Dan Quinn Admits He Should Have Taken Out Jayden Daniels Before Devastating Injury

The Commanders' quarterback suffered a dislocated elbow in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's blowout loss to the Seahawks.

Dan Quinn admitted he should have taken Daniels out of Sunday night's game. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in his team's blowout loss to the Seahawks on Sunday night, and while X-rays luckily came back negative, he's expected to miss some time—pending results of an MRI.

Despite trailing 38–7 with just over seven minutes to go, Washington opted to not only keep their franchise quarterback in the game, but also call an option play near the goal line. Daniels pulled the ball and attempted to escape a Seattle defender before landing awkwardly on his left arm. He was helped off the field by trainers—his elbow immobilized—and did not return to the contest.

Immediately following the loss, coach Dan Quinn told reporters that despite being down 31 points, he did not consider taking Daniels out of the game. On Monday afternoon, however, he admitted that he should have.

"I know many of you have been asking about the thought process of Jayden being in the game in that situation," Quinn explained. "And I get that. I've been thinking about it, honestly, nonstop too. For me, the answer is: I missed it."

#Commanders HC Dan Quinn opened his press conference by saying he messed up by keeping QB Jayden Daniels in the game last night down by 31.

"I've been thinking about it non-stop. I missed it." pic.twitter.com/mfeDjHWq1O

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 3, 2025

Fans and media alike questioned Quinn’s decision in real time, and it proved to be an unfortunate mistake—one that the coach is clearly pretty broken up about.

Why You Shouldn’t Blame Dan Quinn or Jayden Daniels for the QB’s Gruesome Injury. light. Next. daniels

Dan Quinn explains why he chose to keep Jayden Daniels in during blowout loss to Seahawks

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow on Sunday night. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

While admitting his decision was the wrong one, Quinn explained his thought process at his Monday presser, detailing why he chose to keep Daniels in the game at that point.

"At the start of the fourth quarter, I guess there was like 12:30 left in the game, and that was gonna be the last drive of the game for a couple of the guys—Jayden, and Zach [Ertz], and Deebo [Samuel]," he explained. " ... We weren't gonna have any read-run plays, meaning no carries for the quarterback on a run. And honestly, man, that's where I missed it. Of course he can scramble, it's Jayden, it's what he's special at. And that is 100%, that's on me."

Now sitting at 3–6 to begin the 2025 campaign, the Commanders are likely turn to backup Marcus Mariota, rather than looking at the free agent or trade market for another starter. They're set to take on the Lions next Sunday, Nov. 9 for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

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