Some people were surprised when the Washington Commanders selected Rutgers quarterback Arsen Kaliakmanis in the 2026 NFL Draft. Considering this was a seventh-round pick and quarterback is the most important position on the field, anyone would be foolish to be surprised.
Sam Hartman hasn’t quite emerged as a potential long-term backup for Jayden Daniels yet, so Washington, like any good organization, is making the rounds on a young quarterback who’s played a lot of football. Kaliakmanis will battle for the third spot in training camp unless the Commanders bring in another veteran, such as Jeff Drickell, to play behind Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
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Washington also has a new offensive coordinator in David Braff, who undoubtedly had some say in Kalyakmanis’ selection.
Kaliakmanis took the field for the first time as playmaker on Friday during the opening day of the team’s rookie minicamp. After practice, he revealed that he received a text message from Daniels shortly after being drafted.
“Jaden actually texted me after I got drafted, which was cool,” Kaliakmanis told reporters. “I just joined a group chat with all the other quarterbacks, so I can’t wait to meet them. They each have great resumes. I grew up watching some of them. I’m really excited to meet them.”
He’s right, all of Washington’s current quarterbacks, including OC Braff, have impressive resumes. Daniels and Mariota are former Heisman Trophy winners and the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, while Hartman started 57 college games between Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
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Kaliakmanis is no slouch, having started 42 career games at Minnesota and Rutgers, two Big Ten schools.
It was great to see Daniels reach out to Kaliakmanis immediately after being drafted. It shows leadership, which isn’t surprising given what we know about Daniels. The 2026 season will be Braff, Daniels, Mariota and Hartman’s third year together. It’s a tight-knit room, but once training camp begins in July, the No. 3 quarterback spot will be fiercely contested.
This article originally appeared on Commander’s Wire: Washington Commander: Jayden Daniels reaches out to Arsen Kaliakmanis
