The Washington Commanders received some much-needed positive news about their star quarterback on Friday but they shouldn't start planning his imminent return.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapaport, Jayden Daniels' dislocated left elbow will not require surgery as no damage was discovered to any ligaments. That's fantastic news but the caveat all Commanders should be upset with is that Daniels won't be immediately placed on injured reserve.
ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the Commanders will reevaluate Daniels' condition during the team's bye in two weeks. So, there is at least some semblance of a guarantee Daniels won't see the field until Nov. 30 against the Denver Broncos in Week 13 at the earliest.
Commanders should shut Jayden Daniels down for the season
If there's anything Washington should have engrained in franchise memory it's the mistakes made with former star QB Robert Griffin III. He was rushed back from a knee injury for the 2013 playoffs and ended up suffering a much more serious injury that ultimately set his career up to go in a much more suboptimal direction.
Daniels' injury may be to his non-throwing arm but it's still going to affect how he plays the game if he's not back to 100 percent. He won't be able to take tackles as well as he used to (not that he should've been taking them as hard and as much as he did) and that will affect how he utilizes his scrambling abilities.
Ultimately, any kind of return for Daniels' this season will alter the team's offensive scheme and likely be a net negative for the team's performance. The only reason to bring Daniels back at all this year would be to make some sort of run to the playoffs. At 3-6, that's not going to happen especially with the 24-year-old missing the next two games.
Head coach Dan Quinn made the mistake of playing Daniels down multiple scores against the Seattle Seahawks late in the fourth quarter on Monday Night Football. He should atone for that mistake by making the responsible decision to let his QB of the future heal up for next year. It's time to write off the season and ride out the remaining schedule with Marcus Mariota under center.