{"id":369525,"date":"2025-12-25T15:22:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369525\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T15:22:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:22:07","slug":"the-chaos-of-an-nfl-emergency-signing-you-got-to-roll-with-it-or-you-can-go-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/369525\/","title":{"rendered":"The chaos of an NFL emergency signing: \u2018You got to roll with it, or you can go home\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 Jeff Driskel didn\u2019t have enough time to unpack, let alone to unlearn everything he drilled the past seven weeks.<\/p>\n

In the span of 12 hours earlier this week, he went from being a practice squad quarterback standing on the sidelines during the Arizona Cardinals\u2019 Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, to becoming the Washington Commanders\u2019 impromptu backup<\/a> for their Christmas Day game against the Cowboys \u2014 with only three days to prep.<\/p>\n

He received word just minutes before kickoff Sunday, then hopped on a red-eye flight to the D.C. area Monday morning, landing just in time to take a physical and join the Commanders\u2019 morning meetings before taking the field for a walkthrough and then practice.<\/p>\n

His locker had yet to receive a nameplate and instead was designated by the two suitcases parked in front.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s way more common than people think,\u201d he said with a grin. \u201cYou get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such is the life of the emergency signing, players acquired on short notice to step in for depth or even a starting role and make it all somehow look seamless, as if they had practiced for months, not hours, with teammates whose names they\u2019ve yet to fully learn.<\/p>\n

Common? Sure \u2014 in the NFL, where injuries are all but guaranteed each weekend.<\/p>\n

But easy? Hardly. The trick is making it appear so. Behind the scenes, NFL teams do this weekly, with emergency lists of free agents and practice squad players, and a well-rehearsed operation involving staffers from multiple departments bringing in new players on a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n

The Indianapolis Colts did it earlier this month when they signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers<\/a> out of retirement and elevated him from the practice squad to start his first game in 1,800 days.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the Vikings did it after losing starter Kirk Cousins to an Achilles injury. They acquired Joshua Dobbs in a trade with the Cardinals and turned to him five days later, without him taking a single practice rep with the starters.<\/p>\n

Washington was home to another emergency addition in 2020, when quarterback Taylor Heinicke, a little-known reserve who was finishing up a mathematics degree while sleeping on his sister\u2019s couch, signed to the practice squad. Much like Dobbs in Minnesota, Heinicke quickly became a cult hero in Washington, throwing for 306 yards and one touchdown and running for another in a wild-card playoff loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

A year later, the Commanders signed quarterback Garrett Gilbert off the New England Patriots\u2019 practice squad to start a late-season game in Philadelphia \u2014 after he had only one practice with the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Garrett got here, fresh off the practice squad, the game plan was already in,\u201d receiver Terry McLaurin recounted. \u201cSo, he got here and now we\u2019re trying to get on the same page. That was probably the hardest situation I probably experienced, but then we went into the game against a great Philly team and completed deep balls and made it a competitive game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plucking a new guy off the street or off another team\u2019s practice squad is an almost daily occurrence in the NFL. But little about it feels routine to those involved.<\/p>\n

Driskel is the latest to experience it in Washington, but hardly the only one.<\/p>\n

Thirty\u00a0Washington players (including those who were already ruled out for Thursday\u2019s game) have missed a combined\u00a0139 games because of injuries, forcing the team\u2019s personnel and operations departments to find help in unique ways. They signed a contingency punter (Mitch Wishnowsky) for a few days, later brought in an emergency kicker, picked up a receiver and pass rusher minutes before boarding a flight to Spain, and added a long snapper (Zach Triner) for all of three days.<\/p>\n

Driskel arrived with a clear advantage over the others: familiarity.<\/p>\n

He spent the 2024 season with the Commanders as their third-string quarterback and was called back this week when Marcus Mariota suffered hand and quad injuries<\/a> in their loss to the Eagles. With Jayden Daniels, the team\u2019s true starter, shut down for the season, and Sam Hartman having zero regular-season snaps in his career (he signed to the active roster on Wednesday), Washington needed reinforcement for the final two games.<\/p>\n

Driskel is well-versed in Kliff Kingsbury\u2019s system and knows the staff and much of the roster.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t the case for him two years ago, when the Cleveland Browns signed him off the Cardinals\u2019 practice squad and he started several days later, in the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cleveland had already punched its ticket to the playoffs, so it opted to rest its starters for the last game and put it on Driskel\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not familiar with that building, so I had to introduce myself to everybody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Josh Johnson, who will start his first game in three years on Thursday when the Commanders host the Cowboys, knows the routine probably better than anyone, having been with a record 14 teams<\/a> in his 17-year pro football career. He was the late bloomer in high school, the non-scholarship quarterback in college, a fifth-round pick and the last QB on the initial depth chart as an NFL rookie. And in most of his years since, he\u2019s been the backup or emergency guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the opportunities that came for me, something happened \u2014 something went wrong with the starter or \u2026 something happened to the backup,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so for me, it\u2019s been a unique experience, but it\u2019s been one that I don\u2019t take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

But to be thrown in a game just days after arriving is undoubtedly difficult.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the Ravens plucked Johnson off the Jets\u2019 practice squad because Lamar Jackson was dealing with an ankle injury. Johnson started 11 days later, throwing for 304 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pick in a 41-21 loss to the Bengals.<\/p>\n

Johnson played the role of emergency QB again the following season with the San Francisco 49ers. He was Brock Purdy\u2019s backup a week after signing, then was tabbed as his replacement in the NFC Championship Game the following month.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first time getting in the huddle with the guys was in the NFC Championship,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\"Eagles<\/p>\n

