Commanders reportedly interested in trading up for No. 1 overall pick
On the heels of a six-game losing streak, the Washington Commanders appear to be in prime position to land one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As enticing as North Carolina’s Drake Maye is to some teams, the Commanders appear to have other plans. ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently reported that Washington has its eye on USC’s Caleb Williams, and the team could even be desperate enough to trade up to get him.
“There’s some thought around the league that Washington is very interested in Caleb Williams, a Washington,
D.C., native who’s the strong favorite to be picked first overall,” Graziano wrote. “The Commanders, with a break here or there over the next couple of weeks, could find themselves in position to either draft Williams or trade up a spot or two to get him.”
Head coach Ron Rivera is likely to be shown the door once the season ends. It makes sense for Washington, which is under the direction of a new ownership group eager to put its stamp on a franchise desperate to bring back fans that former owner Daniel Snyder drove away, to want to pair a new head coach with a new franchise QB.
While Sam Howell looked like he could potentially be the Commanders QB of the future during the first 10 games of the year, it’s clear with his recent benching for Jacoby Brissett that the team is ready to move on.
Howell ranks 11th in passing yards (3,624) and he’s tied for 14th in touchdowns (19), but he leads the NFL in interceptions (17) and sacks (60) and he ranks 27th in passer rating (80.5).
With games against the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) and Dallas Cowboys (10-5) to close out the season, there’s a very good chance the Commanders, who currently have the No. 3 pick in the draft per Tankathon, will finish the year 4-13 and have a top-three draft pick.
Should the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals beat either the Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) or Seattle Seahawks (8-7) in their final two games, the Commanders could move up to the No. 2 overall pick, which may or may not get them Williams depending on what the Chicago Bears decide to do.
Chicago could try and leverage the top pick to squeeze a few extra draft choices out of Washington to ensure it gets its guy, much like the 49ers did to the Bears in 2017 when they acquired their third- and fourth-round selections that year plus a third-rounder the following year so Chicago could move up one spot and get QB Mitch Trubisky.
