Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota suffered a sprained MCL during Friday’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, ending his game after just four plays.

The injury occurred after Mariota handed the ball to Kaytron Allen and fell to the ground with a non‑contact fetal. He was quickly surrounded by Washington’s training staff, walked off the field, and was taken to the blue medical tent for evaluation. A brief sideline chat with starter Jayden Daniels and offensive coordinator David Blough followed before he headed to the locker room.

Mariota has been the Commanders’ backup quarterback for a third season after signing breakthrough one‑year, $7 million deal in March. He started eight games last season, throwing for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, yet Washington won only two of his starts.

With the sprain, he is likely to miss the remainder of the preseason, leaving the team to rely on Daniels and the backup depth chart as they prepare for the regular season.