Commanders' Dan Quinn confirms Jayden Daniels surgery, injured reserve decision

During a Friday morning appearance on local sports radio station 106.7 The Fan, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters revealed that quarterback Jayden Daniels likely wouldn't undergo surgery to repair the dislocated left elbow Daniels suffered on Sept. 20. 

While speaking with reporters during his Friday afternoon news conference, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the Daniels news. 

Jayden Daniels could return sooner than first thought 

As shared by Melissa Y. Kim of the "Locked On Commanders" podcast and other reporters, Quinn announced that Daniels will not be placed on injured reserve. While backup Marcus Mariota will start when the 0-2 Commanders host the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday, Daniels is considered week-to-week and, thus, could potentially travel to play against the Indianapolis Colts in London on Oct. 4. 

Daniels went down on the last play of the first half of Washington's 37-20 Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Mariota replaced him that afternoon and completed 11-of-16 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. 

Of course, there is a concern that Daniels could re-injure the elbow. He dislocated the same elbow last season, and he was ultimately limited to just seven total starts before he was shut down after he aggravated the injury. 

How the Commanders, Jayden Daniels came to this decision

"Daniels traveled to New York and Los Angeles this week and met with multiple specialists in both places, leading to his and the team's decision to go forward with the plan to forgo surgery and bring Daniels back in the coming weeks," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared via X (formerly known as Twitter).

Breer mentioned that Daniels will wear a brace over the elbow during future games. Interestingly, Breer also said that the Commanders "will have to make a decision soon on whether or not to bring Daniels with them" for the London game because "they actually leave Tuesday night." One would think such a timeline would mean that Mariota will start against the Colts and that Daniels will try to get as right as possible for Washington's Week 5 home game against the rival New York Giants on Oct. 11. 

That said, Quinn likely won't give an update on Daniels' status for the London game until Monday at the earliest.