Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders have dodged a bullet.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters said, in a Friday morning interview with 106.7 The Fan, that “surgery isn’t on the table” and the team “hasn’t discussed” placing Daniels on injured reserve due to the dislocated left elbow he suffered in the team’s Week 2 loss on the road to the Dallas Cowboys.
Daniels is considered “week to week,” with the two sides shooting for a quick return to action, per ESPN. In the meantime, veteran Marcus Mariota will be Washington’s quarterback for its Week 3 home matchup against the Seattle Seahawks (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX). Undrafted free agent signing Athan Kaliakmanis will be the backup.
Daniels suffered the elbow injury on the last play of the first half last week, as he was trying to brace for his fall. The third-year quarterback was carted off the field.
Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game in his 2024 rookie season. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Daniels, the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, is coming off a 2025 campaign where he was limited to seven games due to knee, hamstring and elbow injuries, respectively. The elbow injury that Daniels had last season was also to his non-throwing one (left).
Through two games this year, Daniels has totaled 260 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, three passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 90.3 passer rating, while completing 56.9% of his passes.
As for the player who will be under center in Week 3, Mariota is in his third season with the Commanders and started eight games for them last season (2025).
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Over the eight starts and 11 appearances he made altogether in 2025, Mariota totaled 1,695 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 86.1 passer rating, while completing 61.2% of his passes. He also rushed for 297 yards and one touchdown. Last week, Mariota completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown in place of Daniels.
The Commanders are 0-2 this season, losing to both the Cowboys (37-20) and Philadelphia Eagles (24-22) on the road.
