Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota addresses the media outside the locker room following the team's Wednesday practice. Here are four takeaways from his scrum.
1. His message to Jayden Daniels.
It's been a difficult season for Daniels, who will miss his seventh game this weekend after reaggravating his elbow against the Minnesota Vikings. His second NFL season has been marred by injuries to his knee, hamstring and elbow, leading to him only playing four full games in Weeks 1, 2, 5 and 6. Though none of the injuries have been season-ending, they have hampered the number of snaps he has taken as he tries to continue his development.
Mariota understands the frustration Daniels must feel. After all, Mariota experienced multiple injuries early in his career with the Tennessee Titans that forced him to miss time. His advice has remained the same throughout the season: take things one day at a time.
"I think it's not always going to be clean," Mariota said. "Not everything's going to be nice and smooth sailing. And I think for him to be able to go through some of this, to go through this adversity, it's really going to set himself up for his future and his career. And the more that we can continue to engage him and making sure that he's feeling like he's a part of it is also very important."
2. "Setting a foundation."
The Commanders have four games left in the season, and as expected, there is a contingent of fans who want them to lose out so they have a chance at claiming the No. 1 overall pick. The Commanders are not taking that approach and have been adamant about the importance of trying to win as many of their remaining games as possible.
There are several reasons why the Commanders want to get a strong finish to the season. They're healthier than they have been on offense in months, and they want to see that their investments can work going forward. They also want to see what they have in terms of personnel when they enter the offseason to get a better understanding of how they should improve their roster.
There's also the culture head coach Dan Quinn and his staff have built to consider. They want their players to compete in every game, no matter the external factors, and that's something the players are still bought into.
"You're setting a foundation," Mariota said. "We talked about it in the team room and amongst the team, it's setting a culture. We talk about a culture, we talk about the brotherhood, it's really these moments that tell you who you are. And it's never easy, it's not easy to go out here when it's 20 degrees in practice. And at the same time, it's a great learning tool for everybody here. And the more that we can just build off of that and build for each other, the future will be better."
3. The state of the brotherhood.
It can be easy for apathy to creep into a locker room when a team is on a losing streak, particularly when it's eliminated from playoff contention. The team will likely experience several changes in the offseason, and it would be tempting for every player to focus solely on themselves and their future rather than working together as a team.
It doesn't appear that is happening in Washington with Mariota saying that the brotherhood in the locker room remains "clean."
"At the end of the day, we're not where we want to be," Mariota said. "It is tough. You expect to be playing meaningful football games in December, but at the same time, there is a young core of players here that I think the entirety of this year will help them learn and build. It's never easy, but I do appreciate how guys are coming in the building and working hard, and it's not that way everywhere. And when it's this time of the year and you're not in it, guys can very easily check out, but it's not that way with our guys."
4. Expectations for the tight ends.
Aside from Daniels, the tight end position is the biggest question for the Commanders' offense. Zach Ertz's placement on Injured Reserve leaves a void at the top of the depth chart that the Commanders will need to fill for the final four games. John Bates, Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff all have interesting traits, but none have shown anything resembling Ertz's ability as a pass-catcher.
Mariota has faith in their abilities, though, and has high expectations for them on Sunday.
"Zach's done an unbelievable job, I think, being a leader for those guys and setting the tempo," Mariota said. "And then these guys just kind of all fall in line, so they understand what the expectation is, and they understand that there's going to be more opportunities. I'm excited to give these guys a shot."
