Who is going to be the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys? That’s the main question for the organization this week, and the Commanders are taking their time to make a decision.
Here’s one thing we know: it won’t be Jayden Daniels, who the organization shut down for the final three games to let his elbow heal and head into the offseason as healthy as possible. Although the Commanders’ situation isn’t ideal, it doesn’t seem like they will walk back from that decision, which means the Commanders will need to examine other options between now and Thursday.
Let’s lay them all out here and provide the latest news on each of them.
Mariota left the game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half with a multitude of injuries that included a cut on his hand and a quad injury as well as being evaluated for a concussion. The hand is the team’s primary concern at this point; Mariota got stitches in his right hand following the injury, but there is swelling that the team wants to monitor throughout the week. Mariota is considered day-to-day, per Quinn.
For now, it’s entirely possible that Mariota could end up starting against the Cowboys. Aside from Daniels, he gives them the best chance to win if healthy and knows the offense, which highlights some of his best qualities. However, Mariota was not at practice on Monday, and there is little indication that he will practice for the rest of the week. It might be difficult for Mariota to prepare to start without many, if any reps before Christmas.
The Commanders haven’t revealed the severity of the injury to Mariota’s throwing hand, but they are preparing for the possibility that they’ll need to look elsewhere for a starter this week.