- 28 minutes ago
This decision could determine the Commanders' 2026 season outlook. Kevin Sheehan and viewers debate the critical decision facing Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders: Should Daniels undergo season-ending elbow surgery to ensure long-term stability, or wear a protective brace when he returns to play in the coming weeks?
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00:00If the choice is surgery now, which means he misses most of, if not the rest of the season,
00:11or wear a brace, should work, no guarantees though, back in a few weeks, maybe sooner,
00:22who knows, which of those two options would you prefer?
00:26I'm sure there's going to be a third or a fourth option thrown in, but I think right now those
00:31are the obvious options.
00:33Could there be a, oh, there's a small procedure we could do that would keep him out six to eight
00:38weeks
00:39and would really stabilize it, but really wouldn't be the full-fledged surgery?
00:43I don't know.
00:44I mean, our Dr. Harris Solomon, Dr. Harris Solomon, who's in orthopedic deals with elbows,
00:51who came on with us yesterday, said there's a lot that he doesn't know,
00:54like, you know, what's the severity of the ligament damage?
00:58Because he said, when you dislocate an elbow, there's pretty much always some ligament damage.
01:05What is the state of the boniness around the elbow dislocation?
01:11There's a lot there, but I think, you know, right now, keeping it simple, stupid,
01:17it's a choice of surgery, out for the year, let's just keep it simple, wear a brace back in a
01:25few weeks,
01:26which of those two options would you prefer, 301-230-0980?
01:33Part of me really just wants this young man to be healthy, and, like, this is an injury that has
01:46to be taken care of now,
01:48at least according to the doctors that have, from the outside looking in, have said,
01:53look, once it happens for a second time, and it was re-aggravated in the Minnesota game, not dislocated,
01:58but there's just a susceptibility to it, it's going to happen again, more likely than not.
02:03It may not even happen on a football field.
02:06You know, it could happen with him stumbling and reaching down to break a fall.
02:10I mean, it could happen anywhere, at any time.
02:12Maybe something has happened already that re-aggravated it at some point.
02:17Who knows?
02:18Part of me just wants to say, the long game is the right game.
02:24Like, you take care of this, this has been the major issue of the last year and two games this
02:33year.
02:34The other things were minor, the ribs, the knee, you know, in the Green Bay game,
02:42which did cost him two games, okay, it did, but this has been the major one,
02:48and let him come back without that being a concern for the rest of his career if it's handled surgically.
02:55Part of me says the long game is the correct game.
03:00But the part of me that wants this season to still be a season says,
03:08put the brace on, let's roll the dice a bit, and let's go try to play some football.
03:15And if it happens again, then the, you know, answer's obvious.
03:20If it doesn't happen again, maybe at the end of the season they can get it done then.
03:26I do understand that the risk, based on the doctor yesterday that was on the show,
03:31is that if you do it again, the surgery gets a little bit more complicated,
03:36the recovery gets a little bit more difficult,
03:38and the prognosis gets, you know, changes if it happens for a third time.
03:45You know, not to the point where he can't play football again.
03:48Nobody is suggesting that.
03:50But the long game is probably the right answer,
03:54given his age and limited part of his career here.
03:59You know, two seasons and two games.
04:01This is a guy that, you know, hopes to have a 10-plus year career.
04:07But it's not what I want right now.
04:09I want him to wear the brace.
04:11I want him back for Indy in London, if that's possible, if it's healed up enough.
04:17And maybe that's not possible.
04:18But the Giant game the week after that.
04:21If it ends up being after the bye week, I'm a little bit concerned then,
04:24because then you get into that situation, right,
04:28where if they decide on the brace, and it's going to take a few weeks to heal.
04:34Last year it was, you know, three weeks, four weeks, three games.
04:37And we're talking about not coming back until November 1st,
04:41with still 11 football games left.
04:44But that first game would be Sunday night against Philadelphia,
04:47followed by the Rams at home, Cincinnati a few weeks later.
04:50And they're 1-5 or 0-6, you know, it changes the context of,
04:59do we really want to do this?
05:01You know, I think waiting three or four weeks with a brace decision
05:04doesn't mean that by the time he's ready to come back,
05:07if they're an 0-6 football team, they can't change their mind and say,
05:11look, 11 games left, we're not going to risk it.
05:14Go get the surgery.
05:15Let's, you know, let's all come back healthy, happy,
05:19and without many worries in 2027.
05:23But the idea here would be we're going to go brace,
05:27and somehow, Jaden, we're going to get you two wins in the next four games
05:32so that when you come back and you're ready to play with 11 left,
05:37we're 2-4, and we need, you know, 7 out of the final 11,
05:428 out of the final 11 to get us into the postseason.
