Jayden Daniels wasn’t taken down by a hard hit.
There wasn’t a huge collision.
There wasn’t even a defender making the play.
Instead, the Washington Commanders quarterback suffered a dislocated left elbow after an awkward sequence near the Dallas Cowboys’ goal line — and the fact that it happened to the same elbow he injured last season makes the entire situation even more concerning.
So, how exactly did Jayden Daniels hurt his elbow?
It happened on the final play of the first half during Washington’s 37–20 loss to Dallas on Sunday.
The Commanders had the ball at the Cowboys’ 1-yard line with three seconds remaining. Daniels took the snap under center and was looking to make something happen before halftime.
Then everything went wrong.
According to reports, Washington left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels’ foot as he moved away from the center. Daniels lost his balance, reached out with his left arm to brace himself, and his elbow buckled awkwardly as he went down.
He still managed to get the pass away, but it fell incomplete.
Daniels immediately stayed on the ground in pain.
He eventually got up and started toward the sideline before going back down. Medical staff came onto the field, and Daniels was later taken to the locker room on a cart.
The Commanders later confirmed the diagnosis: a dislocated left elbow.
The initial X-rays reportedly showed no fracture, but Daniels was scheduled for additional testing to determine the full extent of the injury.
And that’s where this story gets much bigger.
This Wasn’t Just Any Elbow Injury
The biggest detail isn’t even that Daniels dislocated his elbow.
It’s which elbow.
It’s the same left elbow that caused him major problems during the 2025 season.
Daniels originally dislocated that elbow against the Seattle Seahawks on November 2, 2025. That injury forced him to miss several games, and when he eventually returned, he aggravated the same elbow again against Minnesota.
He ended up playing only seven games in 2025 after also dealing with knee and hamstring problems.
Now, less than a year later, the same elbow has been dislocated again.
And the similarity between the two injuries is remarkable.
Last season, Daniels injured the elbow when he used his left arm to brace himself during a fall.
Sunday?
Almost the exact same thing happened.
He lost his balance, tried to brace his fall with the left arm and the elbow buckled.
That doesn’t mean the two injuries are medically identical, and the final diagnosis could still change once further testing is completed.
But from a football perspective, the repetition is impossible to ignore.
Daniels Was Actually Playing Well Before the Injury
There’s another reason this one hurts Washington so much.
Daniels wasn’t having a terrible game.
He was actually giving Dallas problems.
Before leaving, Daniels completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
He also rushed seven times for 69 yards.
That rushing production is especially important because Daniels’ ability to create plays with his legs is one of the biggest differences between him and a traditional pocket quarterback.
Washington was trying to keep the game close.
The Cowboys led 17–10 at halftime.
Then Daniels was gone.
Marcus Mariota took over for the second half, and Washington eventually lost 37–20.
That doesn’t mean the entire loss can be blamed on Daniels leaving. Dallas played well, Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes, and the Cowboys controlled the game.
But Daniels’ injury completely changed the equation.
Daniels vs. Mariota: The Commanders Lose Something Different
This is where the quarterback comparison becomes important.
Marcus Mariota is an experienced NFL quarterback and is capable of making plays with his arm and legs.
But he isn’t Jayden Daniels.
And that’s not an insult to Mariota.
It’s simply a difference in playing style.
Daniels can turn a broken play into a 20-yard run.
He can force a defense to account for the quarterback as a runner on every down.
He can escape pressure and create something that wasn’t there originally.
Mariota can provide mobility, but Washington’s offense doesn’t have the same explosive dynamic when Daniels isn’t on the field.
That’s why the Commanders may have to change their offensive approach if Daniels misses significant time.
They can’t simply replace one quarterback with another and expect everything to operate exactly the same.
The Bigger Question: How Long Will Daniels Be Out?
This is where we have to be careful.
Right now, the confirmed information is that Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow and initial X-rays showed no fracture.
Further testing was scheduled to determine the extent of the damage.
So predicting an exact return date would be premature.
There have already been outside medical opinions suggesting the injury could require a lengthy recovery, but those are not the same as an official diagnosis from the Commanders or Daniels’ medical team.
And that’s important.
Sports fans often see a replay and immediately assume the worst.
But the initial imaging not showing a fracture is at least one piece of information Washington can take some comfort from.
The bigger questions are whether there is ligament damage, how stable the elbow is and whether surgery becomes necessary.
Until those answers arrive, nobody outside the organization can responsibly give a definitive timeline.
My Prediction: Washington Has to Change Its Formula
Here’s where I think the Commanders’ season becomes really interesting.
If Daniels misses only a short stretch, Washington can potentially survive.
But if he’s out for an extended period, I don’t think the Commanders should try to make Mariota play like Daniels.
That’s the wrong strategy.
Washington should lean harder on its running game, shorten the field, protect Mariota and make its defense carry more responsibility.
The Commanders are already 0–2.
That means every game without Daniels becomes increasingly important.
If Mariota can keep the team around .500 while Daniels recovers, Washington could still have something to fight for when its starting quarterback returns.
But if the Commanders fall several games below .500, Daniels could eventually return to a season that has already slipped away.
That’s the biggest prediction I would make right now:
Washington’s season won’t necessarily be decided by how long Daniels is injured. It could be decided by how well the Commanders survive without him.
And Then There’s the Biggest Concern of All
There is one question Washington cannot avoid.
Why does the same elbow keep becoming a problem?
Again, that’s not something we can answer without medical information.
And it would be wrong to assume that Sunday’s injury happened because the elbow was already damaged.
This latest injury came from an awkward fall after Daniels’ foot was stepped on.
It was a freak sequence.
But the fact that it happened to the same elbow that previously caused him to miss significant time makes the situation more important.
Daniels was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and helped lead Washington all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
The Commanders believed they had their franchise quarterback.
Now they’re waiting to find out whether this latest setback is something Daniels can quickly overcome or another major interruption in his development.
SportsLoud Prediction
Jayden Daniels’ injury didn’t come from some spectacular NFL collision.
It came from one tiny mistake in a crowded goal-line situation.
Chris Paul stepped on his foot.
Daniels lost his balance.
He tried to brace himself.
And the same left elbow that caused problems last season was injured again.
That’s what makes this story so frustrating for Washington.
It wasn’t necessarily about Daniels taking unnecessary punishment or trying to make some reckless play.
It was simply an unfortunate sequence at the worst possible moment.
Now Washington has to wait for the medical results.
My prediction is that the Commanders will give Marcus Mariota the keys and try to keep the season alive, but the longer Daniels is unavailable, the more difficult that becomes.
And when Daniels eventually returns, there will be another question waiting for him:
Can he play his explosive style without putting himself in situations where another awkward fall could cost him even more time?
That’s the part of this story worth watching.
Because this isn’t simply about one injury.
It’s about whether Jayden Daniels can finally get a full season to show the NFL what he can really do.
