The Washington Commanders' quarterback room has quite the quirk.
Both of the Commanders' top-two QBs were chosen as the No. 2 overall pick in their respective draft.
There's backup Marcus Mariota and starter Jayden Daniels, out of Oregon and LSU, respectively. And now they keep each other company in the nation's capital.
Right now, though, the room is a bit shorthanded. Mariota has been out injured for much of the summer.
Mariota has a lower leg injury.
On Monday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was asked about Mariota, and responded: "He's getting closer but he's not there yet."
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According to The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala, Mariota "was throwing to the side yesterday but hasn't participated with the team much in camp and didn't travel to New England."
The Commanders' season obviously hinges on keeping QB1, Daniels, on the field. He's coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in which he was as brilliant as anyone could've hoped for.
But on the flip side, Mariota is one of the league's top backups. He can legitimately win games if he has to fill in for an injured starter.
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Washington may be lucky that the season is still almost a month away. Mariota still has time to get ready, and he likely doesn't need major reps.
Sam Hartman has stood in as the QB2 in the meantime, but he isn't the long-term solution as the backup to Daniels if Mariota has to miss more time.
At this point, Washington will just hope Mariota's rehab keeps ramping up and pushing him back in the right direction. It's always important to have a good backup quarterback, and Mariota is definitely one of those.
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