Do Washington Commanders Need To Sign New Backup Quarterback?

After a trip to London, the Washington Commanders return to Northwest Stadium with questions at quarterback once again.

Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that veteran Marcus Mariota suffered an MCL sprain in the week four loss against the Colts in London, becoming the latest in a string of injuries at the position dating back to the 2025 season. The urgency to address the top of the room may not be the same as it was even a few weeks ago, much less during 2025 after Jayden Daniels appeared in only seven games, but there are still questions to answer ahead of week five.

Only now, Mariota's absence comes with a caveat given Jayden Daniels could be inching closer toward a week five return after traveling with the team to London before being ruled out following Friday's practice. Though tight end Colson Yankoff served as the new emergency quarterback once Mariota went down, Washington turned to seventh round pick Athan Kaliakmanis to replace Mariota as he completed 15 of his 33 attempts while throwing for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Kaliakmanis will be available to stabilize the room in week five with the hope that Daniels anchors the room once more, yet given the Commanders have already watched its starting quarterback go down in two of the first four games in 2026, whether an addition needs to be made is the question.

The irony? A familiar name looms as an available option given 33 year old Jeff Driskel, who also joined the Commanders' practice squad to close last season, is an available name. Jimmy Garoppolo and Brandon Allen are two others who remain available, albeit both have limited experience over the last two seasons to add a question whether they would serve as viable stopgaps. Could Washington pull a page from last season's book and sign someone off another team's practice squad? Josh Johnson, who started the final two games of last season, is on the Bengals' practice squad to serve as a low risk move.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday morning that the Commanders worked out quarterback Jack Plummer, who briefly spent time with the Carolina Panthers but has yet to attempt an pass in a regular season game, adding question whether he's a truly viable backup option.

The upside is unlike Washington, the question isn't about finding an answer atop the unit, rather ensuring depth is in place as offensive coordinator David Blough looks to find consistency ahead of the bye week. Yet given the ongoing important that the Commanders' backup quarterback has played over the last two seasons, it poses the latest in-season question for general manager Adam Peters to address.

The Commanders are set for their third divisional matchup of the season when they host the New York Giants for a 1 PM kickoff this Sunday, Oct. 11 in week five.