Could Sam Howell actually be back in DC? Maybe so, because when Commanders GM Adam Peters joined Grant & Danny Tuesday, he was as noncommittal as it gets about taking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the Draft.
“All options are open, Grant and Danny. We’re exploring all options,” Peters said. “We’re going through that process, meeting prospects for the first time this week, which is the best part of the week for us. But that decision is way down the road; we won’t make that decision for a while, but it will be the best decision for the organization.”
Howell did, too, get some good praise from Peters.
“We’re really excited to work with Sam. He’s extremely talented, very athletic, and tough as heck,” the GM said. “I really like him, and I know DQ and Kliff like him, too, so that will factor into it – but again, that’s all down the road.”
There has been scuttlebutt of possibly bringing in a veteran to maybe pair with Howell too, or the idea that Howell is extraneous if they go QB at 2 because they’d need a vet (like Jacoby Brissett last year) to be a safety net and mentor and Howell doesn’t fit that mold – but as Peters noted, the 49ers in 2022-23 needed four QBs, and ended up having to go back to an injured one in their finale.
“You always look for every option to make your team better, so if a veteran can make that room stronger, you do it,” Peters said. “A couple years ago in San Francisco, we had Trey Lance, and then Jimmy Garoppolo, and then Brock Purdy, and then Josh Johnson, and we ended up with a quarterback who couldn’t throw in the NFC Championship Game, so you always have to be prepared. You hop you don’t need all those guys, but you want to make all those rooms as strong and deep as you can.”
That all said, you still have to assume it will be a QB…but if not, is trading down maybe a possibility?
“There are no absolutes; you do what’s best for the team at any given situation, and if that’s trading up or down, you do that,” Peters said. “Most people say the value is in trading back, but there’s a lot of value in trading up for a player you really want, too – it all depends on the options. We have a team of people always making calls and looking at options so we can make the best decision when we’re on the clock.”
