The Washington Commanders need a backup quarterback behind Sam Howell for 2023. The Commanders wanted to keep Taylor Heinicke around, but only at a number they deemed appropriate.
Heinicke shopped his services on the open market and landed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons that could pay him as much as $20 million over two years.
Andy Dalton was considered an option, but he signed with the Carolina Panthers. It isn’t known if the Commanders even reached out to Dalton before he chose Carolina. Washington even tried to lure Chad Henne out of retirement. That didn’t work, either.
There are plenty of free-agent quarterbacks available. However, only a few are trustworthy enough to start and potentially win games. Heinicke and Dalton were two of those. Washington is looking for a specific type of quarterback—a veteran with starting experience who can push Howell but not necessarily overtake him.
We’ve identified nine potential options for the Commanders, some more likely than others.