Dan Quinn is coming to terms with his decision to keep Jayden Daniels on the field in the waning minutes of Sunday night's 38-14 loss to the Seahawks, which led to Washington's star quarterback suffering a dislocated left elbow.
"I've been thinking about it nonstop too and, man, I missed it," Quinn told reporters on Monday. "That is 100% on me."
Daniels suffered the injury with a little less than eight minutes remaining as the Commanders trailed, 38-7. Seahawks defender Drake Thomas slung Daniels to the ground for a sack and the QB's left arm gruesomely bent back as he braced for his fall.
It led to a frightening scene as Daniels lay on the field writhing in pain in front of a home crowd, a moment that has yet to exit Quinn's mind.
Questions of why Washington's brightest star was even in the game were seemingly abound as the 24-year-old walked off the field with his left arm in an air cast. Following Sunday night's loss, Quinn said there wasn't a conversation about pulling Daniels from the blowout loss, but understood then that it would have made sense in "hindsight."
One sleep later, Quinn was in front of reporters voicing his regret of not taking Daniels out of the game after the Commanders' previous drive.
Quinn confirmed Daniels' injury diagnosis but had no timetable for the star quarterback's recovery.
"It'll knock him out for a while," Quinn added.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Daniels is expected to miss several games.
Daniels' injury wasn't the only blow for Washington on Sunday night. Quinn also confirmed on Monday that cornerback Marshon Lattimore tore his ACL and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone, which could also end up being a season-ending injury.
Quinn's second season in Washington is quickly slipping away as the Commanders sit at 3-6. Daniels' dislocated elbow is the third injury in 2025 that will force the QB to miss time, and it's one his head coach feels could have been easily prevented.
