Commanders Trading Up For USC QB Caleb Williams After Hiring Kliff Kingsbury?
If new head coach Dan Quinn is going to have any hope of turning the Washington Commanders around, getting the quarterback position right is the top priority and then some.
Quinn took the first step in fixing an offense that has plagued the Commanders in recent seasons by hiring former Arizona Cardinals head coach and USC Trojans offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator. Given Kingsbury's history, it's not hard to tell who Washington could be targeting with its first-round pick.
The former Arizona Cardinals head coach and now USC Trojans assistant coach Kliff Kingsbury talks to quarterback Caleb Williams (13) during the pregame warmup before playing the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 23, 2023.
© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Kingsbury has a clear connection to USC quarterback Caleb Williams from their time together in Southern California in 2023. Williams, who is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in this class, may get taken with the No. 1 overall pick, regardless of whether the Chicago Bears stand pat or another team trades up.
Williams was nothing short of electrifying in his three collegiate seasons. He finished his career throwing for 10,082 yards, 94 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and he ran for 966 yards and 27 scores. Williams put together his best season in 2022 when he threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for 382 yards and 10 scores.
Williams' play in 2022 led to him winning the Heisman Trophy and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
This isn't the first time Kingsbury has entered the NFL world with an opportunity to land a quarterback he has familiarity with from college. He jumped at the opportunity to become the Cardinals' head coach when they had a chance to draft quarterback Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma. Together, they went 28-37-1 and made one playoff appearance in Arizona before Kingsbury was fired after a 4-13 season in 2022.
By all accounts, Williams and Kingsbury appear to have a good relationship. The former USC quarterback congratulated Kingsbury on his Instagram after he was hired as the Commanders' offensive coordinator.
While Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, drafting Williams won't be as simple as it was for Kingsbury in Arizona when it took Murray with the first pick in 2019. The Bears, who have the No. 1 overall pick, are very much in play to take a quarterback, and Williams could be their guy as well.
How the Commanders approach their situation will bear watching. They could make it look like they're not interested in Williams in hopes that he falls to them at No. 2, or they can be aggressive in trying to trade up for the No. 1 pick. When Commanders general manager Peters was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, all signs pointed to them drafting Mac Jones before they took Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. A similar play here from Peters wouldn't be surprising.
If Chicago doesn't plan to take a quarterback or prefers Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, it could trade back with the Commanders and still land either guy. Washington has as much ammunition as any team to trade up with six picks in the top 102. While the price of moving up to No. 1 over other quarterback-needy teams could be a hefty one to pay, landing a franchise guy after not having one since Kirk Cousins left after the 2017 season is one well worth paying.
Whether hiring Kingsbury was with Williams in mind, the Commanders need to solve their quarterback position this offseason if this regime wants to have any chance of turning the franchise around. If Williams is the guy Kingsbury wants, Peters and Quinn should do whatever it takes to land him as their next franchise quarterback.
