Commanders To Start QB Josh Johnson In Week 17
With Jayden Daniels shut down for the season and Marcus Mariota dealing with hand and quad injuries, the Commanders will call on Josh Johnson to start on Christmas, per The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Johnson, 39, has appeared in three games this year, though he threw his first pass of the season on Saturday night against the Eagles. After Mariota went down on Saturday night, Johnson completed five of his nine passes for 43 yards and an interception to close out the game. He will, undoubtedly, be looking for better results in a full game.
Jeff Driskel, who re-signed with the Commanders on Monday, will back up Johnson, while Sam Hartman will be signed from the practice squad to serve as the emergency third quarterback on game day. (A quarterback elevated from the practice squad cannot be the emergency QB3, so Hartman had to be signed to the active roster to fill that role.)
In theory, Dallas’ bottom-ranked pass defense could be a relatively welcoming matchup for Johnson’s first start since 2021. However, the Commanders’ passing offense has been one of the league’s worst, due in large part to injuries that are still taking their toll. Johnson will be Washington’s third different starting quarterback this year with a short-than-usual week between games, so success is no guarantee.
Commanders Sign QB Jeff Driskel Off Cardinals’ Practice Squad
As they prepare to play on a short week, the Commanders are adding depth under center. Jeff Driskel is being signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad, per veteran reporter Ben Standig. The move is now official. 
Driskel was Washington’s third-string passer in 2024, so he represents a familiar face. With the team known to be seeking out depth at the QB spot, today’s move comes as little surprise. Marcus Mariota is dealing with a hand injury, and the Driskel addition suggests he will not be able to suit up for Week 17.
Dan Quinn said it remains unclear at this point if Mariota will be able to play on Christmas against the Cowboys. He added (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington) that Josh Johnson will receive the majority of first-team reps during practice. The 39-year-old took over for Mariota against the Eagles in Week 16, completing five of nine pass attempts and throwing one interception. Second-year Commanders QB Sam Hartman resides as another option, with the same now being true of Driskell.
A former sixth-round pick, Driskell has made a total of 25 appearances and 12 starts in the NFL. The 32-year-old logged just one snap during the regular season with the Commanders last year, but depending on how things play out his workload with the team could soon change. With Driskell departing Arizona, a Cardinals team which is already without Kyler Murray for the remainder of the season will be thin at the QB spot barring a move of its own.
In a corresponding transaction, the Commanders have placed guard Sam Cosmi on injured reserve. The fifth-year blocker suffered a concussion against the Eagles, and this move ensures he will not return in 2025. Cosmi has been limited to just nine games this season as he recovered from an ACL tear. That resulted in an absence until mid-October, but not long after returning to action his attention will now turn to 2026.
Commanders To Explore QB Addition
With Jayden Daniels out of the lineup, Marcus Mariota handled starting duties for the Commanders on Saturday. He was unable to finish the game, however, meaning a short-term QB addition could be coming.
Mariota cleared concussion protocol upon exiting Washington’s Week 16 loss to Philadelphia. The veteran also suffered a laceration on his throwing hand, however. That puts Mariota’s availability for the final two weeks of the season in question. To little surprise, then, head coach Dan Quinn said (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington) the team will look into a quarterback addition.
Daniels has been shut down for the remainder of the year, and Quinn confirmed he will not play regardless of the Commanders’ situation under center. As a result, attention will turn to Mariota’s ability to heal in time for Week 17. Washington will host Dallas on Christmas Day in a game featuring two teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
Josh Johnson took over QB duties once Mariota went down. The 39-year-old has thus made 48 regular season appearances in the NFL as part of his incredibly nomadic football career. That figure could increase depending on how the next few days play out.
Mariota, 32, remained in the nation’s capital this past offseason by signing another one-year pact. He is a pending free agent as a result, so his availability for the closing stages of the campaign will be key in determining his value. It remains to be seen if Mariota will be able to add further to his list of 2025 appearances with Daniels staying on the sidelines. Johnson could make his 10th career start, but in that case Washington will look to bring in depth for the end of the season.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels To Miss Week 15; Marcus Mariota Will Start
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels aggravated a left elbow injury in a loss to the Vikings last Sunday and will miss Week 15, head coach Dan Quinn announced (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). Backup Marcus Mariota will start on Sunday against the Giants.
