Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels returned to the starting lineup on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
But Daniels was forced out of the game in the third quarter after another injury.
What Happened To Commanders QB Jayden Daniels?
Daniels threw an interception and was tackled, which led to him falling on his injured left elbow.
After the play, Daniels went to the sidelines and moved into the Commanders’ blue tent.
Not a sight the Commanders want to see: Jayden Daniels throws an interception and then gets pancaked onto his balky left elbow. pic.twitter.com/EutuSQR2gw
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 7, 2025
With Daniels out, Marcus Mariota has taken over the signal-caller duties for Washington at this time.
Perhaps the Commanders shouldn’t have brought Daniels back to play out the rest of the season. But that’s neither here nor there. The fact remains Mariota is in the game and seems likely to finish out the season at this point.
While Daniels is obviously better than Mariota, the 2015 No. 2 overall pick has proven to be one of the better backups in the league. Not only does he have high QB2 value on his own, but he can also help Terry McLaurin get there for fantasy purposes.
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There is nothing to do here for fantasy other than monitor Daniels’ status. The rest of the Commanders’ skill position players retain their value.
According to the PFSN NFL QB Impact metrics, Daniels has an impact score of 74.4 and grades out to a C. As for Mariota, his impact score is 77.0 and also grades out to a C. For the season, Daniels has completed 105 passes for 1,184 passing yards, eight touchdown passes, and two interceptions.
Daniels suffered a gruesome injury to his left elbow during a “Sunday Night Football” game, which led him to leave the game. He missed some time, and Mariota took over in his place. Since then, the backup quarterback has completed 120 passes for 1,359 yards, nine touchdown passes, and six interceptions.
Daniels had hoped to have a successful return this Sunday, but he’s now on the sidelines. Cameras caught Daniels walking up and down on the sidelines, yet there’s no indication that he’s going to be back leading the Commanders’ offense for head coach Dan Quinn anytime soon.
Now, Mariota is the man at the QB1 spot for the rest of Sunday’s game against the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
