Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Urged to Make Hard Change After Injury

It's the second straight season in which Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels suffers an injury. In the 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys , Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow on the final play of the first half.

The Commanders star misstepped after taking the snap under center, bracing himself with his left arm before hitting the turf in obvious pain as his pass fell incomplete.

With another injury that will likely keep him out, CBS Sports' Ran Carthon believes Daniels is at a crossroads in his career and needs to focus on getting stronger to better withstand the physical demands of his playing style, or he risks continuing to suffer injuries.

"If you go back and listen to a lot of the drafting, people were like, at that size, I don't know if he's going to be able to hold up," Carthon said on Sept. 20 on "CBS Sports HQ." "Because he runs around, he uses his legs, which he did a good job of today, extending drives for [the Commanders].

"But both of those are non-contact or at least the one [against the Cowboys] where you just put it down, and this is where, hopefully, after this injury, because it looked pretty gruesome from our vantage point.

"This is where Jayden now has to take a step back and say, 'Hey, let me work on my body. Let me work on my body [and] let me bulk up. Let me get stronger.' Because the way he plays the game, he's always going to use that offhand to break his fall."

Jayden Daniels Told to Get Stronger After Latest Injury

Carthon continued to raise the question of whether Daniels can withstand the physical demands of playing quarterback while also being a threat as a runner.

"If you've now got to run the risk every time you're putting your hand down that your elbow is going to snap, that's going to play mentally in his head, but he's got to develop his body," Carthon added. "He's got to get stronger. He's got to add more weight on so he can withstand these types of things."

Commanders Give Jayden Daniels Update After Loss to Cowboys

Meanwhile, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters X-rays did not show a fracture, but Daniels will travel back home with the team and undergo more imaging on Sept. 21.

"Once I know an update that we can move forward with, then I'll give you that," Quinn told reporters postgame (h/t NFL.com ). "Man, are we bummed for him. He was really playing his ass off. We will rally so hard around Marcus [ Mariota ] until Jayden's back. That's what we talked about as a team."

Before his injury, Daniels was 11 of 17 for 96 yards with a touchdown and also had 69 yards rushing on seven attempts, so once again his absence will be felt. Marcus Mariota started the second half for the Commanders in place of the injured Daniels, and Quinn mentioned that the veteran quarterback will take over under center for as long as Daniels is out.