Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Kurt Warner is clarifying his comments about Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels after his comparison between Daniels’ latest elbow injury and the one Warner played through in 2007 sparked criticism.
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Warner originally explained on NFL Live that he had suffered a dislocated left elbow while playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2007 and returned the following week with a brace. He then compared that experience with Daniels’ current situation and said Daniels could potentially do the same because the injury is to his non-throwing arm.
“I’m not telling anybody, ‘Hey, you need to go out and play. You’re not tough if you don’t go out and play. That’s not what I said at all. Those weren’t the words that I used, so don’t try to put those words into my mouth,” Warner addressed on his Instagram.
Warner’s original comparison came after Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow during Washington’s Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The injury occurred when Daniels tried to brace himself after being tripped, and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that initial X-rays showed no fracture. Further testing was needed to determine the extent of the injury.
The situation is more significant because Daniels has now dislocated the same left elbow in consecutive seasons. He missed three games after the first injury last year and later aggravated it after returning.
The Commanders turned to veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota after Daniels was forced to leave the game, and Mariota took over for the remainder of the loss to Dallas. Quinn said the team would support Mariota while Daniels works his way back.
“Man, are we bummed for him. I thought he was really playing his ass off. And we will rally so hard around Marcus until Jayden’s back,” Quinn said.
The Commanders subsequently gathered more medical information, with Daniels speaking to multiple specialists about the injury. Washington announced that Mariota would start against the Seattle Seahawks while the team continued evaluating Daniels’ condition.
Warner’s comparison came from a very specific experience. In Week 6 of the 2007 season, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback injured his left elbow after being sacked by Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers. An MRI revealed a torn ligament, but Warner did not need surgery and returned the following week against Washington wearing a large brace. He also had to adjust how he handed off the football because of the injury.
“No, my situation is not Jaden Daniels’ exact situation. He’s a younger guy; he’s a more mobile guy. There’s lots of things to consider,” Warner said.
Warner explained that his intention was to give viewers perspective based on an injury he had personally experienced. He said part of an analyst’s job is to explain what players might face in situations that fans have never experienced themselves. Warner also described the questions he considered when deciding whether he could play after an injury, including whether he could still perform effectively and whether returning could make the injury worse.
Quinn’s later updates showed that Washington was taking that medical decision one step at a time. On Friday, the Commanders announced that Daniels would not be placed on injured reserve and would instead be considered week-to-week. Quinn said the team wanted to wait for all the available information before determining the next steps.
“Like most things, when you want to wait it out, you go through the ‘what-ifs’ in your head,” Quinn said. “And sometimes, those are worse than the actual news. But you just wait to get all the information you can.”
The Commanders now face a crucial stretch against Seattle, Indianapolis, and the New York Giants before their Week 7 bye, giving the Commanders several games to navigate while Daniels works toward a return.