Commanders Winners or Losers in Panthers Trade with Bears?
The Carolina Panthers acquiring the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster trade is sending shockwaves throughout the NFL.
Even though the Washington Commanders won't be on the clock until the No. 16 pick, they are affected in one way or another like everyone else.
While the Commanders aren't impacted as much as teams like the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, two teams eyeing a quarterback at the top of the draft, there are effects.
Assuming the Panthers stay at No. 1 and take a quarterback, this means that the top four signal callers (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson) are all seeing their stock grow. With the Bears likely not taking a quarterback with Justin Fields already in the building, this trade ensures that a quarterback should go No. 1.
What it also means is that teams will try and match the aggression the Panthers have shown to try and guarantee that they will get a quarterback. Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and Tennessee Titans (No. 11) could be the next to make a move and try to get in that top five picks, trying to sneak in before the Indianapolis Colts (No. 4) or Detroit Lions (No. 6) get a chance to take a quarterback.
If the Commanders wanted one of the top quarterbacks or hoped that one would magically fall to No. 16, then they would be considered a loser in this whole deal.
However, given everything head coach Ron Rivera has said about Sam Howell and the team's trust in the second-year pro, it didn't seem likely for the Commanders to take a quarterback.
With all the quarterbacks rising, it means the top offensive linemen and defensive prospects will slide down, giving the Commanders a better chance at nabbing one in the first round and making them a small winner in the blockbuster trade.
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