Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will not undergo surgery on his dislocated left elbow and is expected to return to the field within the next month, general manager Adam Peters said Friday.
Peters delivered the update during his weekly appearance on 1067 The Fan in Richmond, Virginia. “He met with doctors all over the country,” Peters said. “We got a lot of good opinions. As of right now, surgery is not on the table and we haven’t discussed IR.”
The announcement follows a tense week for the team after Daniels dislocated his elbow during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. He stumbled while pulling away from center, braced himself against the turf, and the elbow bent in a direction it was not meant to move. Doctors worked the joint back into place on the field, and subsequent X-rays showed no fracture, but Daniels was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Since then, Daniels has consulted with specialists across the country. Some of those medical opinions reportedly favored season-ending surgery, while others indicated he could continue playing this season with rest and treatment instead.
The decision means Daniels is likely to miss several games rather than the rest of the season. Peters did not specify an exact timetable, but the absence of any discussion around placing Daniels on injured reserve suggests the team expects him back sooner rather than later — likely within four games.
This is not the first time Daniels has dealt with an injury to the same elbow. He dislocated it last season against the Seattle Seahawks, avoided surgery at the time after tests showed no ligament damage, and later re-injured it upon returning to action, which ended his 2025 season.
With Daniels sidelined for now, veteran Marcus Mariota is set to start at quarterback for the Commanders, at least for this week.
