Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels To Commanders With No. 2 Pick in Draft? Coach Kliff Kingsbury Hints?
Finding the right quarterback is going to be imperative if the Washington Commanders are going to turn things around.
While Sam Howell showed promise in his first season as the team's starter, his struggles at the end of the season, plus a new regime and the Commanders having the No. 2 overall pick, could spell the end of his time leading the offense.
New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury revealed what he's looking for in a quarterback, and those characteristics could point toward who the team could be looking at in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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
"When the money's on the table, you got to be able to make some plays with your feet [and] move around enough to escape a bad play," Kingsbury said. "It doesn't mean you got to run like [Baltimore Ravens QB] Lamar or [Arizona Cardinals QB] Kyler Murray, but you better be able to move a little bit and buy yourself some time because the D Line, the [pass] rushers [and] the defenses these days are so good.
"And then the intangibles, you want that player to be the hardest worker on your team. You want them to lead those guys each and every day when he shows up in the building, you want them to lift the building up and that's why those guys make the type of money they do.”
No two players are better at making things happen and bailing out the offense like USC quarterback Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels. Williams was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2022 and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, while Daniels took home the Heisman and SEC OPOY last season.
Williams threw 93 touchdowns and ran for 27 in three seasons, and Daniels threw 89 touchdowns and ran for 34 in five seasons. Daniels was the most dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the nation last season, as he threw for over 4,000 yards and ran for over 1,000 yards in 2023.
UNC quarterback Drake Maye may have a say in things before all is said and done, but he isn't as dynamic of a runner as Williams or Daniels. Maye threw 63 touchdowns and ran for 16 in his three collegiate seasons.
Kingsbury has familiarity with Williams after they were both at USC, though, there's a chance he may not even be available at No. 2 if the Chicago Bears decide to take him with the No. 1 overall pick.
"He's a great kid, there's no doubt," the coach said.
While the draft process has yet to fully get underway, Kingsbury revealing what he looks for may point to where Washington will eventually go if general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn think they can get their franchise quarterback at No. 2.