Daniels dislocated his elbow in a loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 2. The injury kept the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year out for three games. While Daniels returned in Week 14, he didn’t make it through the entire afternoon. The Commanders removed Daniels in the third quarter after Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers knocked him down blocking on an interception return.
Although Daniels landed on his elbow last week, he avoided any structural damage. Nevertheless, Commanders doctors advised sitting him against the Giants. At 3-10, it may make sense for the Commanders to shut Daniels down for the season, but that isn’t the plan right now.
“As far as what decisions are ahead, we havent gone down that road,” Quinn said (via JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports). “He’s working really hard to get back with the guys.”
After going second in the draft last year, Daniels started in every Commanders game during a resurgent season for the franchise. Daniels starred during a 12-5 regular season and helped the Commanders advance to the NFC championship game, which they lost to the Eagles.
Expectations were that Daniels and the Commanders would build on last season’s success in 2025. However, several key injuries have played a role in torpedoing their chances. Daniels has already missed six games as a result of knee, hamstring, and elbow ailments.
Losers of eight in a row, the Commanders will turn back to Mariota for at least another week. Mariota, also a former second overall pick, re-signed with Washington last offseason on a one-year, $8MM deal. The 32-year-old has completed 62.9% of throws with nine touchdowns, seven interceptions, 7.2 yards per attempt, and an 84.8 passer rating in nine games (six starts). As a competent backup, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Commanders re-sign Mariota again in the next few months, especially considering Daniels’ injury woes this year.
Commanders To Start Marcus Mariota In Week 8
Jayden Daniels‘ rocky second season will endure another absence. Due to a hamstring strain suffered in Week 7, the standout Commanders quarterback will take a seat for at least a game. Marcus Mariota will draw the start against the Chiefs on Monday night, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Daniels missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a knee injury and Washington went 1-1 with Mariota under center. Daniels played well upon his return, but did not finish the Commanders’ Week 7 loss.
In his first start, Mariota led the offense to 41 points against a below-average Raiders defense. His performance dipped in his next game, but the Commanders still put up 27 points against the Falcons, who have allowed the second-fewest yards and eighth-fewest points this season. The Chiefs, Mariota’s next opponent, rank among the top five teams in both categories in another impressive season from Steve Spagnuolo‘s unit. A hot Kansas City offense could also put up a lot of points against a Commanders defense that has allowed at least 24 points in five of their seven games.
An MRI on Monday revealed that Daniels did not suffer a long-term injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but it still seems like a multi-game absence is on the table. The Commanders play the Lions and the Seahawks in Weeks 7 and 8 before traveling to Madrid to play the Dolphins. That trip could factor into Washington’s approach to Daniels’ return. If he misses their next two games, the team may not want him to return amid the hassles and hiccups of an overseas game. With a bye the next week, though, Daniels’ would not be able to play until Week 11, giving him enough time to heal but missing two games against NFC contenders and an unpredictable matchup in Spain. Those could all be tough matchups for Mariota.
Injury concerns were one of the pre-draft knocks on Daniels due to his lean build and somewhat reckless running style. He played through multiple injuries as a rookie and started all 17 games, but he will now miss his third game with his second injury of the year. That could do serious damage to the Commanders’ playoff chances, especially with what could be a tough post-bye schedule.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Leaves Game With Hamstring Injury
The Commanders were just beginning to enjoy the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels after a two-week absence earlier in the season, but they may be looking at another absence in Daniels’ sophomore campaign. Daniels was knocked out of today’s game in Dallas with a hamstring injury, and there’s a chance the injury could affect him long term.
After playing through fractured ribs in his rookie season, Daniels has spent quite a bit of his sophomore campaign working to get healthy. He first appeared on the injury report in Week 2 with a reported injury to the wrist on his throwing hand. He would play in that game, but he would come away from it with a knee sprain that would cause him to miss the next two games. Daniels was eventually able to return to the field, though, and continued to look like his usual, mobile self.
Things took a turn in today’s loss to the Cowboys, though, when linebacker Shemar James strip-sacked him, and Daniels was left on the ground grabbing at the back of his leg. The team took Daniels straight to the blue medical tent to be evaluated, and he was eventually seen jogging to the locker room. While seeing him put active weight on his leg seemed a good sign, he was soon diagnosed with a hamstring injury and listed as questionable to return, getting ruled out for the rest of the game 30 minutes later.
