Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels injured in Week 2: What's the outlook for Bears, Commanders signal callers?

Williams hurt his hamstring on a run; Daniels dislocated his elbow after an awkward fall Sep 21, 2026 at 10:24 am ET • 4 min read Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will forever be intertwined as the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively, in the quarterback-loaded 2024 NFL Draft. But right now they're unfortunately tied together by a different bond: Both young stars suffered injuries in Week 2, with Williams hurting his hamstring on a non-contact play and Daniels dislocating his left elbow while trying to brace his fall after getting stepped on by an offensive lineman.For Williams, it's his first significant NFL injury; he has started all 36 games (including playoffs) since being drafted by Chicago. For Daniels, it's the fourth significant injury he has suffered since the start of last season and his second left elbow dislocation in the last 11 months.Both players will be out for at least some time, though further testing -- beginning Monday -- will provide a clearer timeline.How the injuries happenedPlaying on a rain-soaked field, Williams took a bootleg dropback and outraced Andrew Van Ginkel to the edge. But in doing so, he pulled his right hamstring and quickly went down in pain. He needed help getting to the sideline and was then carted off the field. The non-contact aspect was initially the most worrying part, but he and the Bears appear to have very much avoided the worst-case scenario.You could kind of see in real time," coach Ben Johnson said. "I'm actually happy it's nothing with the knee; that was my first inclination. But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we'll see how bad it is tomorrow and we'll go from there."Daniels, meanwhile, suffered a dislocation of his left elbow in a very similar manner to the way he suffered his first one last year. This time, he got stepped on by left guard Chris Paul and, trying to brace is unnatural fall, put his left arm on the ground. Viewer discretion is advised below. Daniels stayed down for several minutes before being carted off with a towel draped over his head and face. Coach Dan Quinn said X-rays showed no fracture and that Daniels would fly home with the team and undergo further testing on Monday.How long will Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels be out?Several reporters noted Williams (who did not meet with the media postgame) walked through the locker room without crutches and perhaps a slight limp. That's obviously better than "on crutches" or "with a significant limp," but hamstrings can be tricky, and the testing will reveal more.On the "Sunday Night Football" broadcast, NBC's Mike Florio said, "It could be as slight as a grade 1 [hamstring strain]." That's the lowest-level strain (out of three). Per the Princeton Sports & Family Medicine website, for a Grade 1 strain ...Walking is usually OKStrength is mostly intact, pain with sprinting or longer strideTypical return: 1–3 weeks, sometimes longer for high-speed athletesRecovery time depends on injury severity and location (muscle belly vs near the tendon)Williams very much fits the high-speed athlete description, though. He is a mobile quarterback whose movement skills are paramount to everything he does. Johnson uses a variety of dropbacks, including from under center and rollouts like the one Williams got hurt on. If it is indeed a Grade 1 strain, Williams would likely miss at least one game, but perhaps more if the Bears opt for caution. And there's reason to opt for caution, as hamstring injuries can linger or be re-aggravated.Last year, coincidentally, Daniels missed one game with a hamstring strain. If it is indeed a Grade 1 strain, Williams could be looking at a game or two missed, but again, there are several factors at play.A Grade 2 strain would cause more time to be missed. In 2016, wide receiver A.J. Green suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Week 11 and did not play the rest of the season (though he had initially planned to return after a few weeks). In 2011, Patrick Willis suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain and missed three games, which would represent the earlier side of the return timeline. Daniels was out for three weeks last year after suffering his first left elbow dislocation, though three things are at play here:The fact that Daniels has now suffered the same injury twice is bad news. As David J. Chao posted above, the ligaments are looser now.Daniels did not have surgery on the injury last year.When Daniels returned from this injury last year, sporting a brace, he re-aggravated the injury when he landed hard on his left elbow when trying to chase down Andrew Van Ginkel after an interception. Daniels did not suffer any further injury, per se, but he did not play again (with the Commanders well outside the playoff picture).Daniels could again go the route of wearing a brace, though as the second bullet point shows, landing on the elbow again would be extremely painful. Football is an unpredictable sport, as Daniels' getting stepped on shows. Quarterbacks get hit at odd angles, and Daniels, as a player who runs a lot, can be prone to even more hits. The fact that this injury happened on a fluke play and Daniels had been so good about avoiding contact as a runner (he had 69 rushing yards in the first half alone) makes the injury all the more devastating. You simply can't control or predict how and why players get hurt in the manners they do.Chao has a good explainer for why Daniels could miss less time -- perhaps a similar timetable to last year -- and play with a brace if he opts to avoid surgery again (or push surgery off until the offseason). Again, like Williams, Daniels' testing will provide more detail. Unlike Williams, though, Daniels could be facing a larger decision regarding the long-term health of his injured shoulder.Tyson Bagent will start for the Bears for as long as Williams is out. Marcus Mariota will start for the Commanders until Daniels returns.