\n Josh Johnson, right, was pressed into action during a Commanders loss to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. (Geoff Burke \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Which is exactly what he experienced last Saturday, when he came off the bench for the Commanders in the second half of their loss to the Eagles. Despite being with the team for eight months, the third quarter of that game was the first time he had been in a huddle with McLaurin and the first time Washington\u2019s starters heard his cadence. Third-string quarterbacks don\u2019t get first-team practice reps during the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not too much I can say or dictate or whatever, because we were in the fourth quarter of the game, the end of the game, and everybody was already in the flow,\u201d Johnson said of his 22 snaps against the Eagles. \u201cI\u2019m trying to get up to speed to them. So this week, I\u2019m just trying to go through the process and be as intentional with everything as possible so we can go out there and play fast and play well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping in as the emergency quarterback may be among the tougher tasks in the NFL. But being the new guy on short notice certainly isn\u2019t limited to that position.<\/p>\n

Washington, like every club, has a deep list of emergency replacements \u2014 free agents and practice squad players \u2014 that is updated continuously throughout the season and serves as its guide when players are lost to injury or illness.<\/p>\n

Timing matters, though. A lot.<\/p>\n

Injuries suffered during Sunday night, and especially Monday night, games can often make it more challenging for a team to arrange a workout and visit with a potential signing before other teams in need. And if he does come in for a workout, the later kickoff dictates a later arrival, later physical and later start for the player to get into a new routine.<\/p>\n

Few, if any players, had less time to prepare than Matthew Wright, the journeyman kicker who agreed to fly to Kansas City ahead of Washington\u2019s Monday night meeting with the Chiefs in Week 8.<\/p>\n

The Commanders\u2019 starter at the time, Matt Gay, informed the team days earlier that he was dealing with a back issue, which gave Washington enough time to find a contingency plan if he was unable to play.<\/p>\n

Wright has built a career on being an emergency replacement. He spent a brief period in San Francisco when Commanders general manager Adam Peters was its assistant general manager, and spent time in Detroit when Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark was the Lions\u2019 director of player personnel. He also had experience kicking at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the most notoriously difficult places to kick because of the weather and noise.<\/p>\n

Knowing Wright could be a contingency option, the Commanders\u2019 equipment managers made sure to bring the right helmet, pads, kicking cleats and a uniform in case he signed, according to team sources familiar with the operation. Wright flew to Kansas City that Sunday night, and on Monday morning, the day of the game, he underwent a physical and signed a practice squad contract at the team hotel. He was immediately elevated and on the field in a Commanders uniform hours later \u2014 but only for kickoffs and a single extra-point attempt, which he made. Washington didn\u2019t attempt any field goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to come here and get a win, you\u2019re not going to do it with a bunch of field goals,\u201d Quinn said after Washington\u2019s 28-7 loss that night. \u201cI knew that and we knew that. That was not a reflection on the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wright was released the following day.<\/p>\n

The logistics of bringing in a replacement player or a new guy for depth has become almost an everyday occurrence in the NFL. In Washington, the process is a multi-department collaboration, with the player personnel and football operations departments leading the way.<\/p>\n

Usually, it\u2019s a fairly standard ordeal \u2014 except when it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

Like when Washington was trounced by the Detroit Lions in a Sunday game that ended around 7:30 p.m. ET, and was on a plane to Madrid the next evening.<\/p>\n

The Commanders wanted to sign defensive end DeMarcus Walker, whom they worked out earlier, and receiver River Cracraft, who was with the team for a brief period during the preseason, to their practice squad for depth after injuries ravaged both positions.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to the international game, Washington\u2019s personnel and football operations departments made it a stipulation that they would consider only players with valid passports so they could travel with the team for its week-long stay in Spain.<\/p>\n

Walker had one, because he was expecting a workout with the Indianapolis Colts and they had requested two forms of identification to get him on the payroll. He happened to grab his passport as one, and then plans changed.<\/p>\n

Cracraft had his, too \u2014 but little else.<\/p>\n

He was in California when his agent called around 5 a.m. PT that Monday to share the news. The Commanders called shortly after and told him he had a flight at 7 a.m., leaving no time to pack a suitcase. So Cracraft grabbed a book bag and raced out the door, making his flight (and its connections). He arrived in time to take a physical and sign his contract in the hangar at Dulles International Airport before hopping on another flight with the team to Madrid.<\/p>\n

\"River<\/p>\n

\n River Cracraft (48) stretches before a Commanders practice in Madrid. (Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Knowing Cracraft would be\u00a0arriving with\u00a0very few of his belongings, co-equipment manager Justin Brooks brought additional sweats and team gear to get him through the week. And to help him get up to speed with the offense, receivers coach Bobby Engram and offensive assistant Andre Coleman often worked early and stayed late until Cracraft got comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like that\u2019s pretty rare, especially for a guy like me, being in the league for as long as I\u2019ve been and having been in different rooms now,\u201d Cracraft, 31, said. \u201cFor them to invest in a guy that comes in Week 11 \u2026 you just don\u2019t expect a lot of attention. So to get it was like, wow.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are few ways to make the emergency lifestyle an easy one in the NFL. Over a seven-day span, Cracraft spent more than a full 24 hours in the air, with trips to D.C., Spain, California and back to D.C. again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sleepless one,\u201d Johnson said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s very challenging. There\u2019s so much unknown. To me, you have to find a balance of accepting what it is and still going out there and trying to perform to the best of my ability. That\u2019s just the nature of the situation. \u2026 You got to roll with it, or you can go home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 Jeff Driskel didn\u2019t have enough time to unpack, let alone to unlearn everything he drilled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,349,99,3851],"class_list":{"0":"post-369525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-washington-commanders"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}