3 key NFL quarterbacks suffered injuries in a brutal Week 2. Here’s the latest on their status

By Kyle Feldscher, CNN

(CNN) — The second week of the NFL season proved to be a brutal one for three young quarterbacks who were expected to take major leaps this season.

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders and Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants were all knocked out of their Week 2 matchups with injuries that looked to be serious.

Williams went down with a no-contact injury during the Bears’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings, being carted off the field as medical staff paid close attention to his right leg. Daniels dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. And in the Monday night game, Dart suffered a brutal looking knee injury when he was hit by two Los Angeles Rams defenders as his team fell in LA.

Dart’s injury, in particular, might end up being the most concerning.

Three young stars, three injuries that could have outsized effects on the NFL season. Here’s what we know about their status right now.

Caleb Williams

The Bears quarterback might actually be in the best shape out of the trio of injured QBs, even if his injury appeared to be the most serious in the moment.

Late in the Bears’ miserable offensive showing against the Vikings at a rainy Soldier Field, Williams was attempting to score the game’s first touchdown in the fourth quarter. On a first-and-goal play from the 6-yard line, Williams faked a handoff and wheeled around to his left.

As he pointed to a receiver in the end zone and eluded a diving Vikings defender, Williams suddenly crumpled to the ground. He slid on the wet turf and began screaming in pain as he rolled around.

The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was eventually carted off with a towel over his head, giving a raised fist to the crowd. The immediate reaction among Bears faithful was concern that their signal-caller would be out of the lineup for a lengthy period of time.

On Monday, head coach Ben Johnson said Williams appears to have escaped a worst-case scenario.

Mike Florio, NBC’s NFL Insider, said ahead of the Sunday night game that he was hearing Williams suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain, the lowest level of hamstring injury. Johnson said on Monday that the quarterback will be week-to-week and isn’t being ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here,” Johnson said in the news conference, according to the Bears’ website.

“We’ll see what that looks like. Here’s what I know: This guy’s a little bit different than the average human being. I said that last night. I’ll double down on that. He gets back – he has in the past – a lot faster than what people can anticipate. I’m not putting a timeline on this. We’re going to say week-to-week. He’s going to attack this with everything that he knows. He’s got a great team around him, both in this building and outside this building, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

If Williams can’t play, Tyson Bagent will take over quarterback duties for the Bears after finishing out Sunday’s game against the Vikes.

Jayden Daniels

The Commanders’ star quarterback does not appear to have been so lucky.

Daniels took a snap close to the Cowboys’ end zone on Sunday and stumbled to the ground, putting his left arm out to brace himself as he fell. As it hit the ground, his elbow buckled and Daniels stayed down in considerable pain.

After the game, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed Daniels dislocated his elbow and an X-ray showed no fracture.

“I was just disheartened for him. Like, I know what he’s gone through to go,” Quinn said. “He’s in good spirits tonight. Just knowing that, like, we wanted to all play so well for him in that space. And so, to see him in that spot, it stunk for the guys and I thought Marcus (Mariota) did a really good job coming back in when we were starting on offense, then we get going, right off the bat – it was tough.”

It’s a particularly difficult moment for Daniels after an injury-plagued 2025 season that included missing multiple games after he dislocated the same elbow in a game against the Seattle Seahawks. He returned in a game against the Vikings and then reaggravated the injury, leading to him missing the rest of the season.

The promising Commanders leader, who helped guide his team to the NFC championship game in the 2024-25 season, missed 11 games last season.

There were no further updates on Daniels’ status on Monday from Quinn as he continues to seek opinions on how long he’ll be out. Mariota will take over the starting job going forward until the former LSU standout and 2023 Heisman winner can return.

It’s a brutal moment for the Commanders as they looked to shake off a disappointing 2025 season and get back to the great vibes that followed the team in 2024. Daniels’ emergence as a star brought back memories of Robert Griffin III’s time in Washington, when he sparked a similar football renaissance in the nation’s capital. The two are similar players in that they have cannon arms but also the speed and escapability that give opposing defenses fits.

RGIII’s time in Washington ended after he suffered multiple career-altering injuries. Commanders fans will be dreading the idea that Daniels might be suffering a similar fate.

Jaxson Dart

The New York Giants were looking forward to a new season under head coach John Harbaugh, a name synonymous with winning in the NFL and Dart was expected to be a key player in their resurgence.

All that is up in the air now.

As Dart dropped back to pass during the opening drive of Monday’s game, he was hit in the backfield by two converging Rams pass rushers. In an awkward-looking collision, one of those Rams – Josaiah Stewart – collided with Dart’s lower body. The hit caused his left knee to bend sideways. Not the way knees are supposed to bend, to say the least.

Dart went down quickly and was in obvious pain but was able to walk off the field under his own power. Harbaugh said after the game that Dart being able to walk off the field – and he’d return to the sidelines in street clothes later – meant the worst possible scenarios seemed to have been avoided.

“The fact that it’s not that outcome that you’re talking about, the devastating outcome, is really good news,” Harbaugh said, adding that more imaging would be done on Dart’s knee on Tuesday to figure out the extent of the injury.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the QB is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL, which would likely mean he’d miss time. Harbaugh would not confirm whether the team anticipated having Dart out for Week 3’s game, only saying that he was waiting on follow-up tests before making a decision.

Rapoport and others reported on Tuesday that the good signs from Monday night might not actually have been all that real.

Reports on Tuesday afternoon indicated that Dart’s injury is worse than initially believed and that he could be out for a prolonged period of time. Rapoport said it’s possible he may even miss the rest of the season.

Dart is another player who was hoping to move past an injury-plagued 2025, having missed multiple games with a concussion during his rookie season.

Jameis Winston took over quarterbacking duties once Dart went down and would be named the starter if he misses any time. When asked after Monday’s game if he was preparing to be the starter going forward, Winston instead focused on Dart.

“My role is to keep him lifted up, keep this team motivated and put this game behind us, find ways to be solution-oriented and have a better week of preparation, a better game of efficiency, and overall get a win,” Winston said.

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