Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Not available for Week 17

Washington head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Mariota (hand/quadriceps) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Cowboys, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

With Mariota set to be sidelined due to the pair of injuries he sustained in last Saturday's 29-18 loss to the Eagles, Josh Johnson will be called upon to make his first start since the 2021 season. Meanwhile, newly signed Jeff Driskel will serve as Johnson's backup, and Washington plans to sign Sam Hartman off its practice squad to serve as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback, per John Keim of ESPN.com. According to Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C., Quinn said he still has hope that Mariota will be able to return for the Commanders' Jan. 4 regular-season finale in Philadelphia, though Mariota's availability will hinge on what he's able to do in practice next week.