Now that they’ve settled on a new name, the rebranded Washington Commanders’ next order of business is to find a franchise quarterback. That objective hasn’t yielded much in the way of results, though it hasn’t been for lack of effort with Washington leaving no stone unturned in its ongoing quarterback search.
While even a marginal upgrade could propel Washington to playoff status in a wide-open NFC, the Commanders seem to be thinking bigger, as evidenced by their reported pursuit of Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl champion and certain Hall-of-Famer arriving at a career crossroads.
A Virginia native who grew up two hours outside of D.C., many in the know suspect Wilson could be seeking a change of scenery following the first losing season of his NFL career. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Commanders made a “strong offer” for Wilson, but were promptly turned down, sending Washington right back to the drawing board.
There’s no harm in reaching for the top shelf, though Washington may need to set its sights lower, inevitably shifting their focus to more attainable options like Jimmy Garoppolo or Jameis Winston. Even former Heisman Marcus Mariota would likely be an improvement on undrafted journeyman Taylor Heinicke, who recorded nearly as many turnovers (17) as touchdowns (21) last season.
While Washington would surely prefer an established quarterback with a proven track record, the Commanders could also look to the draft, with Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Kenny Pickett and Matt Corral all candidates to go in the first round.
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