Jeff Driskel will soon have a chance to play a ninth NFL season. An eighth team will give the veteran quarterback an opportunity.
The Commanders signed Driskel on Monday, putting him on track to compete for one of the team’s reserve jobs. Driskel joins Marcus Mariota and Jake Fromm as Washington QBs presently, though a rookie passer is almost definitely going to join this trio — most likely at No. 2 overall. Driskel will turn 31 later this month. It is a one-year deal, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
[RELATED: Commanders Trade Sam Howell To Seahawks]
Although Driskel is 1-10 as a starter since coming into the league as a 2016 sixth-round pick, he has continued to find work as either a backup or third-string option. The 49ers draftee has bounced to the Bengals, Lions, Broncos, Texans, Cardinals and Browns. He split last season between Arizona and Cleveland, starting the Browns’ Week 18 game despite joining the team just before New Year’s Day.
Driskel’s Cardinals stay did not overlap with Kliff Kingsbury‘s; the Cards added the former Florida and Louisiana Tech passer just before the 2023 draft. Arizona shook up its QB room just before last season, cutting Colt McCoy and David Blough and adding Joshua Dobbs via trade. But Driskel remained part of the equation, residing on the Cardinals’ practice squad — behind Dobbs, Clayton Tune and later Kyler Murray — for most of last season.
The QB-needy Browns poached Driskel off the Cards’ P-squad in late December. Resting Joe Flacco for the playoffs, Cleveland gave Driskel the Week 18 start. He completed a 13-for-26 outing with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. For his career, Driskel is a 58.6% passer (6.1 yards per attempt) who has thrown 16 TD passes and 10 INTs. Most of his starts came in place of an injured Andy Dalton back in 2018; he went 1-4 for the Bengals down the stretch that year.
Washington’s decision at No. 2 overall represents the lead plotline in this year’s draft, with the Bears all but certain to draft Caleb Williams. The Commanders have been connected to Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy with the second pick. Dan Quinn effectively confirmed Washington would leave this draft with a quarterback, though the new HC did not specify where that passer would be drafted. That said, it would be quite surprising if the rebuilding team did not select a passer at 2. Driskel will likely have a chance to compete for the third-string job, with Mariota receiving $5.39MM guaranteed on a one-year, $6MM deal.
Jeff Driskel: Retread NFL Quarterback roulette wheel winner
My cat is starting to wish it had as many lives as JD.
Jake Fromm State Farm is now with the ‘Skins?
“Khakis”
Limu Emu!!!……and Doug
“This is Jeff Driskel for Liberty Biberty…”
He’s been with them for a little while now…
Go Redskins
Wow, that’s a strange QB room. Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett were a stronger pair. I’d have given Brissett a year as the starter and Howell a year to improve, before putting in this kind of a shake up. I suppose the grass is always greener.
If the Commies/Redskins are short-sighted enough to start a rookie QB again and ruin him (Jets, Browns, Redskins specialise in these sabotage jobs on high-drafted QB’s), they deserve all the pain they will get. Feel sorry for the pick though. Jordan Love didn’t look like much fresh out of college, but a three year development program had him ready.
With this QB room, the Commies would have to count on starting Mariota for at least half a season. Good luck with that.
Washington needs a run game so opposing defenses can’t just tee off on the QB but Ekeler fumbles away the rock every 47 carries on average…so he won’t be the answer.