Potential timeline revealed for return of Commanders' Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Potential timeline revealed for return of Commanders' Jayden Daniels

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Sep 21, 2026 2:13 PM ET

A dislocated elbow for an NFL quarterback is an extremely unlucky and weird injury to suffer. For the Washington Commanders, though, it's now happened to star quarterback Jayden Daniels twice in less than 12 months.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in Sunday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The injury came on the final play of the first half when Daniels tripped over an offensive lineman and put his arm out to brace his fall. Washington and Daniels dealt with this injury process last season, and the latest reports indicate the recovery process could be very similar.

Jayden Daniels is expected to miss around four weeks of action

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter joined "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday and reported that Daniels is still going through medical opinions, but he is not expected to have surgery on his elbow. According to Schefter, surgery would keep Daniels out of action until December, and that is not the route he wants to go.

Schefter revealed that the recovery timeline could be similar to last year when Daniels suffered his first dislocated elbow and was back after five weeks of recovery. A route of no surgery would likely mean Daniels wearing a brace on his arm for the remainder of the season.

Adam Schefter doesn’t think Jayden Daniels gets surgery right now. Says it could be the same timeline as last year. He could wear a brace and get surgery AFTER the season. Surgery right now would put him out until like December. #Commanders pic.twitter.com/Awt7K6Bckh
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorFB) September 21, 2026

Without surgery, Jayden Daniels would likely return in Week 8

If no surgery is indeed the route Daniels decides to go, and the timeline is the same as last season, he'd be back on the field in Week 8 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Washington's Week 7 bye week would give Daniels an extra week of recovery to make sure all is well with his progression and that he is 100 percent ready to play. It is worth noting that Daniels reaggravated his elbow injury in his return game last season. That could be a factor in the Commanders front office and coaching staff deciding when to put Daniels back on the field.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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