Jayden Daniels’ dislocated elbow was a gruesome end to a harrowing evening at the office in Week 9. The Washington Commanders quarterback has dealt with troubling injuries this season, and questions about in the media.
It’s way too early to make assumptions one way or the other. Daniels isn’t the only player who’s been bitten by the injury bug this season, but he is the most important by a considerable margin. The Commanders haven’t placed him on injured reserve after an MRI revealed no ligament damage, but one team insider remained pessimistic about his chances of featuring again in 2025.
Washington is allowing Daniels to prove his health. Much will also depend on how the Commanders perform in his absence. If their losing run continues, debates are already raging about whether there would be any point in getting the former LSU phenom involved.
Commanders insider John Keim still doesn’t think Jayden Daniels will play again in 2025
John Keim from ESPN weighed in on the subject. The long-time team insider acknowledged that Daniels represented Washington’s best chance of getting back into the fight this season. And unless the Commanders are somehow in the playoff race down the stretch, it seems unlikely that the dynamic signal-caller will feature again.
“Washington’s best hope for second-half success rested on [Jayden] Daniels’ ability combined with the (hoped for) return of [Terry] McLaurin and [Noah] Brown, adding juice to the passing attack. It’s hard to imagine Daniels playing again this season, barring a massive turnaround that puts the Commanders in playoff contention. Marcus Mariota will start in Daniels’ place with Josh Johnson now the No. 2 quarterback.”
John Keim
Some fans might not want to admit it, and the Commanders aren’t ruling anything out right now. However, there will come a time when realization must hit this organization and its long-suffering fans. This bears more significance if Washington cannot get out of its current slump.
While Daniels is a competitive guy, he needs saving from himself. He’s already dealt with a knee sprain, low-grade hamstring tear, and dislocated elbow this season. Sometimes, it’s just not your year, and that seems to be the case with Washington and its franchise player in 2025.
Quitting while you’re behind and cutting your losses amid a lost campaign represents a distinct possibility. The Commanders are going nowhere fast, and more failures in the coming weeks will make their approach with Daniels relatively straightforward.
Daniels won’t like it. Some fans won’t either. But this is the unfortunate situation that the Commanders find themselves in during a campaign that promised much but has delivered almost nothing.
