Mariota Out for Preseason With MCL Sprain
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- Marcus Mariota suffered a sprained MCL likely to sideline him for the remainder of the preseason, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday
- The injury occurred during Friday's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, forcing Mariota to exit after just four plays
- Kaytron Allen was the running back who took the handoff immediately before Mariota collapsed from a noncontact injury on the ground
- Jayden Daniels had a brief sideline chat with Mariota after the injured QB emerged from the blue medical tent, along with offensive coordinator David Blough, before heading to the locker room
- Marcus Mariota re-signed with Washington as backup QB for a third straight season on a one-year, $7 million deal in March
- Last season, Mariota started 8 games and appeared in 11 while Daniels dealt with injuries, throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 TDs and 7 INTs — but Washington won just 2 of his starts
Why it matters: Mariota is the only experienced quarterback behind Jayden Daniels on Washington's roster, and the MCL sprain — even if limited to the preseason — exposes how thin the Commanders' QB depth is. His 2-6 record as a starter last season already made the backup role a liability, and any in-game reliance on him now carries more risk if Daniels needs relief during the regular season.
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