The Washington Commanders seem firmly focused on the future, especially after hiring former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to be their head coach and trading Sam Howell, their starting quarterback last season.
Howell didn’t quite measure up, and now the Commanders, who went just 4-13 in 2023, have the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft and are poised to add a potential true franchise QB.
Howell is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks, and Quinn gave him some praise when the coach commented on the trade, per Ben Standig.
“I’ve said it before, how impressed I was as Sam as a competitive, tough guy. And I thought once in a while in our league there’s a good win-win that takes place. And I think Sam heading to Seattle, they’re excited to have him. He’s got a great opportunity there with those guys,” Quinn said.
Dan Quinn on the Sam Howell trade:
“I’ve said it before, how impressed I was as Sam as a competitive, tough guy. And I thought once in a while in our league there’s a good win-win that takes place. And I think Sam heading to Seattle, they’re excited to have him. He’s got a great…
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 26, 2024
Howell will be backing up Geno Smith, who has been Seattle’s starter the last two seasons and has inexplicably risen from a maligned backup to a solid QB1.
The former University of North Carolina Tar Heel became Washington’s starter for their final game of the 2022 season after they moved on from veteran Carson Wentz, and in 2023 he threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns.
However, he completed just 63.4 percent of his pass attempts and had an NFL-high 21 interceptions.
Caleb Williams from USC will almost certainly be the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Bears, which means the Commanders will almost certainly choose either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels at No. 2.
However, there is now some buzz that they may instead take J.J. McCarthy, who recently led the University of Michigan to the national title and has seen his stock rise lately.
There is also always that outside chance Washington trades down for additional draft capital, especially if they would be happy with McCarthy, which could make sense, given they have multiple other needs on both sides of the football.
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