Star quarterback for the Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels left fans distraught after he dislocated his elbow during the Nov. 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
During the fourth quarter and in the red zone at Northwest Stadium, Daniels fell on his arm during a sack causing it to twist awkwardly and eventually dislocate. Some Commanders fans are more worried about how the rest of the season will look for Washington, while others are concerned for Daniels’s recovery process.
“I think it’s going to affect the team pretty badly just because he was like the glue of the team,” sophomore Mary Fadden said. “But I think once he gets back, hopefully they’ll be stronger than they were before.”
The Commanders started the season by trading away one of their best running backs, Brian Robinson Jr., and with the injuries of four other starting players, the Commanders have struggled to find their footing in their conference. Currently, the Commanders are ranked third out of four teams in the NFC east and ranked 14th in the NFC with a record of 3-7. Without their starting quarterback, most fans’ hopes are not high for the rest of the season.
“He was obviously the most impactful player on the team, so I could see them having an upcoming losing streak,” junior Kelly Roberts said. “I definitely think they are out of the playoffs.”
Experts believe that Daniels had the potential to lead the Commanders to the playoffs this year, as his accurate passing and his ability to run the ball himself make him a stand out star. His unique offensive abilities helped him lead the Commanders to the conference championship last year, the first appearance for the franchise since 1991, and was subsequently awarded with Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.
“Daniels is obviously a talented and well known player,” junior Noah Morgenstern said. “Especially for how young he is.”
It is uncertain if Daniels will be able to return to play the remainder of the season, and his earliest possible return time would be during Week 13 with five weeks left of the regular season. With the severity of Daniels’s injury, there is a huge possibility that when he comes back to the field he is a completely different player, which is a big concern for Commanders fans.
“I think Jayden isn’t going to be able to be the same player he was before the injury, but I don’t think it will end his whole career,” Fadden said. “I guess it depends on his recovery time.”
Daniels’ injury and rookie year success is similar to that of former Commanders player Robert Griffin III, who had a career ending injury the season after being named “Offensive Rookie of the Year” in 2012.
“I don’t think Jayden is going to be completely wasted like RG3 was,” Morgenstern said. “But I don’t think he’s going to be able to play to his full potential if he does end up coming back to the commanders as their starting quarterback.”
Fans hope that Daniels will have a successful comeback and continue his promising football career, elevating the Commander’s success to new heights.
“The injury seems to be pretty serious, but he’s been a pretty good quarterback so far,” Roberts said. “I think he will bounce back in no time.”
