Sam Hartman and Josh Johnson were the only quarterbacks to suit up for the Washington Commanders in their first preseason game last week against the Patriots. Jayden Daniels received plenty of work in last week’s joint practice, and he, along with almost all of Washington’s starters, got Friday night off.
So, how did Hartman and Johnson perform? Judging by the Commanders’ 48-18 loss, you’d think not too good. Hartman started and completed nine of 19 passes for 64 yards. He didn’t have a lot of help from his receivers, who dropped multiple passes. Hartman also didn’t help himself with a bad interception.
How did the 39-year-old Johnson perform? Much better. Johnson completed 15 of 22 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The interception was off a deflection. Johnson performed as expected.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently used one word to describe every NFL quarterback who played in Week 1 of the preseason. How did he describe Hartman and Johnson?
Sam Hartman
Iffy. The former Wake Forest prospect got the start for Washington in place of a resting Jayden Daniels, and he struggled to find a rhythm, hitting 9 of 19 passes and tossing an interception.
Josh Johnson
Proven. At 39, on his 14th different NFL team, Johnson was always destined to have a leg up in the fight for Washington’s No. 3 job. He moved the Commanders fairly well against the Patriots, in contrast to …
These two are competing to be Washington’s No. 3 quarterback, whether that quarterback is on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Daniels and Marcus Mariota are 1-2 on the depth chart, and that will not change. Mariota has been dealing with a nagging injury and will likely not play in the preseason. He doesn’t need to and he should be good to go for Week 1.
Hartman spent last season on the practice squad. The Commanders kept three quarterbacks last season, with Jeff Driskel serving as No. 3. If Washington keeps three in 2025, Johnson may be the better bet with Hartman getting another year of seasoning on the practice squad.
As for the words describing Hartman and Johnson: Accurate, at least on this day.
