure. His protection has been abysmal, and his coaches have put him in bad situations, especially last year. But his frame also isn't built to sustain in the NFL, and he's now had recurring elbow issues.
At a certain point, you can no longer evaluate a player only if they're healthy. With Daniels, you have to take into account that, more often than not, he isn't.
And if that doesn't change next year, it'll be a big problem for Washington.
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