Who is going to be the Washington Commanders' starting quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys? That's the main question for the organization this week, and the Commanders are taking their time to make a decision.

Here's one thing we know: it won't be Jayden Daniels, who the organization shut down for the final three games to let his elbow heal and head into the offseason as healthy as possible. Although the Commanders' situation isn't ideal, it doesn't seem like they will walk back from that decision, which means the Commanders will need to examine other options between now and Thursday.

Let's lay them all out here and provide the latest news on each of them.

Marcus Mariota

Mariota left the game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half with a multitude of injuries that included a cut on his hand and a quad injury as well as being evaluated for a concussion. The hand is the team's primary concern at this point; Mariota got stitches in his right hand following the injury, but there is swelling that the team wants to monitor throughout the week. Mariota is considered day-to-day, per Quinn.

For now, it's entirely possible that Mariota could end up starting against the Cowboys. Aside from Daniels, he gives them the best chance to win if healthy and knows the offense, which highlights some of his best qualities. However, Mariota was not at practice on Monday, and there is little indication that he will practice for the rest of the week. It might be difficult for Mariota to prepare to start without many, if any reps before Christmas.

The Commanders haven't revealed the severity of the injury to Mariota's throwing hand, but they are preparing for the possibility that they'll need to look elsewhere for a starter this week.

Josh Johnson

Johnson stepped up for Mariota and finished the Eagles game on Saturday. It was his first snap in a game since the 2024 season with the Baltimore Ravens, which ironically came on Christmas against the Houston Texans in a 31-2 win.

Johnson took "the lion's share" of the reps during Monday's practice, and if Mariota cannot play, he has the most recent experience in Washington's offense. While he hasn't needed to play up to this point, the Commanders signed him because of his experience in multiple systems and his ability to pick up concepts quickly. Johnson finished the Eagles game completing five of his nine pass attempts for 45 yards and an interception.

It certainly seems as if Johnson will get the start, and his time taking the starting snaps in practice will allow the Commanders to formulate a game plan that highlights his best attributes. With that said, the Commanders will continue to look at all their options before making a decision later in the week.

Jeff Driskel

The Commanders officially signed Driskel off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad on Monday. Driskel, who operated as Washington's emergency quarterback last season, has spent time on the Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders' practice squads since the Commanders allowed him to test free agency in March.

Driskel does have a working knowledge of the Commanders' offense, or at least most of it. Some of the concepts have changed since his previous stint with the franchise, but much of the terminology is the same. He said in the locker room that he feels as if he made progress during his first practice and has spent much of his time familiarizing himself with the playbook.

While his previous knowledge of the system will be helpful, Quinn said it would be difficult for Driskel to be ready to play on a short time frame. However, if he were required to play, the Commanders are familiar enough with him that they would know how to put him in the best position to win.

"Jeff's used to a no-huddle environment," Quinn said. "So, I would say that without having to study the entire playbook in one night to say everything's available, you'd much prefer to say, 'These are the featured plays,' and you can condense it."

Sam Hartman

Hartman is currently on the Commanders' practice squad after getting most of the starting reps during the preseason. In those three games, he completed 25 of his 46 passes for 207 yards and four interceptions.

Quinn said Hartman's growth is not something he could show on a stat sheet, but he's seen the quarterback make positive strides in practice. He's been in the system for two years now and has been a good teammate for Daniels and the rest of the quarterbacks.

Hartman has yet to be elevated from the practice squad this season and spent most of his time helping prepare the defense on the scout team. As for whether Hartman will get time with the starting offense, Quinn said before practice that the Commanders had not decided the order and workload for each quarterback.

Hartman said in the locker room that his job is to help the team whether he plays or not.

"It's about the team. I think we, as a unit, want to go out there and play well in the division. That's all it's about. So, for me, if I can contribute in any way, that's great, but it's about as the Washington Commanders going out there and executing at a high level."