Commanders Place QB on Injured Reserve Ahead of Opener

The Washington Commanders have placed veteran backup Marcus Mariota on injured reserve ahead of their Week 1 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mariota has been dealing with a strained pectoral muscle, per head coach Dan Quinn.

Mariota was slated to be the primary backup to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Now, the Commanders will rely on journeyman Jeff Driskel as the No. 2, and the team also called up rookie Sam Hartman to round out the depth chart.

Mariota didn’t see much action with the Eagles last season as a backup, but his experience makes him a solid option in case of an emergency. Over his career, the former Heisman winner has started 74 games, throwing for 93 touchdowns against 55 interceptions.

Daniels was named the starter in August. But Mariota was still a valued member of the quarterback room because of his experience and willingness to share.

“In a perfect scenario," Quinn said . "a young quarterback would have a leader to also learn from, but perfect rarely happens. But we do have that in Marcus Mariota. Him sharing nine years of gold with Jayden, I think, has been something that’s really cool for us to see. Rookie quarterbacks usually don’t get that, and we do."

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