Athan

Kaliakmanis

Mariota’s absence leaves QB3 Athan Kaliakmanis as the team’s top backup behind Jayden Daniels, who is returning from his Week 2 elbow dislocation. Mariota does not need to be rostered in 12-team superflex leagues.

The Commanders were forced to go to rookie seventh-rounder Athan Kaliakmanis after Mariota went down in yesterday’s game. Mariota sprained the MCL in the same knee during the preseason, and it would be surprising if Mariota was cleared in time for Week 5’s game against the Giants. If he’s unable to play, Kaliakmanis could make his first career start if Jayden Daniels (elbows) isn’t ready to return. Daniels traveled with the team to London for last week’s game and was limited in all three practices. He seemed close to playing against the Colts, and with the Commanders sitting at 1-3 and their season potentially on the line, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did suit up in a pivotal divisional matchup against the Giants.

Marcus Mariota suffered a knee injury at the end of the Commanders’ second drive. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game, resulting in Kaliakmanis’ first NFL action. He tried to chuck it deep like Mariota has done so far, but the results weren’t nearly as pretty. He averaged 5.3 yards per attempt and completed 45.5 percent of his passes. Kaliakmanis did find Treylon Burks for a 47-yard bomb in the third quarter, so it wasn’t all bad. Mariota is likely out next week, but Jayden Daniels has a good shot at returning. Assuming he does, Kaliakmanis will return to backup duties versus the Giants.

Kaliakmanis, who threw for 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his final season at Rutgers, was 25th among all college QBs last season in EPA per drop back. His adjusted yards per attempt increased every year in college, finishing just below 9, a respectable mark. Kaliakmanis started his college career at Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers in 2024. He’ll try to crack the Washington roster this summer.