What characteristics does a backup quarterback need in the NFL?
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was asked about Marcus Mariota stepping in as the backup quarterback for starter Jayden Daniels.
“I think the nice part with Marcus is: does he have a real command of the things we need? There’s a specific way you have to go about it and what it takes to win. We hit that with the team today. With Marcus, he’s one who’s really in control. He has good vision of it- what it is, where to go. You can hear that type of communication with him.
That was evident Sunday against the Cowboys when Jayden Daniels went down on the final play of the first half. Dan Quinn said an official told him the half wouldn’t be extended, so the Commanders had to go
into the locker room. Quinn said the team was gutted emotionally, and that is understandable.
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Yet Mariota understood it was his role to help the team focus on the second half. Quinn said Mariota, who is close to Daniels, was very concerned for Daniels, yet he was leading the team in preparation for the second half.
Mariota was also a No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2015. He has played in 105 NFL games, starting 82. From 2015-2019, Mariota started for the Titans. With the Raiders in 2020 and 2021, he never started a game. With the Falcons in 2023, Mariota started 13 games (5-8) and was replaced by Desmond Ridder. Things did not end well in Atlanta.
With the Eagles in 2023, he backed up Jalen Hurts and did not start any games. In 2024, Daniels started all 17 games for Washington, but Mariota needed to play in three games and did well. Last season, Mariota started eight games (2-6) with Daniels getting knocked out of four games.
Losing Daniels on Sunday was so unexpected. Dan Quinn looked shell-shocked on the sidelines. But Mariota didn’t have the opportunity to let Daniels’ injury get to him. Mariota had to collect himself and lead the offense again. Quinn noticed and appreciated the way Mariota took on the leadership role.
"So, I think, like, number one, him running the system gives everybody a calmness about them knowing No. 8 will take care of it."
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders fully confident in Marcus Mariota to lead them
