The Washington Commanders have a rehab process that they believe in. It's catered to whatever the players need to get healthy, and head coach Dan Quinn makes it a point to say that the team will not miss a step in their progression.

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has missed most of the training camp, is stepping in the right direction toward being ready for Week 1.

"That's the plan," Mariota said after Thursday's practice. "So, I'm kind of in that process to return to play, and part of that process is to come out here, start doing individual work, and then slowly get kind of acclimated into the team setting."

Mariota has been dealing with a lower leg strain that has kept him out of practice. It is unclear exactly when the injury occurred, but Mariota went from participating in only individual drills to being completely absent for weeks. He made his return to practice during Wednesday's practice but limited his participation to individual drills. Over the past two days, he has worked on the side field while the rest of the team has gone through team drills.

Quinn did not seem concerned about Mariota's injury when asked about it earlier in camp, and Mariota echoed that sentiment on Thursday, saying that it's the type of injury that "just requires rest."

"For me and the entire staff, we all got on the same page and [I] just appreciate the fact that they were willing just to kind of let me take some time to get it right," Mariota said.

The Commanders' ideal scenario is for them to never need Mariota on the field if Daniels is healthy, but they would like for him to be as ready as possible if they did at some point in the regular season. Normally, that would involve Mariota developing chemistry with his receivers and getting live reps in the offense. Instead, Mariota's primary focus has been on rehab, which he said "sucks" compared to being on the field with his teammates.

But Mariota feels "good" about where he is at because of how thorough the offense has been in their preparations off the field.

"We do a lot of walkthroughs, and I get a lot of those reps there," Mariota said. "So, just incorporating that and then when I'm out here on the field is just making sure I feel good with the throws."

Mariota added that it's a similar situation to his first season with the Commanders in terms of getting reps. The attention to detail in their walkthroughs helped him stay ready mentally so "he wasn't worried at all" when he entered the games against the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.

"If my number gets called, I'll be good."

Mariota also said that it won't "necessarily" be tough for him to get on the same page with Washington's receivers, either. Daniels has established a standard between the quarterbacks and receivers on his expectations to the point where Mariota knows "exactly" where he needs to throw the ball on any given play. Mariota admitted there will still be "rust" that he will need to work out between now and Week 1.

"I'm hoping for over the next couple weeks is to kind of get that adjusted and ready to roll," Mariota said. "But again, if I have to be out there and my number's called, I'll be ready."

Mariota played well against both the Panthers and Cowboys, leading the Commanders to wins in both contests. He posted the fifth-highest completion percentage of his career against the Panthers and threw a game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys. The hope is that he won't be needed to make those performances again, but the Commanders would rather have him at the ready than not.

And the same goes for him.

"To be able to be out here with the guys and just to throw around is what I'm here for," Mariota said. "It's what I love to do and [it] feels nice to be back there."