Jayden Daniels’ latest elbow injury put the Commanders back in familiar territory on Sunday, and not the good kind. The quarterback was carted to the locker room after taking a hit at the end of the first half against the Cowboys, with the damage again centered on the same non-throwing elbow that has already interrupted his young career.
That elbow has become a troubling theme. Daniels has now dealt with multiple injuries to the arm, and each time the Commanders have had to weigh how quickly he could realistically get back on the field. The latest setback comes after a season in which he also battled knee and hamstring issues, leaving him off the field far more than the team wanted.
The first major elbow scare came on Nov. 2, 2025, in a “Sunday Night Football” game against the Seahawks. Daniels suffered a gruesome injury to his non-throwing elbow and was forced to exit in favor of backup Marcus Mariota.
Even with the ugly visual, the aftermath offered some relief: the injury was to his non-throwing arm, and the damage was limited enough that a return was possible. Daniels wound up missing three games, or four weeks, before coming back against the Vikings.
That comeback, though, didn’t last long. On Dec.
7, 2025, Daniels landed hard on his left elbow on a Vikings interception return and was shut down for the rest of the season after the game. He avoided a re-dislocation, but the Commanders decided to end his year anyway after he had already pushed through knee, hamstring and elbow problems.
Sunday brought another painful chapter. Against the Cowboys, Daniels stumbled backward after being stepped on and tried to catch himself with his left arm. The impact led to what appeared to be a dislocation or hyperextension, and he was in clear pain before being taken off on a cart.
The positive here, as before, is that the injury is to Daniels’ non-throwing elbow, which should make recovery faster than if it were his throwing arm. Still, the brief return after four weeks last season is a reminder that the Commanders may need to be careful about how soon they bring him back.
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Tom Brady Kept Hijacking A Wild Cowboys Win For All The Wrong Reasons
A FOX broadcast of Dallas game against Washington turned into its own side story thanks to Tom Brady, who found a way to keep pulling focus from the action on the field. The former quarterbacks commentary on Dak Prescott drew plenty of attention when he described one throw as an absolute piss missile, a line that immediately stood out in a game already packed with late noise and momentum swings.
Brady also reacted on air to the injury suffered by Jayden Daniels, sounding visibly surprised as the moment unfolded. With Dallas finishing off the win, the broadcast booth ended up sharing the spotlight with a Cowboys performance that should have been the only headline, even if Brady made sure it was not. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Finally Got Their First Win But A Bigger Concern Emerged
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Even so, the mood was harder to sort through once the game was over. Dallas defense had a shaky afternoon and the bigger concern came with two defensive backs leaving injured, a development that can linger well beyond one good offensive showing. Washington also had its own quarterback issue when Jayden Daniels went down and Marcus Mariota took over, but for the Cowboys the postgame focus quickly shifted from the score to the health of a secondary that suddenly looks thin. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Rookie May Have Given Dallas A New Answer On Defense
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Barhams day was not perfectly smooth, either, because he briefly left the game with an injury and even dealt with a moment of illness on the field. Still, the bigger takeaway for Dallas was how he handled the traffic and pressure in the middle of the defense while the game was still in doubt. For a rookie to step into that role this early and leave the field with that kind of impact, it at least gives the Cowboys a reason to wonder whether they may have found another answer on defense. [Read more 🡒]