Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow during a 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at AT&T Stadium. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the injury following the game, noting that while X-rays did not show a fracture, Daniels will miss the Week 3 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.
The injury occurred on the final play of the first half during a third-and-goal attempt from the Dallas 1-yard line with three seconds remaining in the second quarter. According to reports, Daniels appeared to have his feet stepped on by left guard Chris Paul after taking a snap under center. He stumbled and braced himself with his left arm, causing the elbow to bend backward before he fell to the turf. Medical staff attended to Daniels on the field before he was carted to the locker room; the Commanders ruled him out for the second half.
Recovery Timeline and Medical Status
Daniels underwent imaging on Monday, though Coach Quinn declined to reveal specific results from those images. The quarterback is scheduled to consult with specialists on Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the next steps of his treatment. While a specific recovery timeline remains unclear, Quinn stated he has not had any reason to think otherwise regarding expectations that Daniels will return later this season.
There is a possibility that Daniels may require surgery to stabilize the left elbow joint, although no such decision has been made. This is a recurring injury for the Heisman Trophy winner; Daniels previously dislocated the same elbow on Nov. 2, 2025, against Seattle, an injury that caused him to miss three weeks and later led to him missing the final four games of that season after aggravating it.
Mariota Steps In as Starter
Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, 32, will start the upcoming game against Seattle. Mariota entered the game in the second half with Washington trailing 17-10 and completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. His highlights included a 26-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs.
Mariota, who joined the Commanders in 2024 and returned in 2026 on a one-year, $7 million deal, expressed his support for Daniels, calling the injury very, very unfortunate.
Mariota previously made eight starts last season due to Daniels’ injuries, recording 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Coaching Decisions and Team Depth
The circumstances of the injury have drawn criticism from fans, who questioned Quinn’s decision to attempt a touchdown on the final play of the half rather than settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 17-13. Quinn defended the call, stating, I don’t regret that call. Obviously any time someone’s injured you play the ‘what if’ game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me
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Regarding the roster, Quinn indicated that the team has not discussed bringing in another veteran quarterback to back up Mariota. Currently, seventh-round draft pick Athan Kaliakmanis serves as the primary backup.
In other injury news, the Commanders announced that Nick Cross was discharged from a hospital in Dallas after being evaluated for an internal injury and is returning to Washington.
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