When Washington set its initial 53-man roster at the end of August, keeping three quarterbacks didn’t look like a headline move. It looked like the kind of roster protection teams make when they believe a young passer is worth holding onto.
Now it matters a whole lot more.
With Jayden Daniels injured and Marcus Mariota set to start Sunday, the Commanders’ quarterback depth suddenly has real stakes attached to it. That leaves Athan Kaliakmanis in line to be the next man up if things go sideways, unless Washington adds another quarterback this week or promotes Sam Hartman from the practice squad.
That second option, at least from the source reporting, would be a bad call. Hartman has shown no signs of being NFL-ready, while Kaliakmanis is a seventh-round pick, No. 223 overall, with no real game experience. Still, the Commanders clearly liked what they saw when they made the pick, and Adam Peters said as much at his Aug. 31 press conference.
"Athan, we really just loved his arm talent, his moxie, his competitiveness," Peters said. "He made a lot of really big-time throws in the preseason, and that was something that we were really pleased to see. And he's not afraid to rip it."
Peters also said at the time that Kaliakmanis still had plenty of development ahead of him, which didn’t exactly sound like a quarterback Washington expected to lean on this soon. But the team’s actions have kept him in the mix, and as of now there’s still no word that another quarterback is coming in.
The best version of Kaliakmanis the Commanders have seen came against the Detroit Lions. He finished that preseason game 11-of-14 for 162 yards, a sharp line for a rookie even if the snaps came against players trying to make the back end of NFL rosters. On film, he showed he could extend plays, push the ball downfield, and handle pressure without looking rattled.
The reporting also makes clear that the rookie’s arm strength is part of the appeal. In that view, Hartman shouldn’t really be part of the discussion.
The bigger issue is simple: if Washington kept Kaliakmanis for development, is he really the quarterback the team wants sitting behind a 32-year-old starter who missed most of the preseason with a knee injury?
Mariota will start this weekend, but the Commanders still have to settle the rest of the room. Three weeks into the season, the value of that original decision is suddenly impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Chase Youngs Revival Revives A Painful Commanders Debate
Chase Youngs career has taken on a sharper, more encouraging shape since he left Washington, where injuries kept him from ever fully settling into the dominant force the Commanders expected when they drafted him. After the trade to San Francisco and then a move to New Orleans, the edge rusher has started stacking up the kind of production that once made him one of the leagues most intriguing young defenders, including a 10-sack season and another strong showing that has put his name back in the conversation.
For Washington, the revival brings back an uncomfortable question about what might have been if Young had been healthier in burgundy and gold. His current play is a reminder that the talent was never really gone, only interrupted, and it leaves the Commanders with a familiar what-if tied to one of their biggest recent investments. His rise elsewhere does not change the past, but it does make the debate around his time in Washington feel a lot harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Want Dan Quinn Gone But Washington Has A Bigger Problem
The frustration in Washington has been building for weeks, and Dan Quinn is feeling it now more than ever. The Commanders have stumbled through a rough stretch, and when Jayden Daniels went down on a play at the end of the first half against the Cowboys, the conversation around the coach shifted from disappointment to outrage almost instantly.
Daniels dislocated his elbow for the second time in two seasons on a critical call that will hang over Quinn as the scrutiny intensifies. He deserves plenty of criticism for how the situation unfolded, but the bigger issue is the one the Commanders have been wrestling with all along: a thin, inexperienced coaching staff and little reason to believe a midseason change would fix much of anything. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Backup QB Reason Fans Should Notice
Marcus Mariota has quietly become one of the more interesting parts of Washingtons quarterback picture, and Dan Quinn made it clear this week that the veteran backup is far from just a placeholder. Quinn said Mariota has a strong grasp of the offense under coordinator David Blough, which matters in a system that leans on timing, tempo and a quarterback who can operate comfortably if called upon at any point.
Mariotas familiarity with the setup comes after three seasons with the Commanders, along with game experience that includes 15 appearances and eight starts. The team also appears intent on tailoring his workload to what he does best, including read-option looks, and his recent game alongside Jayden Daniels offered a reminder of the depth Washington can lean on, with both quarterbacks throwing touchdown passes and avoiding turnovers. [Read more 🡒]