Coach Dan Quinn confirmed Monday that Mariota has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee, and the quarterback's recovery timeline is to be determined, Ben Standig of The Team 980 Washington D.C. reports.
Meanwhile, Quinn expects Jayden Daniels (left elbow) to have a full week of practice and return to action this coming Sunday against the Giants, per Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site. When it comes to Mariota, the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Colts in London typically is a multi-week injury, meaning seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis likely will be the backup signal-caller to Daniels in Week 5 and even beyond that point.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Sustains MCL sprain in London
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Mariota has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee after he was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Colts in London, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.
As expected, Mariota is dealing with a recurrence of the same injury that he sustained during Washington's preseason opener back on Aug. 14. Mariota was able to resume practicing fully before the start of the regular season, but he'll need to miss some time following his latest aggravation. The 32-year-old had started both of the Commanders' previous two games while Jayden Daniels (elbow) was sidelined, but Daniels is expected to practice fully in Week 5 and could be ready to start Sunday versus the Giants. If Daniels is cleared to play next weekend, rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis would step in for Mariota as the Commanders' No. 2 quarterback.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Aggravates MCL injury in Week 4
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Mariota (knee), who was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Colts in London, is set to undergo further tests after suffering an aggravation of the right MCL sprain he initially sustained in the Commanders' second preseason game, Molly McGrath reported on the NFL Network broadcast.
Mariota ultimately moved past the injury ahead of the start of the regular season, but he'll most likely have to miss time after experiencing another setback in Week 4. The 32-year-old made a second straight start in place of the injured Jayden Daniels (elbow), completing three of four pass attempts for 46 yards and carrying once for 35 yards before leaving the game midway through the first quarter. Athan Kaliakmanis took over under center following Mariota's departure, but Kaliakmanis could move back to the No. 2 role if Mariota ends up being sidelined for the Commanders' Week 5 game against the Giants. Daniels was a limited participant in practice throughout Week 4 and may be ready to take back starting duties in Week 5 if he isn't hindered by his dislocated left elbow.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Won't return Sunday
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Mariota (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Colts in London, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.
Mariota left the game midway through the first quarter, after he appeared to injure his right knee on a sack. With Jayden Daniels (elbow) inactive for a second straight game and with Mariota -- who previously dealt with an MCL sprain in the same knee during the preseason -- set to miss the final two quarters of Sunday's contest, rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis will be the lone healthy quarterback available for Washington. Mariota will finish Week 4 with three completions on four attempts for 46 yards and one carry for 35 yards.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Managing knee injury, uncertain to return
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The Commanders list Mariota as questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Colts in London due to a knee injury.
Mariota appeared to injure his right knee when he was sacked with 7:05 remaining in the first quarter. As Tashan Reed of The Washington Post notes, Mariota dealt with an MCL sprain in the same knee during the preseason, but it's unclear at this point whether he's dealing with any sort of related setback. With Jayden Daniels (elbow) inactive for a second straight game, the Commanders would be left with Athan Kaliakmanis as their lone healthy quarterback if Mariota is unable to continue. Reserve tight end Colson Yankoff would be an emergency option at quarterback for Washington if Kaliakmanis also departs with an injury at any point, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Makes visit to locker room Sunday
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Mariota sustained an undisclosed injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Colts in London and headed to the locker room for further evaluation, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.
Making a second straight start in place of Jayden Daniels (elbow), Mariota completed three of four pass attempts for 46 yards and ran once for a 35-yard gain before he appeared to get hurt on a third-down sack with 7:05 remaining in the quarter. Athan Kaliakmanis came on to replace Mariota under center on the Commanders' next possession.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Sleeper QBs
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Jayden Daniels (elbow) is out, which means Mariota will start in Week 4 against the Colts in London, and this is a great matchup. Mariota just scored 26.4 Fantasy points in Week 3 against Seattle, and he has now scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five of his past nine starts for the Commanders, going back to last season. Indianapolis has allowed two of three quarterbacks this season to score at least 26.9 Fantasy points, and Mariota should be considered a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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Mariota would be No. 1 on this list if he were guaranteed to start in Week 4 against the Colts, but Jayden Daniels (elbow) is expected to practice, which gives him a chance to play. That said, if Mariota does start against Indianapolis, then he's worth using as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues and should be added for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAAB. Mariota just scored 26.4 Fantasy points in Week 3 against Seattle, and the Colts are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this year.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Fires three TDs in Week 3 upset
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Mariota completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 33-31 win over the Seahawks. He added 11 rushing yards on five carries.
