Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Sunday that Marcus Mariota has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee, which puts Hartman in position to be the Commanders' backup quarterback for the rest of the preseason.
Mariota picked up the injury during the Commanders' 20-7 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday, and follow-up tests confirmed a sprained MCL. Hartman didn't have the best performance in the Commanders' preseason opener, completing eight of 15 passes for 80 yards and an interception while turning three carries into 13 yards. Given that he's been Washington's emergency QB3 since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in April of 2024, Hartman figures to be ahead of Athan Kaliakmanis to be the team's backup quarterback behind Jayden Daniels while Mariota is sidelined, though the Commanders may bring in a veteran quarterback to compete for the QB2 job.