Commanders Exploring 'Entire QB Landscape,' to Sign, Draft or Trade, Says GM
The Washington Commanders' season ended with an 8-8-1 record and, for the most part, left many feeling unfulfilled. After having a playoff spot in their hands, the Commanders let it slip through their fingers.
With the season over, work can begin on moving into next season. Perhaps the most prominent question head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew will have to answer is who will be the quarterback in 2023?
With so many options on the table, Sam Howell thrust his name into the conversation with his efforts against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. For Mayhew, the team is putting everything on the table as they work through how next year will look at the quarterback position.
“Yeah, we are currently working through all that and having discussions," Mayhew said. "We're still in that kind of season review process. Over the next few days, we'll be talking about all those things and trying to sort that out. We gotta talk about budget. What we have to spend? Evaluate depth in terms of draft and free agency, where those positions are and where we think we can add talent. So, we're working through all that right now.”
The acquisition of Carson Wentz this season did not pan out the way many had hoped in Washington. Wentz started the year and was largely underwhelming. Then Taylor Heinicke was thrust in and put the Commanders into a position for a playoff spot but was benched for Wentz.
With so many veteran quarterbacks reportedly available this offseason, Mayhew says that last year, the process the team went through in signing Wentz was the right thing to do.
But will they make a similar move this offseason?
“Well, you pretty much have to enter every season and look at the entire landscape of what's available and I thought we did a really good job of that last year," Mayhew said. "We talked about drafting guys. We talked about who we could trade for and we talked about free agents. We went through the entire process of all those guys and did a very thorough evaluation. We will do the same thing this year. We're not gonna rule out acquiring a vet. We'll go through the entire landscape of who's available. We'll evaluate 'em and we'll get to a consensus on somebody.”
So, it appears that acquiring a quarterback is job one for Washington this offseason. Who could it be? Aaron Rodgers? Derek Carr? Or someone who isn't on their radar right now?
This offseason promises to be a crucial one for the Commanders and could have huge implications on the franchise's future.
Buckle up.
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