The veteran quarterback got his first start in place of Jayden Daniels (elbow) and while Mariota didn't produce a lot of yardage against one of the top defenses in the league, he came up big when it counted, Mariota found Rachaad White for a six-yard score and Treylon Burks for an 11-yard TD in the first quarter, before connecting with Terry McLaurin for a 30-yard touchdown in the third. Daniels could be back as soon as Week 5 but Mariota will get at least one more start, at home in Week 4 against the Colts.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Jayden Daniels (elbow) isn't expected to play in Week 3, and we'll see how long he's out after getting injured in Week 2 at Dallas. Mariota will start in his place, and he did well for Daniels in 2025, scoring at least 20 Fantasy points in four of eight starts. Mariota also had four games with at least 40 rushing yards, and he could be a low-end starter in deeper, one-quarterback leagues heading into Week 3 against Seattle. He should be added in those leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAAB. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Mariota is worth adding for at least 20 percent.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Looks set to start Week 3
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Mariota is expected to start Sunday's game against Seattle while the Commanders continue to gather more information on the severity of Jayden Daniels' dislocated left elbow, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
After Daniels injured his elbow on the Commanders' final snap of the second quarter of Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Cowboys, Mariota directed the offense for the second half and finished with 11 completions on 16 attempts for 111 yards and a touchdown to go with three yards on his lone carry. Though a recovery timeline for Daniels has yet to be established while he plans to consult with a number of experts over the next few days before deciding on a treatment plan, the same injury kept him out for seven of the Commanders' final eight games of the 2025 campaign. With that in mind, Mariota could very well be headed for a multi-game run as Washington's starter.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Solid numbers in emergency duty
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Mariota entered Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Cowboys to start the second half in place of Jayden Daniels (elbow) and completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions while rushing once for three yards.
As he's often done in his career, Mariota took the reins of the offense from an injured starter and put together solid numbers. However, the veteran signal-caller managed to lead Washington to only 10 second-half points after the Commanders had already gone into intermission with a 17-10 deficit. Mariota's one touchdown pass went to Stefon Diggs from 20 yards out with 9:03 remaining to bring the Commanders within 10 points, but the Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 83-yard march that culminated in CeeDee Lamb's second touchdown catch of the afternoon. Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports Daniels dislocated his left elbow Sunday as he did last season, and although an X-ray ruled out a fracture, Mariota is expected to be in line for a multi-game stint as the starting quarterback.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Back at practice
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Mariota (knee) returned to practice Monday, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Mariota missed the last two weeks of the preseason after suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee in the team's 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins on Aug. 14. The veteran QB will look to increase his workload at practice in the coming days in preparation to serve as the the Commanders' top reserve option behind Jayden Daniels again in 2026.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Diagnosed with sprained MCL
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Mariota is expected to miss the rest of the preseason due to a sprained MCL in his knee, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Mariota sustained the injury in the first quarter of the Commanders' 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday. Sam Hartman and undrafted rookie Athan Kaliakmanis are the other two reserve quarterbacks on the training camp roster, so the Commanders could look to acquire another QB via free agency or trade to provide depth behind Jayden Daniels. Mariota will focus on rehab and recovery over the next few weeks, and head coach Dan Quinn expressed optimism Sunday that Mariota will be available for the Commanders' regular-season opener against the Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Exits Friday's game
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Mariota left the first quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Dolphins due to an apparent right knee injury, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Mariota may have picked up the injury when he was hit by Tyrel Dodson right after a pass to Dyami Brown. Mariota initially stayed in but was favoring his right leg after handing the ball off to Kaytron Allen, and the veteran quarterback has gone to the locker room to undergo further tests, per Jhabvala. Sam Hartman has taken over as the Commanders' quarterback following Mariota's departure.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Ruled out
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Mariota (hand/quad) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.
Josh Johnson will start for a second straight week. There's been no indication that Mariota's injury will be a problem this offseason, and he's been a good fit in Kliff Kingsbury's offense as the backup to Jayden Daniels (elbow). Still, there's some chance Mariota doesn't return to Washington, as he's currently on a one-year contract and thus can become an unrestricted free agent in March.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Misses another practice
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Mariota (hand) did not practice Thursday.
Mariota is considered doubtful for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Eagles, so it's unsurprising to see him once again listed as a non-participant. The expectation is that Washington will roll with Josh Johnson under center versus Philadelphia on Sunday.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Not practicing, considered doubtful
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Mariota (hand/quad) didn't practice Wednesday and remains a "long shot" for Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
The term "long shot" comes directly from coach Dan Quinn, who is preparing his team for another week with QB Josh Johnson as the starter.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Looking unlikely for Week 18
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Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Mariota (hand/quadriceps) is "a stretch" to be available for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Eagles but has not been ruled out yet, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Mariota has not resumed practicing since suffering a pair of injuries during Washington's loss to the Eagles in Week 16, which paved the way for Josh Johnson to start versus the Cowboys in Week 17. Per Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C., Quinn said Mariota is not yet moving at full speed, and Zach Selby of the team's official site confirms that the veteran quarterback wasn't able to make it through Monday's walkthrough. If Mariota doesn't play Week 18, Johnson will close out the 2025 campaign under center for the Commanders.
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Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Absent from practice again
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Mariota (hand/quadriceps) was a non-participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice.
With Mariota going down as a non-participant on the second consecutive Commanders practice report, he would appear unlikely to be available to play Thursday against the Cowboys. In preparation of a potential Mariota absence for Week 17, the Commanders signed Jeff Driskel off the Cardinals' practice squad Monday to bolster their depth at quarterback, but Josh Johnson is trending toward making his first start of the season and his first since 2021, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Johnson came on in relief of a banged-up Mariota in this past Saturday's 29-18 loss to the Eagles.
