The Washington Commanders entered Week 2 with their game-day roster already under pressure, and the backup QB picture became clearer on Friday and Sunday afternoon. Athan Kaliakmanis was inactive again, but he was also designated as the team's emergency third quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys, a small roster detail that says a lot about how tightly the Commanders were managing every available spot.
That designation matters because it shows how carefully the Commanders had to plan around injuries and availability before kickoff. On Friday, the team released its final injury report for Sunday afternoon's game, and Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo were ruled out because of injuries from the Eagles game last Sunday. Those absences meant the Commanders had to make clean decisions across the board, especially with the 53-man roster already being tested.
One of the more notable moves earlier this week involved Ricky Barber, who was released and then signed to the practice squad. Barber had already been inactive last week and was inactive again this week, another sign that Washington was working through a narrow set of options rather than carrying much extra flexibility into the matchup.
Ale Kaho was elevated from the practice squad and was active, which helped fill out the available depth for the game. But the clearest quarterback answer belonged to Kaliakmanis: he was not active for Week 2, and his emergency QB3 designation was the roster decision that defined the Commanders' backup quarterback situation for the day.
For a team trying to keep its depth intact while key players missed time, that is the bigger story here. The Commanders were not just listing inactives; they were building a game-day plan that reflected injuries, roster churn and the reality of having to protect the quarterback room before a divisional game against the Cowboys.
