AthanKaliakmanis

News: 9 hours agoKaliakmanis made the Commanders' 53-man roster as the third-string quarterback, but he could be the team's backup for Week 1 against the Eagles if Marcus Mariota (knee) is not cleared to play.

Spin: Mariota suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee during the Commanders' preseason game against the Dolphins on Aug. 14. The hope for the Commanders is that the veteran quarterback will be available to serve as the backup to Jayden Daniels for Week 1, but if that's not the case, then it would be Kaliakmanis who steps into the QB2 role behind Daniels. Across three preseason games, Kaliakmanis -- a seventh-round pick of the Commanders in the 2026 NFL Draft -- completed 24 of 37 passes for 294 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.