Commanders Bring Back Former Notre Dame QB on Practice Squad

The Washington Commanders have a full quarterback room with rookie starter Jayden Daniels and a pair of veteran backups in Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel.

One quarterback who didn’t make the cut, undrafted free agent Sam Hartman, was impressive at the start of training camp but missed the final 2 preseason games with a shoulder injury.

Now, Hartman will get another chance with the Commanders after they stashed him on their practice squad to begin the season.

Washington opens up the regular season Sept. 8 on the road at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hartman Had Unique College Experience

Hartman took advantage of a redshirt season in 2019 and the extra year of eligibility after the pandemic to play 6 college football seasons and start 57 games.

By comparison, current Denver Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix set the FBS record with 61 starts at Auburn and Oregon and was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Hartman was a 2-time All-ACC pick at Wake Forest and played his final season at Notre Dame. He had his best season in 2021, leading the Demon Deacons to an 11-3 record as he had career highs in passing yards (4,228), passing touchdowns (39), rushing yards (334) and rushing touchdowns (11).

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein had Hartman projected as a Day 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

“Solidly built but shorter, Hartman plays with a competitive temperament but a lack of consistency,” Zierlein wrote. “He can play inside structure, but at heart, he’s an improv-oriented passer. He has big hands to pump and reset the football, and his Wake Forest tape showed a player capable of beating defenses on extended plays … There are flashes on tape that can be compelling, but his lack of physical traits and high turnover totals during his career could limit him into a role as an average backup.”

Hartman probably could have been a low-round draft pick each of the last 3 seasons but in the NIL era of college football, returning to school each year was more lucrative than pursuing an NFL career.

In his final year of college football at Notre Dame in 2023, Hartman made an estimated $1.2 million and reportedly had endorsement deals with Google, Under Armour, Beats by Dre, Dove, Dollar Shave Club and Mizzen+Main.

Hartman, McSorley Released as Part of Final Cuts

Hartman was one of 2 quarterbacks the Commanders released as they pared their roster down to 53 players, with veteran Trace McSorley also released.

If Hartman’s shoulder heals up, he should be a viable third quarterback option for the Commanders as Driskel hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in the NFL — he’s 1-11 as a starter through his first 7 seasons. Mariota has been injury-prone and inconsistent through most of his career as well.

Hartman’s running ability might also give the Commanders a better option as far as keeping the flow of the offense if Daniels were to go down. Hartman ran for at least 1 rushing touchdown in each of his 6 college seasons and had over 250 rushing yards twice. In his one preseason appearance with the Commanders he was 8-of-13 passing for 83 yards and had 1 carry for 17 yards.