Marcus Mariota Injured, Latest on Commanders QB and What to Know About Athan Kaliakmanis

The Washington Commanders are down to their third-string quarterback.

Washington announced at halftime of Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts in London that Marcus Mariota, who was filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels, would not return with a knee injury.

The NFL Network broadcast reported Mariota re-injured the MCL he previously hurt.

That meant Athan Kaliakmanis was the next one up on the depth chart. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer shared a scouting report on the rookie from Rutgers:

Kaliakmanis started his collegiate career at Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers and playing for the Scarlet Knights in 2024 and 2025. Overall, he appeared in 48 college games and completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 8,604 yards, 55 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.

Notably, his final season was his best one, as he set career-highs in completion percentage (62.2), passing yards (3,124) and passing touchdowns (20).

"His Minnesota tape was not very good," an AFC quarterbacks coach said, per Pelissero. "His Rutgers tape in 2024 was just OK, and then I thought he took a step in 2025."

B/R's NFL Scouting Department praised Kaliakmanis' "above-average arm strength" and "compact throwing motion with a quick release" in a scouting report before the 2026 NFL draft. However, it also highlighted his accuracy issues and "decision making under pressure" while giving him a 5.2 grade and evaluating him as an undrafted free agent with roster potential.

Washington ended up drafting him in the seventh round, and he saw action much earlier than expected thanks to the Daniels and Mariota injuries.

It was also a rough start for him, as he took some hard hits and threw an interception to Jaylon Carlies despite support from Daniels on the sidelines:

To Kaliakmanis' credit, he bounced back with a long touchdown pass to Treylon Burks on the next possession after his interception.

Ultimately, the Commanders' only real hope of contending this season is if Daniels or Mariota are able to return to the lineup sooner rather than later. 

Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys but did not undergo surgery or go on injured reserve. He traveled with the team to London and told reporters leading up to the Colts game he was "not surprised" he was already a limited participant in practice.

"I'm not surprised. Everything I went through, everybody said I would be good to go if I'm able to be out there Sunday. But I'm taking it day by day."

Ideally for the Commanders, that means their franchise quarterback is on the field again in the near future.