The Washington Commanders are getting their franchise quarterback back. Jayden Daniels, who has missed the past two games with a dislocated elbow on his non-throwing arm, was a full participant in practice this week and is expected to start Sunday at home against the New York Giants without restrictions.
Offensive coordinator David Blough told reporters that Daniels will be a “full go” against New York and will not be held back in his return. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the plan, saying the goal was for Daniels to complete a full week of practice and start on Sunday barring any setback, and stressing that the team would not put him on the field before he was ready.
Daniels injured his left elbow on the final play of the first half in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. He traveled with the team to London last week for its game against the Indianapolis Colts but was limited in every practice and did not play. While he was out, backup Marcus Mariota suffered a sprained knee against Indianapolis, leaving rookie Athan Kaliakmanis to finish that game and thinning Washington’s margin for error at the position.
The quarterback consulted specialists after reinjuring the elbow — an injury that has now troubled him in three of the last four games he has played — and chose against season-ending surgery. Instead, he will wear a brace on the elbow for the remainder of the season, a concession he acknowledged with a shrug this week, saying he intends to embrace the brace and be the best version of himself on Sunday.
The return comes with obvious tension. Daniels, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, was limited to seven games last season by injuries, including the same dislocated elbow, and Washington went 5-12. This season he has completed 29 of 51 passes for three touchdowns with no turnovers in roughly six quarters of action. The Commanders are 1-3 and already 0-2 within the NFC East, and Quinn said the team’s place in the playoff race did not factor into the medical timeline.
The matchup adds another layer. Daniels is 3-0 in his career against the Giants, who arrive at 3-1 and in first place in the division. New York’s defense is expected to test a quarterback playing with a braced arm through pressure and disguised coverages, trying to force hurried decisions. Washington’s counter, beyond Daniels’ mobility, is sequencing: quick completions early, favorable matchups, and enough of a running threat to keep the pass rush honest.
Coaches around the team have cautioned against solving the protection problem by turning one of the league’s most dangerous running quarterbacks into a stationary passer. The balance Washington wants is narrower: fewer designed collisions, the same improvisational threat. Whether a braced elbow allows that balance will be the story of Sunday — and, given the calendar, possibly the story of the Commanders’ season.
There is also the matter of what Washington’s offense looked like without him. In the loss to Indianapolis in London, the Commanders cycled through an injured Mariota and a rookie making his first appearance, and the vertical passing game that Daniels unlocks largely disappeared. Coaches pointed to missed downfield chances in that game as fixable with better quarterback play rather than better play-calling. Daniels’ return restores the full menu — but his history argues for restraint. He has now hurt the same elbow in three of his last four appearances, and a third recurrence would almost certainly end the season the specialists helped him postpone. Sunday’s game will be played, inevitably, one hit at a time.
