Athan Kaliakmanis is in the football game.
For fans of the Indianapolis Colts waking up to see them take on the Washington Commanders, that’s probably not who they expected to see playing QB in Washington’s uniform.
The Commanders, of course, are usually led by Jayden Daniels. He’s out with an injury, though.
And then in the first quarter, Marcus Mariota left the game with a right knee injury. He was brought down awkwardly on a sack and was deemed questionable to return.
That brought in Kaliakmanis, who had never played an NFL regular season snap before this.
And maybe even more concerning for Washington: He’s the last player on their QB depth chart.
Who is Commanders’ Backup QB?
Athan Kaliakmanis entered Week 4 as the Commanders’ backup QB.
Of course, he was their QB3 at the start of the season, but with Daniels out, he was moved up a spot.
The Commanders likely didn’t want to see him in the game over Mariota, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in the NFL.
One problem, though, is that the Commanders didn’t sign a different third QB with Daniels hurt.
They went with just two quarterbacks, Mariota and Kaliakmanis.
If Kaliakmanis were to get injured, the Commanders would have to play someone other than a QB at that position.
It sounds like it would be tight end Colson Yankoff.
Who is Athan Kaliakmanis?
Athan Kaliakmanis is a right-handed quarterback making his NFL debut on Sunday in London.
Kaliakmanis is originally from the state of Illinois and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior.
He went to Minnesota to begin his college career and spent three years with the Golden Gophers.
From there, Kaliakmanis transferred to play his final two college seasons with Rutgers.
In the 2025 season at Rutgers, Kaliakmanis completed 62.2% of his passes for 3,124 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
He did rush for 251 yards in his first season at Rutgers, but only three yards in his final season (with sacks in college counting as negative). He’s more of a pocket passer than the Commanders’ other two quarterbacks.
The Commanders picked him in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft at No. 223 overall.
Athan Kaliakmanis Nationality, Name
Kaliakmanis has Greek-American heritage.
He was named after Athanasius of Alexandria, who was a Christian theologian and a Patriarch of Alexandria.
Who is Commanders’ Backup QB? Athan Kaliakmanis Has No One Behind Him