05:47That's what I want.
05:49That's my answer.
05:51Even though I'm sure if it were my son, I might think differently.
05:58What do you say, Max, before we get to calls?
06:03Personally, selfishly, I would like for him to just play with the brace on.
06:07Now, I understand long-term and all that.
06:09I understand what Kurt Warner had to say about his long-term health
06:12and stuff like that.
06:13But, Jaden, you're a football player.
06:15There's $200 million on the line at the end of this, your rookie contract.
06:19So let's strap it up.
06:20No, it's not $200 million.
06:22It's closer to a half billion.
06:23You're probably right.
06:24Yeah.
06:26Okay.
06:27So, you know, I want to – you said something that may – it's quickly evaporated.
06:35It's escaped my mind.
06:36I'll think of it.
06:37My words do that.
06:38Yeah.
06:42I forget what I was going to say.
06:44He's a football player, Kevin.
06:45I know he is.
06:46I know what he is.
06:49Oh, what I was going to say is I also would – I wonder how affected his game will be
06:58with the brace.
06:59You know, is he going to be able to hand off with his left hand?
07:03Or when we hand the ball off, is he going to have to basically be in shotgun
07:09and, you know, we're going to do the mesh handoff?
07:12But they're in a zone run scheme, outside zone, inside zone.
07:16That outside zone is a reach.
07:18It's a straight reach to get to the back running outside zone with the left hand.
07:24As a right – you know, whether you're a left-handed quarterback
07:26or a right-handed quarterback, a run to the right, an under center,
07:31or even a pistol zone run is a reach out with the left arm.
07:37This is the offense they are now employing, and will the brace affect that?
07:43You know, I mean, we had our doctor say it's probably better to structure the brace
07:49so that he can't straighten the arm because that's when it happens.
07:53Well, what's that stretch zone run handoff going to look like?
07:58He can't do it with his right hand.
08:00I guess he could do it with both hands to a certain degree.
08:04But you got to reach – you guys know football, right?
08:07Like those outside zone runs from under center in particular,
08:11those quarterbacks are reaching out with that left hand to hand the ball off.
08:18So how does that get impacted?
08:20Are you just not going to run that play?
08:24Is that going to be a giveaway to the defense when he's under center
08:27that if you're in a run-down situation that it's going to the left
08:31so he can hand the ball off with his right hand and right arm?
08:37Lou in Silver Spring.
08:39Lou, surgery or brace and let's go.
08:44Hey, Kevin.
08:45Thanks for taking my call.
08:46Well, I am going to be team surgery on this one, as painful as that is to say.
08:53I think I talked to you yesterday.
08:54So I'm almost 50.
08:56It took me, what, 33 years from 91 to, what, 20 last year,
09:01a year before, to get this team – see this team get back to some glory.
09:05I just don't want to be on the quarterback carousel again.
09:08So I think to me it's malpractice.
09:11You know, that doctor you had on told you this is going to continue to happen.
09:15And, again, if it does continue to happen, which it most likely will,
09:20then you're looking at bone bruises, missing bone, more complicated surgery,
09:25longer recovery times.
09:27And to me, to, you know, rest him for a couple weeks,
09:32bring him back into a season that's already going to be lost at 2-4.
09:35Yeah, and if they're 0-6 or 1-5, it's another conversation.
09:40Understood.
09:41Yeah, you're asking them to play hero ball again,
09:44and most likely what's going to be a bunch of shootouts
09:47with a porous secondary that we have.
09:50So, to me, I think the long game is definitely the way to go on this one.
09:56And thanks for taking my call.
09:58Yeah.
09:59Our Waldorf Honda poll question of the day is this.
10:03How do you think Jaden's elbow injury should be handled?
10:06Brace it and play, surgery, and sit.
10:10I have retweeted the Honda poll question of the day.
10:15If you want to vote on brace it and play or surgery and sit.
10:22I am very curious to see what the results of this poll will be
10:27and what our callers say on this segment.
10:31We're 1 in the column of surgery and sit right now,
10:360 on brace it and play.
10:38Mark and Largo, go ahead.
10:41Here's the problem, Kevin.
10:46Either way, Adam and Dan are going to be gone at the end of the year.
10:50And there's really no denying that.
10:52Either way.
10:53And the way you look at it right now, if he braces it and plays,
10:58you go talking again.
11:00If he braces it and plays.
11:01I'm sorry.
11:03My fault.
11:04I forgot it's your show.
11:06I apologize.
11:07If he braces it and plays, eventually it's going to pop out.
11:12I mean, listen to that guy who you had on there yesterday.
11:16Eventually it's going to pop out.
11:19And they could still be losing.
11:22And they could still be in a bad spot of what they're doing.
