Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota addressed the media on Wednesday. Here are some key takeaways from his press conference.

1. His teammates support him.

Mariota has received several votes of confidence since head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that starter Jayden Daniels is day-to-day with a knee injury. Quinn called him an "elite" competitor, and his teammates believe in his ability to lead the offense.

That kind of support, Mariota said, is "huge."

"I think that's what's been awesome about this team. We kind of preach it every single day, but just the brotherhood, the connection, regardless of how this situation plays out, just knowing that the guys have my back gives me confidence."

The Commanders don't have to go solely on faith that Mariota can get the job done against the Las Vegas Raiders if necessary. He led them to two wins last season against the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys. Although they were not technically starts, he played an overwhelming majority of the snaps in those games and had two of his best single-game completion rates in his career. He had a 95.9 QBR -- his best since the 2022 season.

Of course, the best-case scenario for the Commanders is Jayden Daniels as the starter, but Mariota's teammates know he can perform well in a pinch.

"Just go out there and be myself and play to the best of my abilities," Mariota said.

2. He feels more like himself.

Mariota was absent for most of training camp this year, aside from a few drills, nursing some tendonitis in his leg. The only real way to remedy the issue was rest, but now that a few weeks have passed, he's starting to feel more like himself.

"It's one of those things with the tendonitis you just kind of have to rest and the team was willing to kind of let me do that through training camp," Mariota said.

Although he was not participating in practice, Mariota stayed engaged with help from all the walkthroughs the offense has on a daily basis. It allowed him to "just kind of come back and roll with everybody."

Mariota moved well during the opening portion of Wednesday's practice, scrambling and moving through drills with ease. Though it wasn't ideal for him to miss most of training camp, the rest seems to have paid off.

3. "Control the tempo."

Mariota looks more comfortable under center than he has in years, and part of that is because he feels like Washington's offense is a good fit for him.

"I just love the aspect of being able to control the tempo of the game," Mariota said. "We can huddle, we can get on the ball, we can do all sorts of different things."

Part of that comfort comes from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. He has developed a strong relationship with all the quarterbacks on the roster, and it's so good that they have a good feel for how he calls games. And as a result, that connection makes Mariota "feel good about what plays calls are coming from the sideline."

What's more, it allows Mariota and the rest of the quarterbacks to play with more confidence.

"I think for all of us it's just being confident in what's being called and knowing that Kliff's going to put us in a situation to be successful."

4. Some advice for Jayden Daniels.

Mariota has been through various injuries throughout his career, from the fractured right fibula he suffered in 2016 to the elbow injury he dealt with throughout the 2018 season, so he has an idea of what Daniels is going through with his knee.

Part of Mariota's value comes from being one of Daniels' mentors, and here was his advice for the second-year quarterback this week: he should play, but only if he feels like himself.

"If you feel like through the course of this week you get back to that point, great and we'll support you, you'll be ready to roll," Mariota said. "If you need a week, then that's okay. I'll be ready to go, too."

Mariota knows that kind of awareness can be difficult. It can be a struggle to fight through injuries while not feeling like oneself. He knows Daniels is going to "do everything in his power to be able to be ready to play," but he and the rest of the quarterbacks are going to support him regardless of the outcome.

"It comes down to just having that communication and just making sure he understands that we support his decision whatever that is."