Two preseason games. Back-to-back strong outings. A seventh-round rookie is making Sam Hartman's roster spot impossible to justify ahead of the Washington Commanders opening the 2026 regular season
Marcus Mariota sprained his MCL four plays into the preseason opener against Miami and hasn't been back since. What was supposed to be a quiet developmental QB battle between Sam Hartman and seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis has suddenly become a meaningful roster decision — and through two preseason games, the rookie is winning, and it isn't particularly close.
Game 1 vs. Miami
When Kaliakmanis took over in the second half against the Dolphins, the game was already in garbage time — which means he was working against Miami's backups. That context is worth noting. But the production was real regardless. He went 6-of-10 for 87 yards, posted an 88.3 passer rating, and put together multiple chunk completions in the intermediate game — including a 28-yarder to Jacoby Jones and a 17-yard strike to Colson Yankoff. He didn't turn the ball over. In a game where Hartman threw an interception on a late red-zone throw, Kaliakmanis was the cleaner, more composed quarterback from the moment he took the field.
Game 2 vs. Detroit
The game against the Lions stood out even more to me. Kaliakmanis completed 11 of 14 passes for 162 yards — outgaining every other quarterback on the field — and posted a 114.9 passer rating despite operating behind an offensive line that was actively crumbling around him. He took zero sacks. He attacked the defense downfield with consistency and executed Blough's play-action concepts with a comfort level that looked more like a second-year starter than a seventh-round rookie in his second NFL game. He clearly outplayed Hartman in a game where the entire purpose was to evaluate exactly that question.
They rotated drives, and the offense just did not operate smoothly with Hartman at the helm. His second-quarter sack-fumble didn't help his case, and the drives produced short gains. Kaliakmanis generated 162 yards and repeatedly attacked the defense downfield. The contrast was visible to anyone watching.
The Combined Case
Put the two games together and the gap is significant. Kaliakmanis has completed 17 of 24 passes for 249 yards, averaging 10.38 yards per attempt with zero interceptions and an aggregate passer rating that reflects a quarterback playing with confidence rather than just managing the game. His 10.38 yards per attempt is elite by any standard — in the regular season, that number would rank among the best in the NFL. It's preseason, yes. But the traits it reflects — arm talent, intermediate accuracy, downfield aggressiveness, comfort in the pocket — don't disappear when the games start counting.
The scheme fit matters too. David Blough's offense is built on play-action, RPOs, and rollouts that require a quarterback who can plant and drive the ball downfield from unconventional platforms. Kaliakmanis looks more comfortable after two preseason games than Hartman has in three years of being in the building.
The Commanders have every reason to carry three quarterbacks this season after last year's disaster, when Daniels missed four games and Washington had to cycle through Mariota and Josh Johnson just to stay afloat. If Washington keeps three, Kaliakmanis needs to be the third (and there may be an argument for him to be the backup).
Hartman has been in this building since 2024 and has never done enough to hold the job. A seventh-round rookie just outplayed him in back-to-back preseason games. The decision should be easy.
17 of 24. 249 yards. 10.38 yards per attempt. Zero turnovers. Give Kaliakmanis the job.
