Commanders, Bears QB Justin Fields Living 'In the Gray' Until Trade Decision is Made
There isn’t much left for the Washington Commanders to do but sit on their hands and wait.
In all likelihood, Washington will take a quarterback with the second-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft. They’ll do so without their pick of the litter, presuming the No. 1 pick – currently held by the Chicago Bears – is also a quarterback.
The majority of the work on these passers is already done. Washington probably knows who it prefers. But until Bears general manager Ryan Pace chooses to stay put and deal quarterback Justin Fields or trade down, the Commanders are offered little in the form of certainty.
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) runs with the ball past Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat (90) during the fourth quarter at FedExField.
Mandatory Credit Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Pace spoke about the Fields dilemma with a hint of empathy for his quarterback.
“Uf we go down that road (of trading Fields), I want to do right by Justin,” Pace said, per Courtney Cronin. He also added that he didn’t want Fields living “in the gray.”
Fields isn’t the only one living in the in-between.
Washington’s hire of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury may have signaled a preference for Caleb Williams – his understudy in 2023 – but given the team’s lack of success in 2023 (and the likelihood that he’s gone by No. 2), he may be just a pipe dream.
That doesn’t make UNC quarterback Drake Maye any less of a consolation prize. Maye, who is preferred to Williams by a portion of analysts, offers a more prototypical build and play style than his Heisman-winning counterpart.
As the prospective QB2 in this class, Maye inspires confidence with top-of-the-line arm talent and enough mobility to survive in the modern NFL.
If mobility is winning over the hearts of the Commanders’ decision-makers, there’s a chance they opt for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels – who, like Williams, has Heisman hardware to his name. Daniels is a fifth-year senior whose final season was his best, and he’s riding that momentum into conversations at the top of the draft.
Chicago has long been rumored to be infatuated with Williams, but a team trading up could theoretically favor any of the class’ top passers. There may not be an ideal situation, assuming the Bears don’t take a non-quarterback at No. 1, but some sense of finality would be appreciated by the Washington faithful as the draft quickly approaches.
