Coach Dan Quinn declines to provide an update after the quarterback undergoes an MRI exam on his dislocated left elbow.
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Washington Commanders Coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Jayden Daniels underwent an MRI exam to evaluate his dislocated left elbow but declined to elaborate on the quarterback’s timeline to return.
Asked whether the imaging revealed any structural damage, Quinn demurred and said Daniels will consult with specialists Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the full extent of the injury.
“I don’t think I’ll have an update for you until then,” Quinn said. “I’d rather defer and wait until they have an update. I want to make sure we get all the info right.”
The third-year starter was injured on the final play of the second quarter in the Commanders’ 37-20 loss at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. X-rays had already determined Daniels didn’t suffer any fractures, but the full severity couldn’t be determined until he underwent an MRI. The timeline for Daniels’s return will remain up in the air until he consults with the specialists.
“I’d be guessing to give you any [timeline],” Quinn said.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota replaced Daniels in the second half against Dallas, and Quinn said the veteran will start against the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis will serve as his backup. Quinn said the team hasn’t discussed bringing in additional quarterbacks.
Every injury heals differently — and it’s unknown whether Daniels’s dislocation was clean — but looking at the past provides a potential road map for Daniels’s return. He dislocated the same elbow last year against the Seahawks on Nov. 2. He didn’t suffer any fractures or ligament damage and was able to return against the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 7.
If Daniels misses a month this time, he’d sit out Washington’s games against the Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. The Commanders have a bye week in Week 7 before playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 1. That’s probably the earliest Daniels would return.
When Daniels returned from his dislocated elbow in 2025, he was wearing a brace to protect his arm. He landed awkwardly on that arm in his return against the Vikings and aggravated the injury. He missed the final four games of the season.
That could result in Washington being more conservative with Daniels, but that’ll probably depend on how he progresses — and how the team performs without him. If the team struggles, that may increase the urgency for Daniels to come back. If they’re able to stay afloat, that could buy him more time.
Asked whether he’ll be more cautious with Daniels this time, Quinn said he didn’t have an answer. He later added that there wasn’t any indication that Daniels was more susceptible to dislocating his left elbow than anyone else.
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“He really put on more armor this year and worked hard in the offseason for that,” Quinn said. “He’s bigger. He’s stronger.”
Mariota started eight games in Daniels’s absence last season and completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran 50 times for 297 yards and a touchdown while fumbling six times. The Commanders went 2-6 in Mariota’s starts.
Despite those results, Quinn expressed his confidence in Mariota’s ability to guide the offense. The veteran has a strong understanding of offensive coordinator David Blough’s scheme and has established chemistry with his teammates. Plus, he played well in the second half against Dallas, completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
“There’s nobody easier to rally around than him,” Quinn said. “When you ask anybody on our team who some of our greatest leaders are, whether it’s on or off the field, Marcus is somebody that constantly comes up.”
Even if Mariota is able to keep up that level of performance, however, it’ll be difficult for the Commanders to win unless their defense is significantly better. Dallas overwhelmed defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’s unit while racking up 37 points.
“Collectively defensively, we didn’t make life hard enough on” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Quinn said. “Those are the things that kept me up at night, for sure, last night of wanting those parts to get exactly right. I didn’t love overall our unit — just the tenacity, the finishing of what I thought we would play like. We’ll certainly work hard to get that right.”
Quinn said safety Nick Cross was evaluated for an “internal injury” and had to be hospitalized overnight in Dallas. He was discharged Monday and traveled separately back to Virginia. Quinn declined to elaborate on the injury.
Left tackle Brandon Coleman (finger), right guard Sam Cosmi (concussion) and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (shoulder) also exited Sunday’s game because of injuries. Andrew Wylie replaced Coleman at left tackle, Matt Gulbin subbed for Cosmi at right guard and Charles Omenihu stepped in for Kinlaw at defensive tackle.
Quinn said “all signs look to” Coleman being good to go this week. He added that Kinlaw is expected to be limited in practice and that Cosmi is undergoing the concussion protocol.
The statuses of tight end Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) and linebacker Frankie Luvu (groin) for Week 3 are unclear after they sat out the loss to Dallas. Ben Sinnott led the tight ends with 48 snaps Sunday in Okonkwo’s absence while Leo Chenal started in Luvu’s place.
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