Jayden Daniels left Week 2 in the final seconds before halftime with an arm injury and did not return after being carted off the field with a towel over his head. The Washington Commanders now have to plan around the possibility that their quarterback could miss time.
The injury came on a crucial third-down play just ahead of halftime, when Daniels was stepped on and then tried to brace his fall. His arm appeared to turn the wrong way, and it was the same elbow he dislocated in the 2025 season.
What makes the moment so alarming is how fast it changed the Commanders' outlook. Daniels remained down as the clock ran out, and the injury immediately raised the question of whether Washington can keep its offense intact if its starter is unavailable for more than one game.
The Commanders do have options for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, with three quarterbacks available. Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round rookie from Rutgers, is the emergency third-string quarterback and can enter only if both Daniels and Mariota are hurt. Sam Hartman is on the practice squad, and the Commanders could elevate him in future weeks if Daniels misses time.
That depth chart offers a short-term answer, but not a comfortable one. Hartman has spent three seasons in Washington since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2024, and he has never attempted a regular-season pass. If Daniels is sidelined, the Commanders will be forced to lean on cover they would rather not use this early in the 2025 season.
For Daniels, the immediate concern is not the cart ride or the towel over his head. It is whether the elbow injury is another setback to the same arm that already cost him time, and whether Washington has to move from waiting on good news to preparing for an extended absence.
