The Washington Commanders kicked their preseason off against the Miami Dolphins, but in the first quarter, they may have suffered a loss bigger than just losing the preseason contest.
Marcus Mariota started the game for the Commanders, but went down with a non-contact injury, leaving the Commanders holding their breath.
What Happened to Marcus Mariota?
In the first quarter against the Dolphins, Mariota came up lame on what should have been a routine handoff and was patting his knee before leaving the field.
Marcus Mariota non contact injury on handoff. Watch him top left. He’s out of the game.
Was patting his knee when trainers came out. pic.twitter.com/aBDhMWHTL7
— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) August 14, 2026
Mariota was replaced by Sam Hartman after the play. He headed into the medical tent and then took his place on the sideline for a moment next to their offensive coordinator, David Blough, and franchise QB Jayden Daniels.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Shortly after that, Mariota headed back to the locker room with a trainer at his side. The Commanders will be hoping that the veteran’s trip to the locker room will end in good news.
Mariota is a reliable backup QB with plenty of NFL experience, so losing him for an extended period would be a big hit. According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 75.2 last season, ranking second-best among backups.
Marcus Mariota is leaving the sideline while accompanied by a trainer.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) August 14, 2026
Until there’s official word from the Commanders, nothing matters, but doctor Jeff Mueller added his thoughts on X about what Mariota’s injury could be.
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
On the play before the injury, Mariota took a big hit that could have lingered into the next play. Mueller claimed that it is “hard to tell if he injured here while twisting (could be meniscus?) or on the previous play when he got leveled by the LB.”
Marcus Mariota –
Was pointing towards his right knee.
Hard to tell if he injured here while twisting (could be meniscus?) or on the previous play when he got leveled by the LB. Hard to tell from this one video pic.twitter.com/ijOd35i7sI— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 14, 2026
Hartman and rookie QB Athan Kaliakmanis will handle the quarterback duties for the rest of the game, as the Commanders are not playing Daniels.
Mariota’s injury could linger in the back of Dan Quinn’s mind when deciding who will play in the remaining preseason games, especially when it comes to Daniels.
Daniels had a phenomenal rookie season but struggled with multiple injuries in 2025. The last thing that the Commanders need is an injury to him in the preseason, and with their backup potentially gearing up to miss time, Quinn might be overly cautious in the preseason.
Until then, it’s time for Hartman and Kaliakmanis to show what they can do while Quinn sweats the news on his veteran backup.
