Commanders linked to Colts first-round QB bust as potential Jayden Daniels insurance

The Washington Commanders lost Jayden Daniels for the second half of Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys when his left elbow dislocated in clear view of everyone watching on the TV broadcast.

It was a brutal injury, one that sparked serious concerns about Daniels' health going forward. That's especially the case considering this is the same elbow he hurt last year. Regardless of how much time, if any, Daniels misses, there is some real concern here.

ESPN's Ben Solak is worried like most analysts and presented one intriguing insurance idea for the Commanders for next season. Instead of relying on a veteran like Marcus Mariota, the Commanders should take a chance on Anthony Richardson Sr.

Commanders linked to Anthony Richardson Sr. as potential Jayden Daniels' insurance

"If he misses 15 games this year, I don't see how the Commanders don't consider a young, developmental investment in QB2," Solak writes. "... But the Commanders will have to have a better long-term view at QB2 than Mariota. Anthony Richardson Sr., anyone?"

Washington will obviously want to stick by Daniels, someone who has proven to be a good quarterback when healthy, as their long-term starter.

But, with his injury history the last two seasons, it might be time for the Commanders to explore outside options with more upside than Mariota.

Richardson would certainly fit the bill. He's also dealt with plenty of injuries and has been a complete bust of a draft pick for the Colts.

His ceiling, however, is much higher than most potential backup quarterback options around the NFL. He's a dual-threat quarterback with a rocket for an arm and someone who could be a franchise QB if he figures things out.

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Richardson is 24 years old right now, and as a 2023 first-rounder, the Colts will only have him under contract on his rookie deal for the rest of the 2026 NFL season.

Washington should be able to land Richardson this upcoming offseason, or even during the 2026 season if they want to get insurance for Daniels sooner rather than later.

There are obviously questions about Richardson, with his poor 50.6 career completion percentage and 11 touchdowns to 13 interceptions ratio on 350 pass attempts with only 2,400 yards in 15 starts.

Solak only linked the Commanders to Richardson, but considering the need for an upside option behind Daniels with his injury history, a swing on Richardson would make a lot of sense.

This is the kind of move that the Commanders should be looking to make. It's a low-risk, high-upside depth QB addition that could give Commanders fans some hope in case Daniels continues to deal with these injury issues going forward.

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