Early in the 2025 season, four different former Oregon Ducks quarterbacks have started a game in the NFL — in other words, an eighth of the 32-team league. A fifth, in Tyler Shough, will start for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams and presumably for the rest of the season.

But with Oregon on their second bye week and the NFL having reached Week 8 of their season, it’s a good time to check in on each of the four former Ducks passers at the pro level: Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix, Cleveland Browns’ Dillon Gabriel and Washington Commanders’ Marcus Mariota.

Both the Chargers and Broncos appear destined for playoff spots, competing directing against each other in the AFC West, while the Browns are in the midst of a rebuild with rookies being placed in key roles across their roster. The Commanders, a year removed from an NFC Championship appearance, have stumbled amid a slew of injuries to a disappointing start — yet still have hope of a second half resurgence.

Let’s take a look at each player including their stats and an analysis of their play thus far in 2025.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Season Stats: 201-for-296, 2,140 yards, 16 TDs, 7 INTs / / 37 rushes, 248 yards

Team Record: 5-3

Analysis: Six seasons into his NFL career, Herbert is making a push to be considered amongst the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league. Playoff success has eluded him, but if he can continue his play this season, that’ll come. The Sheldon High School product is slinging the ball around, having thrown 16 touchdowns through eight games — at this point last season, he’d thrown ten. With a solid receiving core of Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and the emerging Quentin Johnston, Herbert has all the tools on the outside to continue dicing up opposing defenses.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Season Stats: 179-for-285, 1,803 yards, 15 TDs, 5 INTs / / 39 rushes, 171 yards, 3 TDs

Team Record: 6-2

Analysis: A slow start caused some to sound the alarms on Nix’s potential sophomore slump, but he’s quieted those thoughts in emphatic fashion. In his last five games, Nix has thrown ten touchdowns to just two interceptions while adding three scores on the ground. In Week 7, he engineered a record-breaking fourth quarter comeback, as the Broncos scored 33 points in the final stanza and Nix became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw and pass for two touchdowns apiece in a single quarter. Through eight games, there’s no doubt that Nix is Denver’s franchise passer for many years to come.

Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

Season Stats: 85-for-142, 702 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs / / 7 rushes, 30 yards

Team Record: 2-6

Analysis: Gabriel saw his first start in Week 5, leading the Cleveland Browns to a near victory as over the Minnesota Vikings in London as he threw two touchdown passes. He then went two games without recording a touchdown averaging just 4.3 and 6.4 yards per pass in Weeks 6 and 7, respectively, before tossing two scores — with two interceptions — last week in a loss to the New England Patriots. The Browns’ skill position players are almost all rookies, with a lot of trust placed upon Gabriel to bring the whole operation together. While he’s not playing perfect football, considering the circumstances, it’s hard to expect Gabriel to play much better than he is.

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

Season Stats: 56-for-88, 639 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs / / 18 rushes, 122 yards, 1 TD

Team Record: 3-5

Analysis: Mariota has led the Washington Commanders to a 1-2 record in starter Jayden Daniels’ absence, with the high being his first start against the Las Vegas Raiders. In that game, Washington leaned into Mariota’s athleticism, putting him in several read-option situations and allowing him to gain yards with his legs. He also made several nice passes down the field, throwing for 207 yards and a touchdown. He had less success in the following two starts against the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs, but Mariota remains one of the top backups in the league.

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