How People Around NFL Are Reacting To Young QB Injuries: ‘Holy S—! What Is Going On?’

If the first week brought us everything we love about football, then the second week brought us the thing we hate most about the game: injuries.

Three promising young quarterbacks suffered what appeared to be season-altering injuries when they occurred in Week 2. The news on Caleb Williams since suffering the hamstring injury in the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings has been promising, but Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels could be out for an extended period of time for New York quarterback Darson.

Of course, in the short term, injuries mean at least two of those teams will play backup quarterback. But there are also long-term concerns about Week 2 injuries, particularly to Daniels and Dart, as the futures of the Chiefs and Giants hinge largely on those respective players.

So we asked people around the NFL what they thought about those injuries and what future concerns they might have for Williams, Daniels and Dart. Here’s what we learned.

Ralph Vacchiano: An NFL scout told me, “My heart sank” when Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went down with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury Sunday afternoon. And he added, “I couldn’t believe it” when, hours later, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels also went down with an elbow injury.

And when Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was on the ground holding his injured knee, the scout texted me: “Holy —! Another one? What’s going on?”

Good question.

It was a weekend of carnage for the NFL’s young and talented quarterbacks, and a potentially devastating weekend for three teams — especially the Chiefs and Giants, who lost their franchise quarterbacks for the season. All three will put on a brave face and say they are confident in their reserves.

But the truth is, everyone knows what they’ve lost.

“The days of Steve Young backing up Joe Montana are over,” the scout told me. “There just aren’t that many good centre-backs anymore and the good ones don’t sit on the bench for long. What you’re looking for in a reserve today is a guy who can keep you going for a couple of games, maybe a month.

“But nobody wants to play most of the season with their second son.”

Jameis Winston will start at quarterback for the Giants with Jaxson Dart out. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

For proof, he pointed to the Giants and Commanders, who will now turn to Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, respectively. They are both 32 years old, so theoretically still in their prime. And they were also the first two picks of the 2015 draft.

“They were stars,” the scout told me. “They had all the ability in the world. Everybody loved them. But it’s (11) years later now. They got their chance and they showed they couldn’t do it — not on a consistent enough basis. With their ability, if anybody thought they could lead a team for a full season, they’d be a starter somewhere, believe me.

“But they can’t do that.”

So what’s the outlook for teams that have to play the rest of the way with their reserves?

“All they can do is hope,” the scout told me. “You weaken your offense. You rely on your running game. You coach them to just not make mistakes, if that’s even possible. But it’s a downgrade either way. And we all know you just can’t afford a downgrade at quarterback. This isn’t replacing a corner or a guard. The position is too important not to have your No. 1.”

Ralph Vacchiano: The Chicago Bears quarterback was one of the brightest stars in the NFL before his nagging hamstring injury sidelined him on Sunday. It is still unclear how long Caleb Williams will be sidelined.

But at least one scout thinks that, even without him, they’d be fine.

“This is really a running team anyway,” the scout told me. “Williams obviously adds a lot to that, but a lot of it is Ben Johnson’s creative scheme. I’m not saying they’re going to the Super Bowl without Caleb. But I think they can get past those two running backs (D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai) in the playoffs behind that offensive line.”

One scout thinks the Bears will be fine without Caleb Williams thanks to the likes of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Another scout told me he even had some confidence in the Bears’ backup quarterbacks — either Tyson Bagent, who is recovering from a concussion, or Case Keenum.

“I trust Ben Johnson more than most coaches to find what they do best and make them successful,” the scout told me. “He’s the one who made Jared Goff a star in Detroit. He saved Caleb Williams after his weird rookie season. I’m not saying (Bagent or Keenum) are Goff and Williams. They obviously aren’t.

“I’m just saying they’re in very good hands.”

Eric D. Williams: Just over two years into his NFL career, Daniels has already missed time with knee and hamstring injuries, and he’s also dislocated his left elbow twice.

Daniels showed his full potential early, leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year after being selected second overall by Washington in the 2024 draft.

Jayden Daniels was arguably the league’s most promising quarterback after the 2024 season, but his career has been plagued by injuries since then. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

But since then, Daniels has struggled to stay on the field. With two years remaining on his initial deal, Daniels is eligible for a contract extension at the end of this season. And with franchise quarterbacks making $55 million a year, Washington general manager Adams Peters will have a tough decision to make on how to handle Daniels’ contract demands moving forward.

“The most conservative approach for them is to — even though the market will go up — wait until after Year 4, when he’s proven he can stay healthy and is really the future of the franchise at quarterback,” one NFL contract negotiator told me. “The key point here is that they would be willing to pay more after Year 4 (compared to the lower amount they would pay after Year 3) in exchange for the comfort during Year 4 that it is worth the investment.

“A more aggressive approach would be for them to extend him beyond this season with a high-end QB contract value, but with a contract structure that mitigates the risk of them paying a bunch of money for a QB who can’t stay healthy.”

The contract negotiator went on to say that, understanding Washington’s negotiating history, commanders will be more likely to take a conservative approach.

Ralph Vacchiano: The Chiefs were certainly devastated when Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow on Sunday, just as the Giants were devastated when Jaxson Dart suffered a sore knee.

But neither team could be surprised.

That’s because both young quarterbacks suffered a list of injuries last season as well. Daniels suffered a sprained knee, a hamstring injury and a dislocated elbow last year that all kept him out of nine games last season, and that’s after playing through a rib fracture as a rookie. And Dart missed 2.5 games with a concussion, and ended up in the medical tent a few times for concussions.

Jaxson Dart missed a lot of games with a concussion last season. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

All injuries are not the same, but there is an axiom in the NFL that “hurt guys get hurt.” And that’s something both teams will have to consider as they think about the future with quarterbacks heavily injured.

“Look, you don’t give up on these guys,” one NFL executive told me. “They’re too talented for that. But you have to think about it. They’re both going to want big contract extensions over the next couple of years. How much do you want to invest? And maybe with them you have to be really sure about the rest of your quarterback room. Maybe upgrade your backup and make sure you have a young, developmental guy on your roster just in case.”

“You should probably just bite your lip and cross your fingers,” one scout told me. “There are probably 20 other teams that would take Daniels or Dart, even at risk of injury. All you can do is hope they stay healthy.

“Also, this should alert both teams to invest heavily in their offensive line.”