During Thursday’s show, Grant & Danny had a long discussion on whether or not the Commanders’ roster is as bad as having no Pro Bowlers makes it seem, with GP thinking it’s ‘regular bad’ and Danny falling more on the side of dumpster fire inside a fireworks factory.
So what does PFF and NBC Sports draft analyst Connor Rodgers have to say about it?
“For me, you fall in love with the resources, right? The fact is that if you fail, it’s your fault, but you didn’t fail because you didn't have the ammo, right, making chicken salad out of chicken you know what?” Rodgers said. “That's always your biggest fear of taking a job, is that the previous regime went all in and lost assets or have bloated contracts. The Commanders have the most cap space in the league, a Top 2 pick in a quarterback filled draft and extra Day 2 capital, and I don’t think the roster is that bad. You’d think you’d be able to turn it around as long as you have the right guy making those decisions.”
The Commanders are looking at picking second, and consensus is, it’ll be a QB; Rodgers believes there are just too many variables with the Bears to really know what’s going to happen at No. 1, but the Commanders are the team that is least impacted, in theory, by whatever the ripple effect is.
Mostly, he thinks, that’s because in a year where the No. 1 pick is closer to Joe Burrow than Blake Bortles, there are four really solid, albeit completely different, options to choose from.
“There are four potential franchise quarterbacks in this draft between Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, and Jayden Daniels, but they’re all so different, and that's what makes this so fun,” Rodgers said. “If you’re picking second, you’re gonna be resetting your franchise with a new front office and coaching staff and that's gonna come with the allure of being able to draft your own franchise quarterback and build around him the way that they envision. You can make an argument and say Maye is just as talented maybe as Justin Herbert was coming out, or I look at Williams and at a minimum, he gives you some Kyler Murray-type passing ability. Daniels is an electric runner, and was able to operate the vertical game with two first-round receivers, and then everyone got to see Penix n the CFP, who is, in my mind, the most pro-ready of them all. These guys all have legitimate Top 8 feelings, and legitimate franchise starting quarterback talent within them, so it’s a little bit of what’s your flavor.”
Rodgers doesn’t think Williams is as much of a lock to be No. 1 overall as many have thought, thinking Maye could be that pick at 1-1, even if Caleb is a favorite – and if the Bears trade out, it flips the script based on what the team trading in is looking for.
So, then, what about the idea of trading back to stockpile assets and still getting one of those Top 4?
“It’s always weighing how far back can you go, and as we get closer, the reality is you can't go far back at all,” Rodgers said. “A QB comes off the board at 1 no doubt, and then, who is coming up to Washington, and do they want Marvin Harrison Jr.? New England is there, Arizona could let a team come up for a QB, and I know the Giants are doing homework on quarterback as well. So, you're really looking at maybe being able to flip back two or three spots you'd still be sweating it a little bit, because you don't want to play yourself. You don’t want to be sitting there in the draft saying we loved Penix and he’s going to be the fourth QB off the board, but something happens you don’t expect and you’re scrambling and end up with a wide receiver or a tackle and run it back with Sam Howell again.”
Rodgers also thinks you can staple your head coaching hire based on who you think will be the pick at No. 2, because they can start building the process right away, but there is always room for error.
“You look at a Jayden Daniels, that’ll be an offense that the quarterback run game is going to impact their pass game as well. Or Michael Penix, you're running more of a drop back offense that is going to ask a lot of him mentally but not going to ask a lot of improvisation,” Rodgers said. “May and Williams can do a little bit of both and play out of structure, but you'd like to maximize their talent within structure as well – and knowing what they can handle from a mental aspect as rookies is something that you're going to have to figure out during the Combine. So, that’s why I can't emphasize enough that Washington being on a timeline all at once this off-season can be a very, very valuable aspect to their potential turnaround, if you can get everybody on the same page with the same mindset.”
Take a listen to Rodgers’ entire segment, as he also goes into some ideas for the GM and head coach search, possible second-round fits, and more!
