What will the Washington Commanders do to fill their backup quarterback role in 2026?
Among the long list of questions for Washington Commanders to answer this offseason is the quarterback position.
Not the starting job, of course.
Head coach Dan Quinn pointed to the reps available to Jayden Daniels as the team monitored his health to start December in anticipation of a late season return before ultimately shutting him down for the final three games.
That put Washington in a familiar spot after turning back to Marcus Mariota, who was already in and out of the lineup all season for the Commanders.
That may be its own question as Jayden Daniels works to get back to full strength amid hopes of a second full season in 2026, but the injury gave head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and the rest of the staff a chance to evaluate the rest of the room ahead of multiple free agency decisions in the offseason.
But it's been a mixed bag for Mariota, who is 2-6 as a starter with the two wins against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, two teams battling for the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While Mariota has tossed ten touchdowns to five interceptions in eight games, he also threw for over 250 yards just once - a 294-yard game that came off an overtime loss with 50 pass attempts.
He's also recorded at least one turnover in five of his six starts while in a pair of relief appearances against Dallas and Minnesota, Mariota completed under 50% of his passes for just 93 yards and a pair of interceptions.
It hasn't been solely on Mariota, though.
Washington allowed over 400 yards in four of his eight starts - including 546 yards of offense in a 44-22 loss against Detroit that led Dan Quinn to take over defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s role as play caller.
"When something's not working, we shift from the question of why isn't it working to what do we need to do to get it right? Right now, that'll call for some change," Quinn said.
It hasn't led to much given the defense is fresh off allowing 480 total yards of offense against Dallas in a 30-23 loss on Christmas Day.
While Washington signed Jeff Driskel off Arizona's practice squad to join Josh Johnson in the starting quarterback battle ahead of the week 17 game, the reality is both could revert back to the practice squad in 2026 once the Commanders stabilize the position. How Sam Hartman, who Quinn pointed to as a candidate to make his first NFL start in the regular season finale, factors into next year's quarterback room also remains to be seen with his production limited to the preseason after two seasons with the organization.
While his status for week 18 is also unclear with Quinn opting to take a patient approach, Marcus Mariota's likely final appearance with the team delivered some of the good that fans have seen this season. Washington actually led Philadelphia at the time Mariota exited the game with a concussion, hand and hamstring injury with his hamstring now the determining factor in next week's availability.
If Mariota is available with Washington now benefitting from the short week, then giving him the start makes sense over the available crop of quarterbacks in D.C. The lineup he could take the field with will likely look different than the last time after Tyler Biadaasz suffered both a knee and ankle injury in the loss, a blow for a unit without Laremy Tunsil against Dallas and without Sam Cosmi for the final two games. While running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a late scratch, Washington's top skill players remain available with a chance for Mariota to put together an encouraging performance against an Eagles team that could turn to resting its starters, though seeding remains up for grabs.
While one game may not teach you something you didn't already know, a strong showing should he be available could be what fuels momentum around a third season with the organization. For a front office set to watch 29 players enter free agency, a strong showing in the season finale could fuel momentum for an easy and early offseason win for general manager Adam Peters to address one of several question marks. But maybe a return hinges on the status of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury with all eyes on whether he stays or goes.