Jayden Daniels exited Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants late in the third quarter after taking a big hit on a scramble, and Washington is bracing for the possibility that its franchise quarterback could miss time with a shoulder injury.
Daniels landed hard on his throwing shoulder after being tackled out of bounds. He walked to the sideline under his own power, was evaluated in the medical tent, and did not return to the game. Backup Marcus Mariota finished the loss, going 6 of 11 for 54 yards.
Head coach Dan Quinn said after the game that Daniels would undergo an MRI on Monday. Early word from the sideline was that the injury was to the AC joint and that the team was cautiously optimistic it was not a significant tear.
The Commanders won 12 games last year in Daniels’ Rookie of the Year season, and expectations in Washington are the highest they have been in more than two decades. Any missed time for Daniels could unravel a season that so many people have circled as a breakout year for the franchise.
Daniels struggled Sunday before the injury. He was 14 of 24 for 156 yards with an interception and had been sacked four times. The Giants’ revamped front seven, led by rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter, controlled the game.
Carter finished with 2.5 sacks and looked like a defensive rookie of the year candidate. The 2025 first-round pick spent his rookie year in a rotational role and has clearly earned every rep he was given this offseason.
The Commanders are lucky that Mariota is on the roster. He is 32 years old, has plenty of experience, and knows offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s system. If Daniels misses a week or two, Mariota can keep the offense functional against most defenses.
The bigger concern is a return to running. Daniels averaged nearly six carries per game as a rookie, and much of his production came on designed quarterback runs. If the shoulder limits his ability to protect himself or take contact, the Commanders will have to adjust their playbook.
The full update should come Monday afternoon. In the meantime, Washington fans should not expect a definitive answer. Head coaches love keeping injury information as private as possible, and the Giants film crew is not the target audience for any Monday press conference.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
