Why Commanders are starting Josh Johnson over Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota in Week 17

Mike Moraitis

•
Why Commanders are starting Josh Johnson over Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota in Week 17 image

The Washington Commanders will have a new starting quarterback for the Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

That new starter will be veteran journeyman Josh Johnson, who will be making his first start since the 2021 campaign, when he made one with the Baltimore Ravens.

Johnson has played for 14 different teams over his NFL career and has even started for the Commanders before, something he did back in 2018.

Here's why the Commanders are starting Johnson instead of starter Jayden Daniels and backup Marcus Mariota for the Christmas Day game versus the Cowboys.

Why Commanders are starting Josh Johnson

Johnson is starting because both Mariota and Daniels are hurt.

Daniels reaggravated his elbow injury a few weeks back and the Commanders wisely decided to shut him down for the rest of the season as a result.

"He is not happy that he is going to be out, but that's where we're at," head coach Dan Quinn said of the decision to sit Daniels for the remaining games of the season.

Daniels' campaign has been marred by injuries, and with the Commanders having nothing to play for, it simply didn't make sense to play him again.

Meanwhile, Mariota suffered hand and quadriceps injuries last week that forced his early exit from the contest and led to him being ruled out this week.

Johnson stepped in for Mariota after his departure and completed 5-of-9 passes for 43 yards and one interception in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 39-year-old signal-caller is likely to finish out the season as the team's starter, as Mariota may not be ready by next week.

Even if he is, it wouldn't make much sense for the Commanders to start him, as a loss is the best-case scenario for Washington's draft positioning and Mariota gives the team a better chance to win than Johnson does.

More NFL News

Contributing Writer