Jayden Daniels, the Commanders’ dynamic young quarterback, just got some seriously good news after his Week 2 elbow scare, and honestly, the entire league probably let out a collective sigh of relief, too. After what looked like a season-ending horror show, it turns out Daniels should be back on the field in just three weeks, possibly even sooner, according to Ian Rapoport. This ain’t no four-game IR stint, folks, and that’s huge after how gnarly that injury looked.
The Scare That Had Everyone Holding Their Breath
Remember that moment in the Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys? Daniels was trying to make a play before halftime, backpedaling after the snap, and just tripped over his offensive lineman’s foot. We’ve all seen those plays, but this one ended with him reaching out his left arm to brace his fall, and man, that elbow just bent the wrong way when it pushed off the ground. The image was brutal, so brutal that Fox analyst Tom Brady, watching from the booth, couldn’t help but utter, “oh s***.” That’s how you know it was serious. Initial fears were flying around like crazy, but Commanders GM Adam Peters quickly squashed the worst of them, confirming surgery wasn’t even on the table and there’s been zero talk about putting Daniels on injured reserve. That’s a bullet dodged, big time.
Chemistry Questions and Mariota’s Big Moment
Now, for a hot minute, there was some serious drama surrounding how Daniels’ teammates reacted to the injury. A video made the rounds showing most of his squad walking to the tunnel for halftime while Daniels was still on the turf. Only backup quarterback Marcus Mariota seemed to stop and talk to him. Naturally, everyone, including us, started wondering if the locker room chemistry was totally shot. But hold on a second. It turns out that was a total misread of the situation. Daniels’ teammates *did* gather around him after the injury, but Head Coach Dan Quinn wisely told them to head to the locker room. And just to put any lingering doubts to rest, Daniels reportedly received cheers and a standing ovation from some of his teammates in the locker room when he told them he’d only miss a few weeks, per ESPN’s John Keim. That’s the kind of support you want to see!
So, with Daniels on the mend, it’s Mariota’s turn to step up once again. The veteran performed admirably as a starter last season, but let’s be real, the Commanders only went 2-6 in those starts. The hope is he can just keep the ship steady for a couple of games before Daniels makes his return, brace and all. When Daniels does get back out there, he’ll need to prove he can avoid re-injuring that left elbow and get back to the rookie form that had everyone buzzing. The Commanders need him back, playing smart and safe, and leading the way. The next few weeks are critical, and we’ll be watching every snap Mariota takes, hoping he keeps the team in striking distance until their QB1 is ready to rock.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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