The Washington Commanders are headed into their 3rd consecutive year with the same starting quarterback and backup quarterback — Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota — and unless the franchise sees a massive turnaround in 2026, that duo won’t be together much longer.
While Daniels has at least 2 more seasons as the starter, no matter how much he gets hurt or goes in the tank again, as he did in 2025, the Commanders will probably need to get a new backup moving forward.
That’s part of the reason they spent a 7th-round pick on quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay points out should already be feeling pressure as a rookie.
In Kay’s model, the “realistic expectation” for Kaliakmanis would be that he’s lucky to stick on the roster as the emergency 3rd quarterback in 2026.
“After the Commanders slogged through an ugly 2025 season in which Jayden Daniels suffered a myriad of injuries and veteran backup Marcus Mariota underwhelmed, it wasn’t a shock to see them pick up an intriguing rookie during the 2026 draft who can serve as their developmental QB3,” Kay wrote. “Kaliakmanis spent five seasons at Minnesota and Rutgers, showing promise as a high-IQ passer with a quick release over 42 starts. He still has a way to go in terms of accuracy, consistency and decision-making, but the Commanders could have something in a few years if he continues to steadily improve the way he did throughout his collegiate career.”
Kaliakmanis Will Compete With Popular Veteran QB
While Washington brought Mariota back for a 3rd season on a 3rd consecutive 1-year contract to play behind Daniels, they showed they don’t have as much confidence in their 3rd quarterback spot, occupied by popular reserve Sam Hartman the last 2 seasons.
Drafting Kaliakmanis shows their inclination to move on from Hartman.
“Jayden Daniels is the runaway No. 1 QB, Marcus Mariota the clear No. 2,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote. “Kaliakmanis enters after that, as he must unseat Sam Hartman for the No. 3 job. Hartman struggled last preseason, and Washington clearly views Kaliakmanis as someone who can win the job. He is also a good fit in new coordinator David Blough’s play-action system. The question is whether Kaliakmanis is able to develop into a No. 2 option, but we’ll have to wait a couple years to answer that.”
Athan Kaliakmanis Started for 2 Power 4 Schools
Kaliakmanis, 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, was a 2-year starter for Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers before the 2024 season.
In 2 years as the starter for Rutgers, Kaliakmanis went 12-13 while throwing for 5,820 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also rushed for 254 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 4 seasons, he made an impressive 42 starts — that’s experience NFL teams find invaluable.
“Kaliakmanis displayed solid improvement in his play and production during his five college seasons, which he split between Minnesota and Rutgers,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He’s a full-field progression reader who made his own protection calls … he throws with adequate deep-ball touch but needs to become more consistent with his placement and timing over the first two levels. He’s not much of a threat to make plays with his legs. He has enough size, experience, and football intelligence to eventually make a roster as a QB3.”
Hartman, 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, starred at Wake Forest and Notre Dame and became a Commanders fan favorite over the last 2 seasons, thanks in large part to his matinee-idol looks.
The Commanders essentially showed they have zero faith in Hartman at the end of the 2025 regular season when, having already been eliminated from the playoffs, they decided to bring in journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson to start 2 games late in the season with both Daniels and Mariota out.
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