Doctors Concerned With Commanders QB Jayden Daniels' Decision

The Washington Commanders are set to start Jayden Daniels for the first time since he suffered a left elbow dislocation right before halftime of the team's Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

At 1-3, the Commanders need their starting quarterback to help them stay in playoff contention as they host a 3-1 New York Giants team that has found a way to take the lead in the NFC East despite losing quarterback Jaxson Dart for at least the regular season due to a knee injury.

Daniels opted not to go with surgery during the season that might have helped the quarterback stay healthy for the long term.

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Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Daniels received an "overwhelming opinion" that he could play with the brace on his elbow. However, Schefter spoke to other doctors around the league who believe it's more of a situation of "when" Daniels will hurt his left elbow versus "if" that will happen while playing with the brace.

Some of the doctors, who have not examined the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, say Daniels is at a higher risk of suffering another dislocation.

"But there are doctors around the league who, despite not having examined Daniels, maintain that a player who dislocates his elbow twice -- as Daniels has over the past 11 months -- is at a higher risk suffering another dislocation, according to sources," Schefter wrote.

Daniels appears to be hoping he can play competently and injury-free until he can consider getting surgery in the offseason. Before then, Daniels has a few months of important football ahead of him. Immediately at the conclusion of the regular season, Daniels is eligible to negotiate for a contract extension.

How much the future contract negotiations played into Daniels' decision to play with a brace is unclear. Regardless, he took a risk to play with his teammates and bet on himself to help the Commanders win.

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