The Washington Football Team is in a precarious situation right now. After they threw a three-year contract at wide receiver Curtis Samuel, Washington found themselves with something they haven’t had in years: a really good, young offensive core.
Samuel will be joining wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has developed into one of the most efficient receivers in the league through two NFL seasons, and running back Antonio Gibson to give Washington three diverse, explosive playmakers. This is a promising collection of talent to have as the Football Team moves into the future with Ron Rivera as their head coach.
However, one thing is missing from their current equation on offense: a true franchise quarterback. Sure, Taylor Heinecke had a nice game against the Buccaneers in the playoffs last season, but he’s not the long-term answer. The recently signed Ryan Fitzpatrick surely isn’t the long term answer, either.
Washington should try to acquire a young quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft: and it’s a great draft to do so.
Right now, Washington is slated to pick 19th in the 2021 NFL Draft. Trevor Lawrence will undoubtedly be off the board and Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson are all unlikely to fall that far on draft day.
So The Football Team needs to trade up.
Washington could then select one of those three quarterbacks, all of whom project as legitimate starting quarterbacks with the upside to develop into Pro Bowl caliber players.
It’s going to be costly, but Washington has to find a way to get one of those guys. The rest of this roster is ready to win now. Not only do they have those players on offense, but they also have a defense that’s loaded with talent, particularly along the defensive line with Chase Young, Jon Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat. They also just added William Jackson at cornerback, hoping to bolster a sneakily talented secondary that features Kendall Fuller and Kam Curl.
Don’t waste seasons of this core on average-at-best quarterback play. Fitzpatrick and Heinecke might be able to get you by for a few games, but a long-term answer is needed — and a talented rookie quarterback could potentially be a short-term option if Fitzpatrick and Heinecke both stutter at the start of the season.
Trading up into the top of the draft won’t be easy, but it has a chance to have a hugely positive long term impact if they happen to hit on that pick.
The risk is worth it.
These are the teams the Football Team should be calling today:
Miami: The Dolphins are currently picking third overall in the upcoming draft. If they’re truly content with Tua Tagovailoa being their starting quarterback, then they could put the pick on sale for a team that needs a quarterback. Negotiations would have to start at Washington’s first-round pick this year and next year to get that done.
Atlanta: The restructuring of Matt Ryan’s contract might have taken the Falcons out of the quarterback market with the fourth-overall pick. It would need to be a similar package to the Dolphins pick.
Philadelphia: Trading with a division rival is tricky, but the Eagles are in full rebuild mode and they need to fill out their roster with cheap, multiyear contracts. They could be enticed to use the No. 6 pick to acquire more draft capital.
Detroit: Same reasoning as the Eagles. The Lions, sitting at No. 7, are starting over.
There are options for Washington. Of the three non-Trevor Lawrence quarterbacks, Justin Fields might be best fit in this offense. His timing and accuracy would mesh well with McLaurin’s ability to get open and his versatility as a runner would give Washington options on the ground with Gibson and Samuel in option looks.
At the very least, Washington needs to try to get one of these guys. They have too many good things currently going for them on the roster to not at least ponder a home run swing for a talented rookie quarterback.