Daniels Delays Elbow Surgery Until After Season: Schefter — SkimNews
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- Commanders GM Adam Peters told 106.7 The Fan last Friday that Jayden Daniels would not be placed on injured reserve after dislocating his left elbow again vs. Dallas and would avoid surgery, with an expected return in about three weeks.
- ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on his podcast that Daniels did not avoid surgery — he is putting it off so he can return to the lineup and try to save the season, with a procedure likely after the year.
- Daniels dislocated the same left elbow in last year's Week 9 loss to Seattle, missed three games, then aggravated it in Week 14 against Minnesota after being knocked down following an interception and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
- Daniels will wear a brace on his non-throwing arm, though a brace did not prevent last season's Week 14 reinjury.
- Two unnamed NFL team executives told The Athletic's Jonathan Jones they disagreed with Washington's choice — one said "If I'm the kid, I get the surgery," and another called early return "the riskiest outcome for a team that's on the fringe of making the playoffs."
- Backup Marcus Mariota went 3-6 as Washington's starter entering this stretch and went 1-0 in relief, throwing for 183 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks on Sunday.
- Washington plays the Indianapolis Colts in London this Sunday.
Why it matters: Washington is gambling Daniels' long-term arm health on a fringe playoff push: two rival executives publicly said they would not let their own quarterback make this choice, and the brace failed to prevent reinjury once already. With Mariota already proving capable of beating the defending champs, the team's calculus that the short-term gain outweighs the surgical risk is being contested by league insiders.
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