At least the Washington Commanders have a backup who understands the offense.
So often, when an NFL team loses its starting quarterback, the backup is limited physically and/or mentally because it lacks the necessary handle on the offense, since the quarterback position, more than any other, depends on getting enough reps in practice.
On Monday, head coach Dan Quinn was asked about Marcus Mariota’s knowledge of the new offense under Blough. "No doubt about it, that it is," Quinn said, referring to Mariota’s experience being a help in this situation. “I think the biggest thing is, what do you want to feature with Marcus that you didn’t with Jayden?”
The Commanders have Mariota to back up Jayden Daniels. Mariota has seen enough action in 2024 and 2025
with Washington that the team believes in Mariota. Also, the fact that Mariota has been here three seasons working with and under then-quarterback coach and now current offensive coordinator David Blough is a helpful factor.
Yes, most of the offense will be the same, but Blough will understandably focus more on what Mariota does well if the Commanders want their best shot at offensive success. So you might see more read-option with Mariota because it has been a strength of his during his NFL career.
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Quinn pointed to some of the leadership experience Mariota has gained over his 105 regular-season NFL games.
“Some of the things I liked in this game were our guys getting in and out quickly to the line. No pull back or any of that space with Marcus. So, we’re fortunate in that way that he’s put in all of the same timelines and guidelines with the players.”
Sunday, Daniels completed 11 of 17 for 96 yards in the first half, while rushing for 69 yards on seven carries. In the second half, Mariota completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and gained three yards on his lone rush. Each threw a touchdown pass, and neither threw an interception or was sacked.
“It won’t be exactly the same, but fortunately, they’ll have a lot of similarities.”
Mariota, like Daniels, is in his third season with the Commanders. He has appeared in 15 games for Washington, with eight starts.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders realize they're fortunate to have Marcus Mariota
