Marcus Mariota - Commanders QB
When Marcus Mariota was called on to play serious minutes, as he did against the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, he was sensational. He registered passer ratings of 132 and 141 in those two games, completing almost 80 percent of his throws and notching four touchdowns against zero interceptions.
He also showed off his wheels, averaging better than five yards per carry and scoring one more touchdown. Mariota's athleticism even allowed Kliff Kingsbury to experiment with two-quarterback sets on the odd short-yardage play.
But Mariota’s real value came off the field.
Jayden Daniels has gotten well-deserved praise for his poise and maturity during his rookie season. That does not come without great support from his coaching staff and the other quarterbacks on the team.
Sports Illustrated’s Joanne Coley wrote an article in early January describing Mariota’s role in helping mentor Daniels throughout his debut NFL campaign. The No. 2 pick credited the veteran with helping him adjust and prepare from the first day he arrived.
Mariota is a free agent this offseason and will probably go searching for another opportunity to start. He won’t get that chance in D.C., in part because of the job he did in helping Daniels quickly develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Austin Seibert and Zane Gonzalez - Commanders PKs
Adam Peters thought he had resolved the Washington Commanders' kicker position in the offseason when he signed veteran Brandon McManus. Allegations of improper behavior derailed that plan and the general manager began searching for a replacement.
He cycled through several potential kickers. Peters thought he put the situation to bed with his trade for Cade York just before the season began. After a disastrous first game, the front-office leader once again went looking.
Peters signed Austin Seibert. The kicker made his debut in Week 2 against the New York Giants five days later. What a debut it was.
He scored every Commanders point, going seven for seven on field goals in a three-point win. For his efforts, Seibert was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The veteran continued his successful run into early November when an injury forced him to the sidelines. Enter Zane Gonzalez, another journeyman, who converted two 40-plus-yard field goals in his first game.
Seibert attempted to return to the field before he was fully healthy and it showed in a terrible performance against the Dallas Cowboys in late November. After that, he went on injured reserve and Gonzalez took over for the rest of the campaign.
Even with the one awful Dallas game, the two kickers combined to convert 84 percent of their field goals and 95% of extra points. Toss out the first Cowboys game and those numbers rise to 88% and 100%.
Together, they missed just one field goal inside 50 yards.
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