Injuries to Caleb Williams and
Jayden Daniels deprive the NFL of 2 young stars
[September 21, 2026]
By ROB MAADD
Caleb Williams was carted off the field with a hamstring injury.
Jayden Daniels needed a cart after he dislocated his elbow again.
Williams and Daniels already were linked together as Heisman Trophy
winners selected with the first two picks of the 2024 NFL draft.
Now, the two franchise quarterbacks are dealing with potentially
significant injuries at the same time after getting hurt on Sunday.
That’s bad news for Chicago, Washington and the NFL, which loses two
of its young stars.
There’s hope Williams avoided a serious injury. He was seen walking
around the locker room after the game with only a slight limp. But
the Bears won’t know the severity of it until he gets an MRI on
Monday.
It’s possible he could return to the lineup sooner than later but
the Bears will likely be cautious with Williams, whose mobility is a
big part of his game.
A worst-case scenario would be an injury similar to what Dak
Prescott suffered midway through the 2024 season. Prescott needed
surgery because a hamstring tendon tore away from a bone. That
required a four-month recovery process.
Seeing Williams visibly emotional, sitting on a cart with a towel
draped over his face was a scary moment for Bears fans, his coaches
and teammates. After a rough rookie season, Williams had a breakout
year with coach Ben Johnson in 2025 and led Chicago to an NFC North
title and playoff win.
“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee, that was my first
inclination,” Johnson said. “But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty
damaging as well. So, we’ll see how bad it is and we’ll go from
there.”
Daniels has been through this before, which could prolong his
recovery. He dislocated his left elbow in Week 9 last season,
returned in Week 14, tweaked it again and missed the last four
games.
Daniels was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 when he
led the Commanders to the NFC championship game against
Philadelphia. But injuries limited him to only seven starts last
season.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said imaging showed Daniels didn’t suffer
a fracture and he’ll have more tests Monday.
It has to be concerning that Daniels’ left elbow has twice bent the
wrong way on a fall in less than a year.
Dr. David Chao, an orthopedic surgeon and former team physician for
the Chargers, wrote on X: “Joint comes out easier 2nd time. Original
ligament tear heals ‘looser.’”
Quinn summed it up succinctly: “It sucks.”
The Bears (1-1) scored 59 points in Week 1 before losing 9-3 to the
Vikings. With Williams, they have high expectations. They would turn
to Tyson Bagent in his absence. If his test results provide positive
news, Williams has an extra day to rest because the Bears host
Philadelphia (2-0) next Monday night.
[to top of second column] |
Trainers attend to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels
(5) after an apparent injury in the first half against the Dallas
Cowboys during an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday,
Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Marcus Mariota will replace Daniels for the
Commanders (0-2). They weren’t expected to be contenders even with
Daniels. Without him, things look bleak in a tough NFC East.
Here are some other takeaways from Sunday’s games:
Shaky Packers can win without Parsons
The Packers overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and
beat the Jets 20-17 in overtime to finally win a game without Micah
Parsons. Green Bay was 0-6 without the All-Pro pass rusher,
including a playoff loss to Chicago. Parsons is still recovering
from ACL surgery. The problem wasn’t defense against New York. The
offense sputtered, managing just 199 yards. Jordan Love threw two TD
passes but the Packers converted on third down just once in nine
tries.
Resilient Saints are playoff contenders
After nearly rallying New Orleans from a 21-0 deficit in Week 1
against Detroit, Tyler Shough led the Saints to a 24-17 comeback win
at Baltimore on Sunday. The second-year pro guided a 16-play TD
drive for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. The Saints are
going to compete in a weak NFC South.
Bengals’ defense is for real
Cincinnati’s revamped defense led by Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan
Allen kept Houston out of the end zone in a 20-6 win. The Bengals
sacked C.J. Stroud four times, forced five punts and four turnovers
on downs. If the defense continues to play this well, Joe Burrow and
the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders.
Mahomes is Superman
Patrick Mahomes had surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL nine months
ago. He looks like his old self already. Mahomes threw for 382 yards
and three TDs in Kansas City’s 33-30 overtime win over Indianapolis.
He ran twice for 17 yards, moved around in the pocket and made big
plays.
Denver’s defense bounces back
The Broncos held the Jaguars to 268 yards and gave Trevor Lawrence
trouble throughout the game in a 20-13 comeback win against
Jacksonville. After a terrible start in Week 1, Denver’s stingy
defense returned to form.
Raiders are Kirk’s team
Kirk Cousins fired three TD passes to lead Las Vegas to a 26-14
victory on the road against the Chargers. He’s got six TD in two
games and the Raiders are off to a 2-0 start after going 3-14 last
season. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is going to have to wait
his turn because Cousins is playing well.
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