Commanders Rookie QB Athan Kaliakmanis Making Strong Push Up Depth Chart

Anyone running down the Washington Commanders' depth chart will have a harder time finding a surer thing than Jayden Daniels as the squad's starting quarterback.

Just two years into the former Heisman winner's NFL career, Daniels is already the face of the legacy franchise. Reaching such esteemed ground isn't always hard at the game's most critical position, but Daniels has already backed up his lofty draft intrigue with an Offensive Rookie of the Year win and multiple seasons of star-caliber play.

As is the case on most rosters around the league, Washington's evaluators have seen little reason to invest heavily in their quarterback depth beyond Daniels. But given the injuries and absences that decorated his sophomore campaign, a quick roll call down his list of understudies is worth noting, especially considering some other inter-positional developments that have peppered ongoing training camp and preseason festivities.

Athan Kaliakmanis Commanders — Jul 25, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (0), Jayden Daniels (5), and Sam Hartman (11) drop back to pass a ball during drills on day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Daniels has always had Marcus Mariota at his side throughout his young Commanders stint, and you can do a lot worse than the well-traveled backup who's still happy to step up and distribute the football whenever he gets a shot. Just last season, he took advantage of Daniels' ailments by making eight starts in 11 appearances, passing for 10 touchdowns in a pinch.

But following Mariota's MCL sprain, as well as the continued demise of Sam Hartman's attempt to stick around as Daniels' locker room buddy, a new challenger appears to be complicating the quarterback pecking order. Athan Kaliakmanis has approached the preseason with momentum, and he has the chance to ride his strong strides into an upset finish as the squad’s QB3 by the time the Commanders officially kick off next month, perhaps even serving as the emergency QB2 if Mariota is not ready.

Kaliakmanis' Intriguing First Impression

Few fans were overly familiar with Kaliakmanis' game before the Commanders hosted the Miami Dolphins for a D.C. preseason debut last week.

The quarterback, who'd previously split his four collegiate seasons between Minnesota and Rutgers, threw enough touchdowns on impressive-enough completion numbers to woo the Commanders' more devoted scouts. He heard his name called on Day 3 of this past NFL Draft, going down as the seventh pick of the ordeal's final round in commencing his professional journey.

He was a perfectly serviceable game manager as a steadily improving Big Ten arm, combining positive release power and positional size to reach a 20:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio as a senior. Even if his spotty accuracy and decision-making held him back from earning a handshake and hat earlier in this past draft, he's unafraid to put the ball in play downfield, and there's value in that fearlessness for rookie backups looking to make the most of their snaps.

Kaliakmanis wasn't able to post any otherworldly stats in his preseason opener, with the fourth-stringer splitting opportunities with Hartman after Mariota left the 20-7 win early. At the very least, he hit on his easier reads and had no problem finding Jacoby Jones deep out of play-action for one of the matchup's bigger completions.

Athan Kaliakmanis links up with Jacoby Jones!

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ZHCLtaTx8o
— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026

In the few days since he could perform in front of referees and cameras, his in-house standing seems to have ballooned. He's taken on some second-team reps in practices since that Dolphins exhibition, accepting his role as the top non-Daniels quarterback prospect, and should Mariota remain unavailable for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, expect Kaliakmanis to look ready to go as Daniels' next-man-up.

Things are going about as well as anyone could have hoped for the Commanders' seventh-round draftee by this point. He never had a shot at unseating the franchise's centerpiece, but he seems to have carved out a more straightforward route to tasting live NFL action than he was facing out of the draft amid complications among his peers.

Athan Kaliakmanis says Jayden Daniels texted him after Washington picked the Rutgers QB to congratulate him pic.twitter.com/ylA0FMNC8o
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 8, 2026

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