Washington will keep Jayden Daniels off surgery and off injured reserve, at least for now, after the Commanders quarterback dislocated his left elbow again. General manager Adam Peters said Friday that Daniels will not have an operation and that the team has not discussed an IR move, a decision that leaves open the possibility of a quicker return but still rules him out for Sunday’s home opener against Seattle.
“As of right now surgery is not on the table and we have not discussed IR,” Peters said on 106.7 The Fan.
That matters because an injured reserve designation would sideline Daniels for a minimum of four games. Without it, Washington is signaling that it believes he could come back before that window closes, with Indianapolis in London and the New York Giants next on the schedule. For the moment, though, Marcus Mariota is set to start against the Seahawks.
The elbow injury traces back to a broken goal-line snap in Dallas. With three seconds left in the first half of Washington’s 37-20 loss at AT&T Stadium on Sept.
20, Daniels took the snap under center at the Dallas 1. Left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot as Daniels turned.
When he tried to brace himself with his left arm, the elbow bent the wrong way. He tossed the ball away, grabbed the arm, and went down before trainers carted him off with an air cast and a towel over his head.
X-rays showed no fracture that night, but the follow-up process included additional imaging and visits with specialists. Dan Quinn’s reaction after the game was blunt. “Man, are we bummed for him,” he said.
This is the same elbow that popped out in Week 9 last season against Seattle. Daniels missed three games, returned in Week 14, then landed on the elbow again and was shut down for the rest of 2025.
That history is why Washington’s decision to avoid surgery is so notable. A second dislocation usually invites concern about ligament work, but the Commanders are choosing rehab and a brace instead.
According to a source close to the process, doctors have been encouraged by the condition of the joint, though there is no guarantee it holds up the next time Daniels takes a hit.
While Washington sorted through the medical side, Marshawn Lynch offered his own brand of advice. On Thursday’s Get Got Pod with Mike Robinson, the former Seahawks running back said Daniels “got to be ambidextrous,” tying the comment to the stiff-arm he said was “so cold” because he worked both arms. The clip spread after it was posted on the show’s account, but it was more punchline than plan.
Mariota, meanwhile, steps into a familiar role. He went 11-of-16 for 111 yards and a touchdown after replacing Daniels against Dallas.
In 2025, he started eight of the 11 games he played when Daniels was out with knee, hamstring, and elbow issues. Quinn has already called him one of the steadier voices in the locker room.
Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis is next in line if needed.
Daniels’ early-season production was strong before the injury. Through two games, he completed 29 of 51 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 100 yards on 12 carries. Against Dallas, he had his best rushing day of the season, going for 69 yards on seven carries before the elbow gave out.
The bigger picture is the sharp contrast between Daniels’ rookie year and everything that has followed. In 2024, he threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns, rushed for 891 yards and six scores, and helped Washington reach an NFC Championship Game loss to Philadelphia. Now the Commanders are managing a second dislocation of the same non-throwing elbow and trying to keep their season from slipping while their quarterback rehabs week to week.
Quinn did not question the decision to go for the touchdown at the 1 instead of taking a field goal. The call put Daniels under center in traffic, with no easy escape. That part of the story now matters, too, because Washington has to think about how often it asks him to operate under center in tight spaces once he returns, and whether the brace changes how he falls or posts with that left arm.
For now, Mariota gets the Seahawks, Daniels gets rehab, and Washington waits to see how long it can keep its quarterback out of the operating room.
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