In the modern NFL, if you don't have a good backup quarterback? Injuries being qhat they are, chances are you won't have a very good year.
No division in sports knows that better than the NFC East. Each team has won a Super Bowl in their history with a different quarterback than the one who they opened the season with.
And the Washington Commanders can lay claim to the top backup in the division now.
Marcus Mariota, the former second-overall pick out of Oregon, is largely considered one of the better backups in the game.
NFL reporter Gilberto Manzano went so far as to rank Mariota as a top backup in the league.
"As a backup, getting the starter prepared to play is just as important as keeping the team afloat when injuries occur. Jayden Daniels often praised Mariota for helping him throughout his sensational rookie season," Manzano wrote. "Also, Mariota can still play, evident by his 205-yard performance in the blowout win against the Panthers after Daniels exited due to a rib injury."
It's very important for a team to have their backup play a similar style to their starter. That is what the Commanders have with Mariota. He's a seamless veteran who can run the same offense that second-year sensation Jayden Daniels does.
Should something happen to the young phenom, the Commanders won't have to panic. They can - according to rankings and maybe to logic - remain a top contender so long as Mariota plays like the top backup he is.