Jayden Daniels has suffered another cruel injury setback after the Washington Commanders dislocated his left elbow in the 37-20 defeat to NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys.
After a relatively healthy rookie season, Daniels has been no stranger to injury in the last 12 months and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner dislocated the same elbow in Week 9 last season before aggravating the issue on his return in Week 14.
The Commanders star had impressed in the first half at the AT&T Stadium when, on the final play of the second quarter, Daniels took the snap from under centre and got caught under the feet of Cowboys left guard Chris Paul.
Daniels landed awkwardly on his left elbow, pushing the joint out of place but still managing to get up and throw an incomplete pass.
He was subsequently withdrawn and Marcus Mariota was drafted in for the second half.
"X-ray showed no fracture,” said Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
"Man, we're bummed for him. I thought he was, like, really playing his (expletive) off. I was just disheartened for him. Like, I know what he's gone through.”
We've taken a look at how long Daniels could be sidelined for.
When is Jayden Daniels expected to return from injury?
While the Commanders will learn the full severity of Daniels' injury by Monday evening, it's expected his latest elbow issue will keep him sidelined for several weeks.
Daniels missed four matches last season when he first dislocated his elbow and a recurrence of the injury saw him miss the remainder of the season from Week 14 onwards.
Following the events of the previous campaign, the Commanders may pursue a more cautious approach with Daniels' return to action, but they're already on the back foot after starting the season with back-to-back losses.
For a quarterback of his calibre, Daniels' latest setback will be a long-term concern for Washington.
