After losing Jayden Daniels and then backup Marcus Mariota to injury, the Washington Commanders were running thin at quarterback. To address the situation, they signed Jeff Driskel off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.

As reported by NFL reporter Ben Standig, “The Commanders are signing QB Jeff Driskel off the Cardinals practice squad, per source. Driskel served as Washington’s QB3 last season. Now back as a depth piece with Marcus Mariota (hand) uncertain for Week 17 and Jayden Daniels sidelined.”

Backup Mariota went down with a hand injury in Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping the Commanders to a 4-11 record. He was covering for starter Daniels, who has now been declared out of the remaining season due to a dislocated left elbow. Josh Johnson replaced Mariota and finished the game with 5-of-9 pass attempts for 43 yards and an interception. 

As the quarterback room narrowed down to Johnson and Sam Hartman (practice squad), head coach Dan Quinn knew he had to do something. Following the game, he confirmed that the front office is seeking outside reinforcement, which is Driskel. 

“The first two options are the ones you were leading into of Josh [Johnson] and Sam [Hartman],” said Quinn. “Would we consider somebody else coming in if he’s not able to? Yeah, all those are on the table. That’s something that Adam [Peters] and I are discussing tonight, and we did today. But yeah, option A and B, as you had said, but not C.” 

Though the season is already out of Washington’s hands, they want a win against the divisional rival, the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 17. That’s why Driskel’s signing made all the headlines.

The veteran quarterback has a carousel of teams on his resume; most recently, the Arizona Cardinals signed him on November 6. Earlier in his career, Jeff Driskel also spent time with the Cleveland Browns, adding to his league-wide experience. However, he spent last season in Washington only, so the familiarity may turn in favor of the team. Even so, it would still be a long shot to expect Driskel to play against the Cowboys, considering he’s been on the practice squad for some time. 

Marcus Mariota’s injury update

Unlike second-year quarterback Daniels, Mariota’s injury hasn’t been declared season-ending just yet. He sustained it in the third quarter while throwing a third-down incompletion to wide receiver Treylon Burks. The Commanders’ medical staff was seen following Mariota as he jogged to the locker room with his hand draped in a towel. 

“I’ll give you a better update tomorrow on that [and] what it looks like in terms of preparation for the week,” said head coach Quinn. “But again, I haven’t visited with the medical guys or Marcus specifically.” 

The latest update reveals that the quarterback has cleared the concussion protocol, but a return timeline hasn’t been decided yet. Besides hurting his hand, which has resulted in swelling, Mariota also sustained a quad injury and is being observed on a day-to-day basis. Even if he didn’t return by Week 18 against Philly, Quinn has confirmed that the team still wouldn’t look at Daniels. Instead, Johnson or Hartman (now Driskel) will have to cover.

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