At this stage, it is widely assumed that the Washington Commanders will be looking for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. New head coach Dan Quinn pretty much confirmed that on Saturday during the league’s owner’s meetings, saying it would be “fair” to expect the team to draft a quarterback in this year’s class.
He simply did not indicate when it would happen.
Or which QB would it be.
“I’d say it’s fair to assume we’d take a quarterback,” Quinn told NFL.com. “To say where it will happen, I believe it is a better issue for (general manager) Adam Peters. As the weeks progress, there will be a lot more conversation, which is why we had a nice trip out meeting some guys; we’ll do that again in the coming weeks, but I’ve enjoyed the process with Adam and going through it. He’s an amazing expert on this position, what it looks like, and where to go, so going through the process has been really cool.”
The Commanders have already traded last year’s starter, Sam Howell, to the Seattle Seahawks, leaving only Marcus Mariota and Jake Fromm on the depth chart at the position. Neither player is a viable short- or long-term option at the position.
The Commanders are also in a strong position to sign their next franchise quarterback. They control the second overall pick in what is widely regarded as one of the best quarterback draft groups in recent memory. Particularly at the top. Quinn may play the “we’ll see where we take one” game all he wants, but it’d be surprising if they didn’t take advantage of their situation.
With USC’s Caleb Williams anticipated to go first overall to the Chicago Bears, the Commanders would have to select between North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels (the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner). There is no clear consensus on which quarterback is the second-best in this class, and teams will most likely split the difference between Maye and Daniels. The Commanders’ opinions will certainly carry the most weight because they will be the ones who must make the final choice.
If they get it right, it will help to jumpstart the rebuilding process for a new front office and coaching staff. If they get it wrong, nothing else they do matters.
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