Marcus Mariota is highly valued within the Washington Commanders as a leader and viable understudy to quarterback Jayden Daniels. His performances weren't great last season, but the coaching staff will be hoping he doesn't see much time on the field in 2026.
The jury is still out on Mariota at this relatively late stage of his playing career. However, a team of FanSided experts believes he remains one of the league's best backups.
FanSided's annual quarterback rankings cited the opinions of 50 experts across the division. Each quarterback who made an NFL roster was given a score between 1 and 12, depending on their ability and outlook for the 2026 campaign.
FanSided experts believe Marcus Mariota remains a high-ceiling backup for the Commanders
Mariota came in at No. 38, placing him in the high-ceiling backup category. Somewhat surprising, but it is a sign that his reputation remains intact despite the inconsistencies.
I wrote about Mariota for the rankings. While he's on the slide performance-wise, there are far worse options the Commanders could have chosen.
"I was quite surprised to see Marcus Mariota this high. His reputation as a top-level backup is fair, but his on-field regression when filling in for Jayden Daniels last season makes him less dependable now. Hopefully, he doesn't get to see the field all that much, but considering the state of some backup options around the league, the Commanders could do much worse."
Backup quarterbacks are important. But they are backups for a reason.
Mariota was integral to Daniels' rookie surge, providing leadership and a steady presence throughout his exceptional transition to the NFL. When the No. 2 pick in 2024 dealt with some injury problems last season, he was thrust into the limelight. And aside from a few flashes, he looked shaky before getting hurt himself.
Marcus Mariota has limitations these days, but his leadership is vital
The Commanders gave Mariota another one-year deal this offseason. This gives them some short-term relief in 2026, but general manager Adam Peters also drafted Athan Kaliakmanis in the seventh round.
Kaliakmanis is QB3 on the roster, but his impressive preseason performances make him an intriguing development project. If the desired growth occurs over the course of the campaign, Washington could promote him to QB2 duties next season at the expense of Mariota.
And even though this scenario will not be lost on the Oregon product, Mariota is professional enough to help the rookie along in the coming months.
You cannot properly assess the value of a backup quarterback purely on on-field prowess. They have to be so much more. And the Commanders would swap very few backups for Mariota.
That's the long and short of it, really.
Mariota knows there isn't long left before the NFL leaves him behind. Until that time comes, he'll do whatever's in his power to help the Commanders reach the standards they achieved in Year 1 of head coach Dan Quinn's tenure.
And if he is called into action, there remains confidence in his ability. Even though it's clearly a massive downgrade from Daniels these days.
Add us as a preferred source on Google