Forget drafting a quarterback in the first round. Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera will rise or fall under newly acquired passer Carson Wentz and shouldn't saddle his successor with a young quarterback should the team fail this fall.
Coaches should draft a quarterback in their first two years so the tandem has time to grow together. Year 3 is too late for Rivera. His failure to already draft one may be his downfall and certainly his legacy. Rivera focused too hard on bolstering a defense that instead underperformed after taking linebacker Jamin Davis as the 2021 first-rounder instead of gaining a quarterback.
With Seattle now selecting ninth overall after trading quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver rather than Washington, the Commanders aren't entitled to the best college passer on the board at pick 11. That means trading up if they really want Liberty quarterback Malik Willis or settling for a lesser prospect.
Of course, Washington can still wait for a fair prospect in the second round and claim that's who it really wanted all along. But the Commanders desperately need to sell tickets and nothing brings hope like a first-round quarterback.
The timing is now wrong, though. If Washington doesn't manage its first winning season by Rivera's third year, owner Dan Snyder will start getting antsy. Rivera would probably get a fourth season, but then what if the team's still losing?
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Drafting a quarterback late in a coach's tenure has often haunted this team for the past generation. A coach drafted a quarterback and then wasn't around long enough to develop him. The biggest reason why at least half of all passers fail is poor fits. Coaches reach for quarterbacks thinking the rookie can adapt to the offense. It rarely works and then the coach is gone and his successor has different thoughts.
Snyder forced coach Steve Spurrier to draft Patrick Ramsey in the 2002 first round despite the coach saying he wouldn't play the rookie. And, Ramsey played little over two years. When coach Joe Gibbs arrived in 2004, he skipped over Ramsey for veteran Mark Brunell. Ramsey went 3-4 after Brunell was hurt, but never amounted to anything.
Gibbs drafted Jason Campbell in the 2005 first round. It took a couple years, but Campbell finally started regularly in 2007-09. He went 18-27 and was traded when coach Mike Shanahan arrived in 2010.
Shanahan drafted Robert Griffin III in 2012 and it looked good for one year before injuries, inconsistent play and poor communication between the two ruined RGIII's career. Coach Jay Gruden took over in 2014 with a mandate to revive Griffin's career. Instead, he soon benched the passer for Kirk Cousins.
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Cousins was a 2012 fourth-rounder that Shanahan personally favored and it proved an excellent pick. In the post-Super Bowl era of the team, Cousins has been the franchise's best passer with three 4,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl. Too bad he was a poor fit with president Bruce Allen, who fumbled re-signing Cousins and eventually saw the latter leave as a free agent.
Dwayne Haskins is the latest mistimed move. Snyder forced the pick in 2019 with Gruden claiming the owner came off his yacht to overrule the staff and take the passer. Haskins struggled in his brief rookie role and Rivera cut the quarterback during the 2021 season.
The risk of taking a first-rounder now is a potential change of staffs might not grow the pick. Of course, taking a quarterback after the first round is more risk averse.
Given the team's greater needs at receiver and middle linebacker, trading for Wentz means skipping over passers for greater need come the first round.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
