The Washington Commanders are in a really intriguing position. Coming off of an abysmal 4-13 season, the Washington Commanders earned the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft in April. The decision now lies in whether they stick with their current quarterback Sam Howell, or look elsewhere.
Quarterback Sam Howell seems to not be the answer, throwing 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions with a 63.4% completion percentage and a 42.4 QB Rating. Overall, he had a very lackluster season. The fifth-round pick from North Carolina proved that he may not be “that guy” in Washington, which has caused a majority of fans to call for a quarterback change. The Commanders are in a perfect position to make this change, as they own five picks in the first three rounds.
The best option for the Commanders in the draft is to make a trade with the Chicago Bears for the number one pick in order to draft homegrown talent Caleb Williams, quarterback out of the University of Southern California. This homecoming would be perfect as Williams emerged from our Gonzaga College High School. “Bring him home!” fans hail on social media.
Recently, the Commanders cleared their coaching jobs and were ready for a complete overhaul. They brought in former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for their head coaching position, and they hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to fill their offensive coordinator role. Last season, however, Kingsbury coached Caleb Williams at the University of Southern California. It seems like the Commanders are making moves that suggest that they could be in position to make a trade up. Richard Sherman said that “the Commanders didn’t hire Kliff Kingsbury to draft Drake Maye,” who is the next best quarterback prospect in the draft. All of the parallels align for the Commanders to trade up.
What would the Commanders have to give up for him though? It would undoubtedly take a large haul to convince the Chicago Bears to stick with current quarterback Justin Fields after he led the Bears to a 5-8 record when he played, putting up 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. A lot of fans also believe that they need a change at the quarterback position, and who better than a generational talent? In my opinion, the best trade package that the Commanders could put together that would convince the Bears to move back one spot would be the following: 2024 first round pick (No. 2 overall), 2024 second round pick (No. 36 overall), 2024 second round pick (No. 40 overall), and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. The defensive line is a definite need for the Bears, and they would be getting one of the best in the league. Something to note is that he is fed up with the franchise, going on record multiple times publicly calling out the performances of the team. Chances are he will not resign when his contract expires in 2025. Getting him out may lead to a happier locker room and a lot less salary spent on his contract.
Drafting Caleb Williams would be the best possible move that the Commanders could make, and one of the best off-season moves they have ever made. He will revolutionize the franchise and could potentially turn them from the second worst team in the league to a playoff contender.
Carol H Corgan • Feb 14, 2024 at 3:01 pm
Lou–
I’m looking forward to see if the Commanders and Bears follow through with your suggestions!