Rachaad White has known Jayden Daniels far longer than their time together in Washington, which made Sunday harder to watch than most. The Commanders running back, who played alongside Daniels at Arizona State, admitted he broke down after the quarterback dislocated his left elbow in a 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

“I tried to, you know, control my emotions, 'cause yeah, I mean, I had tears coming down,” White told reporters after the game. “I feel for him. That's my brother.”

Rachaad White says he felt sick watching Jayden Daniels go down, “that’s my brother.” White and Daniels go way back to their Arizona State days pic.twitter.com/biJAVDjekP

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 20, 2026

White was part of the play itself. On the final snap of the first half, with Washington mere feet from the Dallas goal line, Daniels' feet tangled with the cleats of left guard Chris Paul. He stumbled backward and extended his left arm to brace himself, and the elbow gave way. Daniels still tried to finish the play, flipping a shovel pass toward White that fell incomplete, before walking toward the sideline and collapsing to the turf.

He was carted to the locker room and ruled out. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the dislocation afterward, adding that X-rays showed no fracture. Daniels is scheduled for more imaging Monday.

The injury is to the same left elbow Daniels dislocated in Week 9 last season against Seattle, a setback that cost him three games before he aggravated it again in December and was shut down. He played just seven games in 2025, and Sunday was only his second game back.

The emotional toll spread through the locker room. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is set to start in Daniels' place, felt it as much as anyone. “It sucks, and you can't even really put it into words,” he said. “You watch that kid battle through all that he went through last year.” He was the first player to reach Daniels on the field.

Daniels emerged from the locker room after the game with his left arm in a sling, walking to where family and friends were waiting and sharing hugs before leaving.

Quinn made clear how Washington intends to respond. “We will rally so hard around Marcus until Jayden is back,” he said. “That's what's required, and that's what we'll do.” The Commanders, now 0-2, host the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday with Mariota under center.