Commanders Keep Jayden Daniels Off IR as Elbow Recovery Stays Week-to-Week
The short version
- Jayden Daniels injured his left elbow Sept. 20 vs. Dallas; X-rays showed no fracture.
- Daniels sits out Week 3 against Seattle and is listed week-to-week; no surgery is planned and he was not placed on injured reserve.
- Kurt Warner had a similar 2007 left elbow injury with Arizona and played the next week in a brace.
- Daniels dislocated the same elbow against Seattle in 2025 and later aggravated it that season.
- No return date has been confirmed.
Washington will sit its quarterback against Seattle but avoided surgery and a long-term roster move after his latest left elbow injury.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels hurt his left elbow again in Week 2, reopening a concern the team dealt with during the previous season. The play occurred Sept. 20 against Dallas, when an awkward fall forced Daniels to catch himself with his left arm. X-rays taken right after the injury revealed no break.
The outlook improved on Friday. After specialists reviewed the elbow, the organization opted against an operation and declined to use injured reserve, a designation that NFL rules tie to a minimum absence of four games. By staying on the active roster, Daniels retains the ability to come back as soon as his health allows. He will not, however, suit up for the Week 3 matchup with Seattle, and the team describes his status as week-to-week.
A prominent former player has weighed in on the situation. Kurt Warner, a Super Bowl MVP, went through a similar health scare in 2007 while with the Arizona Cardinals, hurting his left elbow and then taking the field the following weekend against Washington with a brace protecting the joint.
Speaking on ESPN, Warner recalled the episode directly: "I suffered the exact same injury back in '07, and I played the next week." He noted that because the damage was to his non-throwing arm, his passing mechanics were unaffected. The elbow did, however, alter how he executed handoffs and navigated the pocket on certain plays.
There are reasons to temper any comparison between the two quarterbacks. Warner's account does not establish that the diagnoses match or that the two players would heal on the same schedule, and he conceded as much. That caveat carries weight because this is not Daniels' first issue with the elbow. He dislocated it in a 2025 game versus Seattle, sat out some time, came back wearing a brace, and later reinflamed the problem during that same campaign.
One point in Daniels' favor is that he throws right-handed, so the damaged elbow is not on his passing arm. The complication is his style of play. Daniels leans on scrambles and designed runs far more than a classic drop-back passer, which could make managing this injury trickier than it was for Warner.
For now, Washington supporters have grounds for cautious optimism but nothing definite. No date has been set for the quarterback's return, and nothing in the available information indicates he will be back for the following week's game. What is established is that the injury has not led to surgery or compelled the franchise into a decision with long-term consequences.
Warner's history demonstrates that a quick turnaround from a left elbow problem is achievable for a quarterback. Whether Daniels follows that path is uncertain, since the joint has already been through repeated trauma earlier in his career.
Washington hosts Seattle in Week 3 on Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM EDT at Northwest Stadium, with the broadcast available on FOX.
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