There may be nothing to fret about yet, but the team has scheduled an MRI for Monday in order to determine the severity of Daniels’ injury, per JP Finlay of NBC Sports. The fact that they find an MRI necessary at all could be cause for concern. If bad enough, hamstring injuries can easily require multi-week recoveries, which means Daniels could be in danger of missing even more time this year.
If the MRI brings back unfortunate results, Washington does employ one of the league’s more formidable backup quarterbacks. By the time Marcus Mariota entered today’s game, a 41-15 deficit was too much to overcome. Earlier in the season, though, Mariota split his two spot starts, winning big against the Raiders at home but losing by a touchdown in Atlanta. In those two starts, he completed just under 65 percent of his pass attempts for three touchdowns and an interception. He added another touchdown on the ground, along with 60 yards on eight carries.
Washington will hope for the best news to come out of tomorrow’s MRI, but either way, they will have a quarterback who can give them a chance to win games. With a 3-4 record and a daunting three-game stretch on the horizon, there’s very little room for error if the Commanders want to make the playoffs. We’ll likely find out over the next couple of days whether or not it will be Daniels behind center for a Monday night trip to Kansas City followed by back-to-back home games against the Seahawks and Lions.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Receives Medical Clearance, To Return In Week 5
OCTOBER 3: To no surprise, the Commanders announced on Friday that Daniels will play this week. Washington (2-2 on the year) will take on the Chargers Sunday with expectations for increased production on offense.
OCTOBER 1: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced on Wednesday (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones) that quarterback Jayden Daniels was medically cleared for full participation at practice.
Daniels has been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury suffered in Week 2. The Commanders went 1-1 in his absence with Marcus Mariota under center.
The veteran quarterback was efficient in Week 3, though 14 of Washington’s 41 points had little to do with Mariota. One touchdown was a 60-yard rush by running back Jeremy McNichols; another was a 90-yard punt return by rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane. Mariota was not as effective in Week 5, though the Commanders still scored 24 points against a sneaky-good Falcons defense.
Mariota’s performance showed exactly why he is among the league’s top backups. He was a fine caretaker of the Commanders offense, but Daniels no doubt offers a much higher ceiling of play through the air and on the ground. Returning to full participation this week is an excellent sign for his chances to play in Week 5, provided that he doesn’t experience a setback in practice.
Quinn did not have any concrete updates on other injured players like Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, and John Bates, saying (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic) that all three are “trending up” and “making good progress.”
Commanders Rule Out Jayden Daniels For Week 4; QB Expected To Return In Week 5
SEPTEMBER 28: Daniels is expected to return for Washington’s Week 5 game against the Chargers, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Rapoport says Daniels’ workout on Saturday went well.
SEPTEMBER 27: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave some updates on Daniels and McLaurin this morning. Fowler confirmed Reed’s report from yesterday that Daniels is pushing to play, but the medical and coaching staffs view his knee injury as a mobility issue. Per Fowler, if Daniels’ legs didn’t add so much to his game, the Commanders may be willing to stick him back there and force him to be a pocket passer for a few games until healthy. Instead, they’re opting to give him more time to heal his knee, so that he’ll be able to deliver a more complete product upon his return and avoid the disaster of further injury that the franchise has seen in the past.
While there’s a decent chance Daniels could return for Week 5, the question marks remain that week for McLaurin. While Fowler has been told that Fowler will not go on injured reserve, he’s still week-to-week without a clear timetable for a return.
SEPTEMBER 26: The Commanders ruled out star quarterback Jayden Daniels for their Week 4 matchup with the Falcons, per Tashan Reed of The Washington Post.
That decision will position Marcus Mariota to start for the second week in a row, this time facing his former team. He impressed against the Raiders last Sunday, completing 15 of his 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. He also added 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground as he led Washington’s offense to 34 points.
Daniels was pushing to play this week, per Reed, telling reporters on Wednesday that he feels back to full strength after spraining his knee in Week 2. He was absent from Friday’s practice but participated in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. When asked about his activity level, he said that he did “enough to feel good if I play on Sunday.”
