The Washington Commanders were down to their third-string quarterback, rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis, in Sunday’s Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Kaliakmanis played reasonably well at times, but Washington couldn’t get any breaks and couldn’t run the ball.
Kaliakmanis entered the game after backup quarterback Marcus Mariota injured his knee in the first quarter. With starter Jayden Daniels already out with a dislocated left elbow, it was Kaliakmanis’s time. After the Commanders returned home from London, they received good news about Mariota. It was a sprained MCL. Given how it looked, that’s great news.
Mariota’s situation led the Commanders to bring in another quarterback for a workout this week. Washington hosted Jack
Plummer for a workout this week, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. While the workout reportedly went well, news about Mariota led the Commanders to stick with their current group, which also includes practice squad quarterback Sam Hartman.
Plummer, 26, began his career at Purdue, where he was a teammate of Washington offensive coordinator David Blough in 2018. Blough was the starting quarterback, while Plummer was a freshman. Current NFL quarterback Aidan O’Connell was also on that roster. After four seasons at Purdue, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Plummer transferred to California for one season before finishing his collegiate career at Louisville.
Plummer was the full-time starter at both Cal and Louisville and finished his college career with 47 games played, 39 starts, and a 64% completion rate, with 9,728 passing yards, 68 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions. He went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.
Plummer spent his rookie season on Carolina’s practice squad and was elevated to the 53-man roster late in the season. He did not appear in a game. The Panthers waived Plummer in August 2025.
Plummer was allocated to the Orlando Storm in the UFL, where he played in 10 games this spring, going 8-2 as a starter, passing for 2,189 yards with 17 touchdowns and only one interception. He was named the UFL MVP for the 2026 season.
More good news for the Commanders: Jayden Daniels returns to the starting lineup for Week 5 against the New York Giants. Kaliakmanis will serve as his backup until Mariota returns.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders recently worked out quarterback who was 2026 UFL MVP
