Athan Kaliakmanis Is Washington's Quarterback Now

Marcus Mariota hurt his knee in London, and that's where things stand. Daniels is already out. Mariota is now out. The depth chart shows Athan Kaliakmanis as the third quarterback on the roster, and at this moment he appears to be the only healthy one available to Washington.

The Commanders came into this season knowing the backup situation was fragile — Mariota had sprained his MCL in the preseason opener back in August, and I noted when he got the London start that this was a team operating with thin margin at the position. That margin is now gone. Kaliakmanis is a seventh-round rookie, which means Washington will need to make a move, whether that's a street signing, a claim, or something else. My read is they don't have the luxury of waiting to see how Mariota's knee responds before making a call.

The receiving corps — McLaurin, Ertz, Stefon Diggs — is the best Washington has put around a quarterback in years. None of that matters much if the person throwing to them has never taken a regular-season snap. The team will need to find someone, quickly, and probably before the week is out.