Jayden Daniels is sidelined for a currently unknown amount of time after suffering a dislocated elbow against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Washington Commanders believe they have a solid alternative in veteran Marcus Mariota and plan to rally around him for however long he is under center.

"The nice part about Marcus is, man, does he have a real command on things that we need," head coach Dan Quinn said.

Mariota replaced Daniels in the second half of the Cowboys game after the latter was carted off the field following the final play of the second quarter. Mariota played well in his first bit of game action since the opening drive in the preseason opener, completing 11-of-16 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown to Stefon Diggs. Although the game quickly got out of hand, Mariota did enough to help the offense function under his direction. The unit amassed 154 yards, averaging nearly five yards per play.

Mariota will be under center again on Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks come to Northwest Stadium.

"There's nobody easier to rally around than him," Quinn said. "When you ask anybody on our team who some of our greatest leaders are, whether it's on or off the field, Marcus is somebody that constantly comes up."

The Commanders are familiar with having Mariota step in for Daniels. He had eight starts last season as Daniels dealt with multiple injuries and has stepped in for the young quarterback on several other occasions. For the most part, Mariota has been efficient in the Commanders' backfield, completing 64.1% of his passes for 15 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He won two games as the starter in 2025 and led the team to wins against the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys in 2024.

So, Mariota's teammates know the offense can function and move the ball well with him as the starter.

"Marcus is a complete pro," McLaurin said. "He's been that way since he's been here. That's why he's one of the leaders we look to, even when he's not the starter. He supported Jayden, helping him to continue to grow as a pro."

McLaurin, who has caught passes from multiple quarterbacks in his career, has developed a solid on-field rapport with Mariota. Back in 2024, the two connected for the game-winning touchdown in the season finale against the Cowboys. McLaurin caught a 57-yard reception from Mariota against the Las Vegas Raiders as well as touchdown grabs against the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs in 2025.

One of Mariota's biggest strengths is the calmness he brings to the position, and that permeates his teammates.

"We have a calm confidence in him," McLaurin said. "He calls the plays really well. The offense is still open. So, we're going to rally around him and make plays."

Part of the reason why Mariota is normally prepared to play at a moment's notice is because he prepares every day like he's a starter. Part of the responsibility includes establishing chemistry with all his receivers, as wideout Stefon Diggs found out during his first week with the team. Many of Diggs' practice reps came with Mariota as the quarterback while he was learning the offense.

Diggs said he has "100% confidence" in Mariota leading the offense for the foreseeable future.

"We have to work with what we got, and what we got is really good," Diggs said. "We're thankful to have Marcus. I think he's a hell of a player. He's been in this league for a long time, played high-level football."

It's going to take a team effort to rally around Mariota, particularly against a Seahawks team that already looks to be in midseason form despite Sam Darnold being sidelined with a hip injury. Washington's defensive players know they need to do their jobs, regardless of whether Darnold or Drew Lock is starting for the Seahawks, and give Mariota as many opportunities as possible.

And part of that means ending their turnover drought.

"It's going to get loose soon," Odafe Oweh said. "It's bound to stop. If we keep forcing the issue, keep punching the ball out, it's going to get loose."

The Commanders have not yet had any discussions about bringing in another veteran quarterback to mitigate Daniels' absence. Part of that comes from a desire to get as much information as possible on Daniels' injury before making a decision, but it also speaks to how much the Commanders trust their current options. They are confident they can still win and be competitive with Mariota as their starter. He's kept the offense afloat before, and they believe he can do it again.

"Him running the system gives everybody...a calmness about them knowing that, 'All right, eight will take care of it.'"