The Washington Commanders carried two rookie quarterbacks on their roster for the first few weeks of the season while veteran Marcus Mariota was sidelined. Mariota returned last week as the backup to rookie sensation Jayden Daniels.
On Thursday, Washington released its other rookie quarterback, Sam Hartman, leaving the Commanders with three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Veteran Jeff Driskel is Washington's No. 3 quarterback.
The Commanders signed Hartman as a priority undrafted free agent after a standout career at Wake Forest and Notre Dame. Hartman played in the first preseason game before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the final two preseason games.
Hartman was released during Washington's final cutdown to 53 players but was quickly re-signed to the practice squad. However, when the Commanders placed Mariota on the reserve/injured list, they signed Hartman to the 53-man roster to serve as the No. 3 quarterback behind Daniels and Driskel.
It would not be surprising if Hartman quickly returned to Washington's practice squad. The Commanders released defensive end Justin Hollins from the practice squad on Tuesday.
