Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels received positive news after meeting with specialists. Daniels — who sustained a dislocated left elbow in Week 2 — should be back in three weeks or sooner, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Daniels will reportedly play with a brace on his elbow once he’s back.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters implied Daniels’ issue wasn’t as serious as initially feared Friday, saying surgery was not on the table for Daniels. Peters added that the team had not discussed putting Daniels on injured reserve, which would have resulted in Daniels missing at least four games.
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The injury is extremely similar to the one Daniels suffered in Week 9 of last season, when he sustained a dislocated non-throwing elbow. Daniels missed four weeks — though only three games — due to that injury. He did, however, immediately re-injure himself in his first game back.
Despite those concerns, the update is a mostly positive one for Daniels, who looked to be in serious pain during the team’s Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. With the Commanders trying to score before halftime, Daniels tripped on his offensive lineman’s foot during a backpedal after taking a snap. In an attempt to stop himself from hitting the ground, Daniels reached out his left arm, which then bent the wrong way at the elbow when it pushed off the ground. The image caused Fox analyst Tom Brady to utter “oh s***” while on the broadcast.
Daniels’ teammates received plenty of criticism for the way they handled the moment. As Daniels lay on the field in pain, one video showed all his teammates walked away to head into the tunnel for halftime. In that video, the only player that came out to talk to Daniels was backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. Some interpreted those reactions as a bad sign for the team’s chemistry.
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But that turned out to be a misinterpretation of events. Daniels’ teammates did gather around the quarterback after the injury before head coach Dan Quinn told them to head to the locker room.
On the off chance you needed more evidence that the Commanders don’t hate Daniels, the quarterback reportedly received cheers and a standing ovation from some in the locker room upon telling the team he would only miss a few weeks, per ESPN’s John Keim.
Until then, Mariota will once again step in as the team’s starter. The veteran performed admirably as a starter last season, though the Commanders went just 2-6 in his starts.
This time around, the team is hoping Mariota can keep the seat warm for just a few games before Daniels is able to return. And once he’s back, Daniels will need to hope he can avoid re-injuring his left elbow and getting back to the form he showed as a rookie, when the led the Commanders to a surprising playoff berth.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