However, he admitted that his status would be “up to the doctors,” adding, “It’s not my decision.”
Despite concerns about Daniels’ propensity to take big hits as a runner, the 2024 first-round pick played through an October chest injury to start all 17 games as a rookie. Despite an apparent desire to do the same this year, the Commanders are taking a more cautious approach with their franchise quarterback.
Washington’s passing game will also be without multiple receivers on Sunday. As expected, Terry McLaurin was ruled out with a quad injury, and Noah Brown is likely to miss his second game in a row. The Commanders will need Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, and Jaylin Lane to step up alongside Deebo Samuel, who leads the team in receptions.
The Commanders did get some encouraging news for their offense on Friday with rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt returning to practice after missing the last two days. His availability would be crucial to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
McLaurin did not practice at all this week, while RB JCM returned to practice on Friday and would be crucial on Sunday to a Commanders backfield that lost Austin Ekeler to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
Commanders To Start QB Marcus Mariota In Week 3
Jayden Daniels did not miss a game during his rookie season and was on the field for the first two contests of the Commanders’ 2025 schedule. His streak of availability has now come to an end, however.
Daniels suffered a knee sprain in Washington’s Week 2 loss, leaving his status in doubt for the team’s upcoming game against the Raiders. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. He did take part on a limited basis this morning, but to little surprise head coach Dan Quinn ruled him out shortly thereafter (h/t Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic).
With Daniels unavailable, Marcus Mariota will get the start for Week 3. The veteran will have Josh Johnson in place as his backup against Vegas. Mariota handled first-team reps during practice this week in preparation for his first start as a Commander. The former No. 2 pick spent last season in the nation’s capital but played only 100 snaps filling in for Daniels.
Mariota will make his 75th career regular season start on Sunday. The game will allow him to play against one of his former teams, as the 31-year-old spent the 2020 and ’21 campaigns with Vegas. Following that Raiders stint, Mariota started for the Falcons over a 13-game stretch before being benched; he then spent one year as the Eagles’ backup before signing with Washington.
That $6MM pact was followed up by an $8MM one in March. Mariota took a one-year deal both times, so he is a pending free agent. Needless to say, his market value will be largely dictated by his performances while handling QB1 duties. How long Mariota remains atop the depth chart will be an interesting story to follow.
Quinn said a cautious approach will be taken with Daniels as he recovers. Especially given the timing of his injury, the 1-1 team will no doubt engage in a slow-moving process with its franchise quarterback while looking to repeat last year’s deep postseason run. Daniels will be a major factor in that effort, but only after retuning to game action.
Commanders To Re-Sign QB Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota will remain in Washington for the 2025 campaign. The journeyman quarterback has a new Commanders agreement in place, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. 
This will be a one-year pact worth $8MM, Pelissero adds. That marks a slight raise compared to Mariota’s first Commanders contract. After a successful year backing up Jayden Daniels, he will do so again next season.
Pelissero notes Mariota drew interest from outside teams, but he turned that down to remain in the nation’s capital. The former No. 2 pick bounced around the league following his five-year run with the Titans, spending time with the Raiders, Falcons and Eagles before signing with the Commanders last offseason. Mariota made just three appearances in 2024, but he gave the team a veteran mentor for Daniels as he put together an exceptional rookie campaign.
Daniels’ strong play ensured Mariota would have needed to head elsewhere if he intended to compete for a starting gig. The 31-year-old’s last stint atop a depth chart came with the Falcons in 2022, when his passer rating (88.2) fell short of his career average. Failing to secure a long-term opportunity as a starter in Atlanta set Mariota up for a one-year spell as the Eagles’ backup prior to his intra-divisional move to the Commanders last spring.
That signing was seen as an indication the Commanders’ preference was to select Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the draft given Mariota’s mobility. Washington did indeed go in that direction, and the team’s success on offense led to renewed head coaching interest for OC Kliff Kingsbury. The former Cardinals coach ultimately withdrew from the 2025 hiring cycle, citing his satisfaction of working with Daniels. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, Daniels will have both his offensive coordinator and QB2 back with him next season.
As expected, the first two days of the negotiating window brought about considerable movement at the quarterback position. That has continued into Wednesday, with the official start of free agency looming this afternoon. Mariota’s decision to remain in place has taken one more veteran passer off the market.