The Washington Commanders may already be dealing with another preseason injury headache, and this one centers on backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota exited Friday night’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins after a leg injury, leaving the Commanders with more uncertainty before the games even start to matter. The sequence unfolded late in the first half.
On a 1st & 10 at the Dolphins’ 47-yard line, Mariota took the shotgun snap, turned left, and handed off to rookie RB Kaytron Allen. Allen’s run off left tackle went nowhere, and Mariota moved away from the play before going down on the ‘W’ logo.
He appeared to indicate or touch his right knee while on the turf. After a brief look from the medical staff, Mariota headed to the medical blue tent, then walked across the field to the Commanders locker room and did not return. He seemed to leave with less of a limp than he had when the injury first happened.
There was some talk that the injury was non-contact, but that doesn’t line up with what happened on the previous snap. On a 3rd & 8 from the Commanders’ 31-yard line, Mariota took a deep snap on his 26, dropped back, looked left, and delivered a pass to the left sideline that Dyami Brown caught for a 22-yard gain.
Mariota was then hit by a Dolphins pass rusher just after releasing the ball. He went down after the next play.
After the game, head coach Dan Quinn said there was no update on Mariota’s status. Quinn added that he might have more to say on Sunday.
Mariota, who turns 33 in October, had been expected to get meaningful work in the preseason opener. Instead, he finished 1 of 3 for 22 yards before leaving the game.
Sam Hartman took over and played the rest of the half and the first possession of the third quarter. Rutgers rookie Athan Kaliakmanis finished the game at quarterback.
The concern comes at a rough time for Washington. Just last week, the Commanders lost star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a torn triceps. If Mariota’s injury turns out to be serious, it would only deepen the questions already hanging over Jayden Daniels’ health.
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