Washington general manager Adam Peters added another veteran quarterback to the roster on Monday, signing Jeff Driskel the day before the Commanders open the offseason program.
Washington now has three quarterbacks on the roster, as Driskel joins Marcus Mariota (signed last month) and Jake Fromm. The Commanders are expected to select a quarterback at No. 2 overall in this month’s 2024 NFL draft.
Driskel, who will turn 31 this month, has been in the NFL since 2016, when he entered the league as an undrafted free agent from Louisiana Tech. Before his lone season at Louisiana Tech, Driskel spent four seasons at the University of Florida, where he started on and off for his final three seasons.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Driskel was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2016, which was Peters’ first season there. San Francisco waived him during final cuts, and he was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent two years with the Bengals, some of which he was injured, but he did start the final five games of the 2018 season.
The Bengals waived Driskel, and the Detroit Lions claimed him. He started three games for the Lions in 2019 and finished the season on injured reserve. He spent the 2020 season with the Denver Broncos, appearing in three games and making one start. After the Broncos waived him in May, he signed with the Houston Texans.
Another arm in the QB room@jeffdriskel | #HTTC pic.twitter.com/OAy4ueHljX
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 1, 2024
Driskel played for the Texans for two seasons, playing in eight games with one start. He spent most of the 2023 season on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad before he was signed to the Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster in December. He would start in Cleveland’s regular-season finale.
For his career, Driskel has appeared in 24 games with 12 starts. He was one career win as a starting quarterback, completing 229 of his 391 passing attempts (58.6%) for 2,394 yards (6.4 YPA), with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has rushed for 417 yards and three touchdowns.
Driskel was likely signed as an extra quarterback for the offseason program in training camp. Once Washington drafts a quarterback, Driskel isn’t likely to make the roster, or he’ll compete with Fromm for the Commanders’ third quarterback position.
