The Washington Commanders name three new captains for each game. Instead of naming permanent captains before the season, head coach Dan Quinn took the weekly approach this season to reward his players.
Washington announces the captains for the next game each Friday, and Quinn opens his final press conference of the week by discussing those captions.
The Commanders’ captains for the Week 13 game against the Tennessee Titans are quarterback Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, and longtime punter Tress Way.
Way is a former Washington captain who is having another stellar season. Day is a nine-year NFL veteran who was signed to the practice squad in August and elevated to the 53-man roster in October. Since Jonathan Allen’s season-ending injury, Day has been integral to Washington’s defensive tackle rotation.
Finally, there is Mariota. The 10-year veteran has only appeared in two games this season but shined in relief of Jayden Daniels in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Mariota completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Week 13 captains: pic.twitter.com/YAy5lxebxm
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 29, 2024
Why was Mariota selected? Well, there’s no denying he’s a popular player in the locker room, respected by his teammates and has been an excellent mentor for Daniels. However, he’s also a former No. 2 overall pick for the Titans.
Mariota spent his first five NFL seasons playing for Tennessee, going 29-32 as the starting quarterback, completing 63% of his passes for 13,207 yards, 76 touchdowns, 44 interceptions and rushing for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“So, offensively will be Marcus Mariota, defensively, it’ll be Sheldon Day and on teams, Tress Way,” Quinn said Friday. “And so, we love that part of Fridays and getting a chance to say a few words about the guys and everybody kinda gets fired up.”
Quinn didn’t say it, but it’s clear why the team picked Mariota. Mariota didn’t necessarily leave Tennessee on bad terms, this continues a trend where Washington picks players as captains facing their former teams.
Maybe this week, the Commanders can get Mariota some revenge against his former team.