Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a left elbow dislocation with no fracture, coach Dan Quinn confirmed after the game. Quinn said he would provide an update on Daniels’ injury after imaging of the arm on Monday.

The injury occurred on the final play before halftime. Daniels was stepped on & lost his footing after left guard Chris Paul stepped on him, braced himself with his left arm, and dislocated his elbow in the process. The Commanders had opted not to send out the field goal unit at the 1-yard line; instead, they went for a touchdown.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn stands by the call

Washington Commanders HC Dan Quinn confirmed he has no regrets about the final play of the first half.

“Looking back on it, looking back at it, at the 1-yard line, you know, we had touchdowns drawn up, so I don’t regret the call. Obviously, like anyone— any— like anytime someone’s injured, you play the what-if game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me. I hate that it happened. I don’t see it. You guys may have you guys may have— I haven’t seen it yet, but I wasn’t hesitant about going into that spot. I thought we’re going to be aggressive in this game. The outcome sucks, but it wasn’t a what-if, I wish I had done something different,” Quinn said.

What Quinn’s stance tells us about this Washington Commanders coaching staff

It’s bold of Quinn to stand at the podium & stand by a decision that directly preceded his franchise quarterback’s injury. The play itself wasn’t designed to put Daniels in harm’s way. It was a freak sequence where contact from his own lineman caused the fall & the brace that dislocated the elbow. But the decision to go for it rather than take the field goal is what put Daniels on the field for that snap in the first place.

Quinn seems to operate under the assumption that everyone playing in the game accepts a certain level of risk & knows anything can happen on any play. That’s a defensible position in a vacuum. 

The optics, though, are rough. When your franchise quarterback walks away from a play with a dislocated elbow, “I don’t regret the call” will be dissected for days. Daniels’ return timeline will depend on what Monday’s imaging reveals & how the elbow responds to treatment.

Quinn’s willingness to be aggressive won’t change. That much is clear. Whether Washington can afford that aggressiveness without Daniels on the field is the question that matters now.