Garrett

Gilbert

McCarron suffered a torn ACL in the 2021 preseason and has had no visits or interest since. This is a rough crew, but that’s what happens when you lose a quarterback in-season. Gilbert has started a game in each of the last two seasons and is probably the most competent option on the list. Glennon started four disastrous games with the Giants last year and has the most recent starting experience.

Gilbert was a roster redundancy after the Raiders acquired Jarrett Stidham. Now on the wrong side of 30, 2014 sixth-rounder Gilbert has been forced into emergency starts each of the past two years, though they are the only two starts of his entire career. He has poor odds of latching on elsewhere and making someone’s 53-man roster, at least out of camp.

Mullens will likely compete with Garrett Gilbert for backup duties behind Derek Carr this season. Mullens started one game for the Browns in 2021 and 16 games over his three years with the 49ers.

Gilbert, a career backup, made a Week 15 spot for Washington with Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen on the reserve/COVID list. He played better than expected given the short notice, completing 65% of passes in a loss to the Eagles. Gilbert replaces Marcus Mariota as the only quarterback on the roster behind Derek Carr, making him the favorite for the No. 2 role.

It was honestly pretty good for a guy who hadn’t started a game since 2020 and had no prior experience with the offense. Gilbert’s offensive line was shoved around by Philadelphia -- every single Eagles pass rusher on the Next Gen Stats defensive pass rush chart beat the average quarterback separation by at least 0.72 yards -- and he managed to throw to the sideline at times despite having his motion interrupted. Gilbert’s biggest sin was an inability to fit tight throws over the middle, as he had a few passes deflected over the middle. This isn’t to say that Washington should turn to Gilbert full-time or anything, but considering the circumstances, he played a better game than you might have expected. In all likelihood, Taylor Heinicke or Kyle Allen will start in Week 16 against Dallas.

Even in pushing this one back 48 hours to cater to Washington’s COVID outbreak, both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen were unable to clear protocol. Gilbert, formerly of New England’s practice squad, will instead get the nod for his second career start with only 72 hours of Washington’s playbook under his belt. McLaurin, albeit available unlike a number of players around the league, is a risky WR2 from Gilbert.

Gilbert getting the emergency start for Washington hinges on Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen failing to clear the league’s COVID-19 protocols in the coming hours. Schefter said there remains a small chance Heinicke or Allen could test positive in time to play against Philadelphia. Gilbert represents a marked downgrade for all fantasy-relevant Washington players, and an upgrade for the Eagles defense.

It’s an apocalyptic scenario for the Football Team, as backup QB Kyle Allen is also on the COVID-19 list. NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo said “right now,” Kyle Shurmur would start for Washington this week against the Eagles unless Allen can test out of the league’s COVID protocol by Saturday. The Football Team is expected to sign journeyman Garrett Gilbert, who started a game last year for Dallas. Shurmur under center would necessitate serious downgrades for Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, and other fantasy-relevant Football Team players. Shurmur would only be viable in the deepest superflex formats.

Dallas also cut ties with disastrous third-string QB Ben DiNucci. It’s a surprise after Gilbert appeared positioned as Dak Prescott’s backup this summer. With Prescott coming into form after struggling with an arm injury during training camp, Gilbert starting the season under center for Dallas looked like a possibility. Gilbert had a rough preseason, completing 56 percent of his passes and throwing just one touchdown on 50 attempts. Now it will be Cooper Rush backing up Prescott.

Gilbert was one of many QBs to start for Dallas in the months after Dak Prescott went down to a season-ending ankle injury. In Week 9 against the Steelers, Gilbert completed 21-of-38 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Ben DiNucci, the 2020 rookie out of James Madison who had one disastrous start for Dallas, will compete for backup duties this summer, according to Machota.