The Washington Commanders will have a difficult time trading up for Caleb Williams, but a reunion with four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins is possible if he departs the Minnesota Vikings and reaches NFL free agency in 2024.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon has suggested the potential of bringing Cousins back to FedEx Field. He went on to say, “rarely do franchise-caliber quarterbacks hit the open market, but there’s a very good chance that happens if the Minnesota Vikings decide Kirk Cousins is out of their price range between now and the start of free agency on March 13.”
Gagnon identified “Washington, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Atlanta Falcons, or the Denver Broncos” as teams that could “take shots” at Cousins “if the Vikings opt to rebuild now.”
Trusting Cousins, 35, as a bridge starter would provide the Commanders with short-term security at football’s most vital position. Selecting Williams in the 2024 NFL draft as the franchise’s next face would boost trust in head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters’ rebuilding efforts.
Assuming the Commanders can secure the first overall choice.
Kirk Cousins Still Has Value If Commanders Cannot Draft From 2012 to 2017, Caleb Williams went from being a fourth-round pick to becoming a Pro Bowl starter in Washington. In his last three seasons in the nation’s capital, he threw for more than 4,000 yards.
No. 8 has subsequently broken the 4,000-yard mark four times with the Vikings. He’s improved due of his ability to distribute the ball around, make decisive reads, and throw with timing.
Cousins demonstrated the latter attribute by throwing “4 TD passes in rhythm (2.5-4 seconds)” when the Vikings faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. According to Next Gen Stats, “Cousins has thrown 114 TD passes in rhythm since 2016, 15 more than any other player.”
This attribute would be beneficial to a Commanders offence with a lot of talent in the skill spots. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson would benefit from a reliable quarterback completing passes in Kliff Kingsbury’s vast offensive scheme.
Cousins might play a vital role after he recovers from a torn Achilles that halted his season in Week 8. That is presuming the Vikings do not retain their starting quarterback.
The Vikings may want to see what other teams can give Cousins, but this is a risky plan. Other quarterback-needy clubs make sense, according to Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus, who told The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov that if the Vikings do not bring Cousins back, the Atlanta Falcons have the best chance of signing him.
According to Spotrac.com, the Commanders have $83,543,548 in salary cap space, which might make them a wild card. The Commanders could even replicate history by signing Cousins and drafting his replacement after the first round. Possibly using the second or third-round selections obtained from the trade of defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young.
That strategy might be easier to implement than a deal for Williams.
Caleb Williams Could Stay Out of Commanders Reach.
There’s a lot to recommend the Commanders taking on Williams. Like the presence of Kingsbury, who previously coached the passer at USC.
Ample budget space and picks from the Sweat and Young trades provide Peters with plenty of resources to entice the Chicago Bears to trade the top pick. Any transaction would only occur if the Bears chose to disregard warnings and keep Justin Fields.
According to Gagnon, “Caleb Williams is, in the opinion of many, an obvious No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.” The good news is that “the Chicago Bears have yet to strongly indicate they’re giving up on Justin Fields and drafting Williams first overall.”
Any opportunity to lure Washington, D.C. native Williams back to the city will most likely be too appealing for the Commanders.
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