Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is under increasing scrutiny following the injury of star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who dislocated his elbow late in a 38–14 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
Daniels sustained the injury during a scramble to his right from the Seahawks” 4-yard line, where his left elbow bent awkwardly upon being tackled. The dislocation will sideline the rookie for an extended period, as confirmed by Quinn. During his Monday press conference, Quinn reflected on the situation, stating that, in retrospect, Daniels should not have been in the game at that moment. “Honestly, man, that”s where I missed it,” Quinn admitted. “Of course, he could scramble — it”s Jayden. It”s what he”s special at. And that”s 100 percent on me.”
However, former NFL safety Nick Ferg questioned whether the criticism directed at Quinn was warranted or simply an overreaction. In a video analysis of the play, Ferg defended Quinn”s decision to keep Daniels in the game late in the fourth quarter. “The score is 38–7 in the fourth quarter, with seven minutes and 39 seconds left. The Commanders are right there on the five-yard line getting ready to score,” he noted. “No one was saying anything about why Jayden Daniels was still in the game — not the commentators, not the fans. But as soon as he got hurt, suddenly it”s Dan Quinn“s fault.”
Ferg pointed out that Daniels was not the only quarterback in the league to face similar situations this season. He cited instances where other starting quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen, Jared Goff, and Caleb Williams, were still playing deep into blowout games without facing backlash. “If we”re going to make a stink about one, we should be talking about all of them,” he said.
He further elaborated on the challenging position coaches like Quinn find themselves in: if they remove a young quarterback too early, they risk being accused of giving up; if they leave him in too long, they face blame for any resulting injuries. “If Dan Quinn had taken Daniels out, people would”ve said he gave up,” Ferg added. “If he leaves him in and something happens, it”s his fault. That”s the double standard in sports.”
Statistics reveal that Daniels faced pressure on a career-high 51 percent of his dropbacks during the game, with 61 percent in the second half. He endured 14 hits, the second-most he has experienced this season, following a previous game where he was hit 17 times. This season has seen Daniels struggle with injuries, including a sprained knee from an earlier game.
Quinn stated that the drive leading to Daniels” injury was intended to be the final series for him and several starters, and that the offensive plan did not call for designed quarterback runs. However, Daniels” scramble occurred on a broken play, a scenario Quinn had hoped to avoid. “The hindsight part is the hardest one,” Quinn said. “That”s what I think about all night and nonstop.”
After the game, an X-ray revealed no fracture in Daniels” elbow. With Daniels sidelined, Washington will turn to veteran Marcus Mariota as the starting quarterback, with Josh Johnson serving as the backup. Quinn noted that the team currently has no plans to sign an additional quarterback.