11:25And then you're going to have everybody attacking Adam and Dan.
11:30That's true.
11:32That is the risk for the team.
11:33They will be eviscerated if he wears the brace and it happens again
11:40and people are talking about now the surgery is more complicated.
11:43Now the recovery is more complicated.
11:45You're right about that.
11:47I'm sorry to interrupt.
11:48My fault.
11:49Go ahead.
11:49Adam Peters could survive being a GM at any organization after this.
11:54No way in the world.
11:55And the same way you could say with Dan Quinn.
11:57Dan Quinn will be able to get a defensive coordinator position.
12:01But I don't think he'll ever be able to be a head coach again.
12:04I mean, to be bluntly honest, this is.
12:09I wouldn't wait until after the box.
12:14I agree with you.
12:15If they're 1-5 or 0-6, everybody's getting blown out by the box.
12:20I'm going to tell you that right now.
12:21Everybody's getting blown out by the box.
12:24So, it's, you know, it's just, you know, this is bad.
12:32Let me know when I can speak.
12:34Let me know when I can speak.
12:36Dead son.
12:36Okay.
12:37All right.
12:38What you just said actually may end up being the strategy.
12:42And that is, we have a couple of options we're considering.
12:49For right now, he can't play for a few weeks because this thing's got to heal.
12:55And we will make the decision on brace or surgery shortly before he's actually able to come back and play
13:05with a brace.
13:05And we'll assess the situation at that point because that actually makes the most sense.
13:11Like, deciding today, you don't have to.
13:16Nothing says you have to decide today unless you, unless the doctors say, we'd rather you get the surgery on,
13:22you know, Monday, September 28th, rather than on Monday, October 20th.
13:29Or, you know, after they go, Tuesday, October 20th, after they lose to go to 0-6 before the bye
13:36week against San Francisco.
13:37It actually makes more sense to not make the decision unless the doctors say, hey, that month or those few
13:44weeks would make a big difference.
13:46I doubt it would.
13:48I mean, it's probably some multi-month recovery post-surgery, but not multi-month enough to cost him the beginning
13:58of next training camp or next year.
14:02I don't know that for sure.
14:03But I think you may have stumbled on what may be, what might make the most sense.
14:09I shouldn't say stumbled upon it.
14:10Your brilliance got you there before this call.
14:14Do you have anything else to add?
14:15You're the most intelligent person on radio, Kevin.
14:17You are.
14:17You're the most intelligent person on radio.
14:20And Max is the best guy that runs the board.
14:23He's the best.
14:24It's just that, Kevin, no matter how you really look at it, and it's hard to blame Adam for not
14:33getting surgery at the end of last season.
14:35It's hard because this is really an abnormal situation.
14:39Really abnormal.
14:40But here's the problem, and I do agree with what you're saying.
14:43And no matter how you look at it, if this team is losing, they're dead men walking anyway.
14:50And Josh Harris is not going to – Josh Harris is – this is going to be like – Josh
14:57is going to say to Jaden and his mom,
14:59y'all get the surgery.
15:01We're going to go and find the best people we can to run this organization.
15:05You go get the surgery.
15:06This is where you're just a little bit off.
15:10I'm not saying that we won't get there.
15:11I'm going to move on with your show without you for some other callers.
15:16But this is where – look, it seems obvious.
15:20I'm not saying it's not intuitive to think that if they're 0-6, Dan Quinn could get fired at the
15:26bye.
15:26But if he's 0-6 because his starting quarterback didn't play four and a half of those games,
15:34I would suggest to you that Josh Harris may handle it differently.
15:39Now, it doesn't mean that they'll get to the end of the season and not come to that conclusion.
15:44But I would guess that in that scenario, he's not fired at the bye week.
15:50That's my guess based on not having a quarterback.
15:53Now, there's more context.
15:55The team could look terrible.
15:56They could look disorganized.
15:58They could look like they quit.
16:00Remember this about last year.
16:02With all of the injuries and all of the losses and some real blowout losses,
16:08anybody that spent time in that locker room, you know, the Kimes, the Benz, the Nickies, et cetera,
16:15will tell you that team was together.
16:18And we saw it, right?
16:20We saw it against Denver on a Sunday night.
16:23We saw it, you know, with them going to New York and beating the Giants
16:26and almost beating Dallas on Christmas Day when these games meant nothing.
16:31Now, the Minnesota game was ugly.
16:33No doubt about it.
16:34But there was a consensus opinion that this was not a scenario in which the locker room
16:47was fraying at the seams.
16:50Now, if it happens this year, of course, it's a different decision for Josh Harris.
16:55Now, let's see.
16:55Now, let's see.
16:55Now, let's see.