The Washington Commanders faced a concerning moment when their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, was carted off the field during halftime of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. The incident occurred following an apparent injury to his left elbow during the last play of the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Daniels appeared to hyperextend his left elbow after pulling away from the center and tripping. As he attempted to regain balance, he used his left arm for support, which resulted in an unnatural bending of the elbow.
Medical expert Dr. David Chao, known for his extensive experience as the head physician for the San Diego Chargers, and currently running the Sports Injury Central website, analyzed the footage of the incident. He described the injury as a clear dislocation of the left elbow, noting that subsequent dislocations can occur more easily if original ligament tears heal loosely.
This incident is particularly worrying for Daniels and the Commanders because he suffered a similar injury in 2025 against the Seattle Seahawks. In that case, Daniels dislocated his elbow during a Week 9 game on Nov. 2, 2025, but avoided surgery because an MRI found no fracture or ligament damage. He returned in Week 14, then aggravated the elbow again, leading to the decision to shut him down for the remainder of the 2025 season.
On Sunday, Daniels was replaced by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota for the rest of the game against the Cowboys. Daniels left the field with a towel covering his head, likely to hide his facial expression from the crowd.
As Daniels potentially faces an injury similar to last year, the Commanders are confronted with uncertain future implications and must consider the possibility of prioritizing his recovery over the short term.
For the Commanders, as the NFL season progresses in its early stages, losing their starting quarterback could be a critical hit to their performance.
Armando Salguero, a Senior NFL Writer for OutKick, provides further analysis on developments and repercussions across the NFL.