Elbow surgery and injured reserve are off the table for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, general manager Adam Peters said Friday.
Daniels sustained a second dislocation of his left elbow in Washington’s 37-20 defeat at Dallas last weekend. He will not play in Sunday’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, but an IR stint would sideline him for at least four games.
“So now it’s just a matter of sitting down and thinking about what the best course of action is,” Peters said during his weekly radio interview on 106.7 The Fan. “As of right now, surgery is not on the table and we haven’t discussed IR. So, it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get him back on the field and that’s still to be determined.”
Veteran Marcus Mariota will start for the Commanders (0-2) in Week 3 against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (2-0). Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers, will be Mariota’s backup.
Daniels, 25, sustained his second dislocation in 10 months on the final play of the first half against the Cowboys.
As Washington attempted to score a touchdown rather than settle for a field goal, Daniels was stepped on by left guard Chris Paul and tripped trying to backpedal. He put his left (non-throwing) arm on the turf and his arm buckled under his body weight as he threw an incomplete pass.
Daniels dislocated the same elbow the last time Washington faced Seattle in a 38-14 home loss in Week 9 of 2025. He missed three games before returning with a protective brace in Week 14, only to aggravate the injury and miss the remainder of the season.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels had prepared himself in an attempt to avoid reinjuring the elbow.
“There’s re-injury (risk) for all things, whether it’s soft tissue or otherwise, but he really put on more armor this year and worked hard during the offseason for that,” Quinn said Wednesday. “He’s bigger, he’s stronger.”
The 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels has completed 65.9% of his passes for 5,090 yards, 36 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 26 career starts (14-12 record). He has rushed for 1,269 yards and eight scores.
