Amidst a number of roster decisions that need to be made in the days ahead, one of the more interesting dilemmas for Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera is whether to carry a third quarterback on the roster.
This summer, the NFL's implemented a new rule sparked by last year's NFC Championship Game during which the San Francisco 49ers saw both of their active quarterbacks get hurt and were forced to put running back Christian McCaffrey under center.
The rule allows teams to carry a third quarterback on their roster and can play him if needed, even if he's a healthy scratch on gamedays. And so, teams are now tasked with deciding whether they want to capitalize on the rule and use the roster spot elsewhere.
For the Commanders, this decision has only been made more difficult with the impressive preseason performance of quarterback Jake Fromm, who sits behind Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett on the depth chart.
Fromm completed 28 of 36 passes for 261 yards, three touchdowns and one interception across a trio of preseason contests.
His last outing was his best, going 13 of 18 for 144 yards and two touchdowns during Washington's 21-19 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Saturday night's preseason finale.
Perhaps most importantly, Rivera believes Fromm has done enough to earn a roster spot should that be the way to go, and his experience playing in high-level games at the University of Georgia and backing up Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen only adds to his intriguing profile.
"I think Jake has shown himself to be a worthy guy," Rivera said. "He's done a nice job for us. We know he's got a terrific background, having played at an SEC school (and then being with Buffalo and been with us the last couple of years. He's been a guy that's been good in our quarterbacks room, as well."
Another important element weighing on Rivera's mind is the Commanders' recent injury troubles at quarterback, which has led to several different players receiving snaps under center in the past few years.
As such, the idea of carrying a third quarterback is particularly intriguing for Washington ... and Rivera revealed that recent history will play a factor in his choice.
"Oh yeah, it does," Rivera said. "It really does. It's a huge part of every conversation we have to have."
Rivera added that he feels comfortable with where the Commanders are at in their quarterback room ... but does he feel comfortable enough considering past seasons to only have two quarterbacks on the active roster?
The official answer will come on Tuesday, when teams are required to cut their roster from 90 players to 53 - and quarterback decisions, such as the one staring down Washington, will be one of the more important topics to monitor.
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