Oregon Ducks Set To Make Rare NFL Accomplishment With Marcus Mariota News
The NFL is set to start four former Oregon Ducks quarterbacks in week 8 – a feat that only a few other college football programs have achieved.
The hamstring strain to Washington Commanders starter Jayden Daniels paved the way for Marcus Mariota to start for the third time this season. He’s set to join Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Justin Herbert as the starting Pro Ducks quarterbacks.
The Ducks Join Exclusive Club
Other examples of four quarterbacks from the same college starting in the same NFL week are the USC Trojans (2009), the Michigan State Spartans (2014) and the NC State Wolfpack (2017). There are also examples that involve four quarterbacks or more who started in the NFL the same week, but they didn’t all finish their college careers with the same program.
Mariota started the Commanders’ games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons in the final two weeks of September. He joined Nix and Herbert as the three Ducks starters those two weeks, but Gabriel was still the Cleveland Browns’ backup at the time.
Gabriel earned his first NFL start versus the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 5 and has started every game since. Oregon has five games in 2025 with three former quarterbacks starting for their professional teams, but it’ll be the first time in program history that four start.
How Former Oregon Quarterback Have Fared This Season
Mariota’s played three games so far in his 11th NFL season. The former No. 2 overall pick has thrown for 426 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in 2025 and rushed for a touchdown.
The Ducks’ rookie quarterback, Gabriel, has thrown for 546 yards and three touchdowns without recording an interception in his first five NFL games. Gabriel enters the week coming off his first NFL win as a starter, when the Browns defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-6.
Meanwhile, Herbert is tied for sixth in the league in touchdown passes with 13. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback is first in passing yards, with 1,913.
Nix joins Gabriel as one of the current former Oregon quarterbacks in the NFL who were coached by Dan Lanning in college. Like Gabriel, Nix comes off a notable performance. He scored four total touchdowns, all in the fourth quarter, to complete a 33-32 comeback win over the New York Giants. The Denver Broncos quarterback has 11 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in 2025.
The four Pro Ducks are combined for an 11-8 winning record as starters this season. Oregon is developing into a top spot for quarterbacks in college football between its success at the professional level and ability to develop Heisman Trophy finalists.
Current Ducks quarterback Dante Moore remains in the top 10 in Heisman odds entering week 9. Many mock drafts predict Moore to be among the top quarterbacks selected in 2026 if he declares at the end of the season. Depending on his decision and how the rest of Oregon’s season pan out, the Ducks could potentially see a fifth quarterback make the league next season.
Steelers Part Ways with Injured Offensive Lineman Gareth Warren
PITTSBURGH — After an injury knocked a rookie Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman out of action, his time with the organization has officially come to an end. The Steelers waived Gareth Warren, a massive, 22-year-old offensive tackle, according to the NFL's transaction list.
The move comes after Warren was injured during the Steelers’ second preseason game. Diving for a loose ball, he received a concussion and was unable to return for the rest of preseason action. After being waived with the final roster cuts, the team placed him on the Reserved/Injured List. Now healthy, the team is parting ways with him altogether.
With this designation, Warren is now free to sign with any other NFL team.
Unexpected Rise
Warren joined the Steelers after going undrafted during the 2025 NFL Draft. The 6’6”, 330-pound tackle was passed over after finishing his collegiate career at the FCS school Lindenwood. With several NFL teams interested in signing him as an undrafted free agent, he chose to sign in
The step was a continuation of Warren’s rise up the ranks. Born in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, he was a standout player at Kealakaehe High School before becoming joining the Lindenwood Lions. As a junior, he was a part of an offensive line that dominated the conference and FCS competition. The Lions averaged 39.5 points per game and 509.1 yards per game, both tops in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
Lack of Opportunity
Despite showing promise and potential, the road to a spot on the 53-man roster was long. And the road to becoming an impact player at the tackle position even longer.
It’s no disrespect to Warren, but he’s an unrefined player in need of further development and more attention in order to take that next step. Receiving that in Pittsburgh was a low possibility.
The Steelers have two young tackles they fully believe in already. Troy Fautanu has already become an unquestioned staple on the right side, despite this being his first year of playing regular season games in the NFL.
Broderick Jones has similarly gained more and more trust from the Steelers’ coaching staff and starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. He and Fautanu haven’t allowed a sack in two straight games, and the offensive line is gelling more and more as the season progresses.
Behind Jones and Fautanu, the Steelers also have veterans like Dylan Cook and Andrus Peat that can step up in the case of injury.
The result is a crowded path for Warren to become an NFL player, and the Steelers are now giving him the chance to catch on somewhere else.
