Washington Commanders media members already touting terrible NFL Draft plans before free agency even begins
Heading into 2024 NFL Draft season it seemed abundantly clear to most that The Washington Commanders were not going to stick with Sam Howell after his struggles last season. But in the past week or so there have been rumblings from Commanders media members that there may be other NFL Draft options besides just simply […]
Heading into 2024 NFL Draft season it seemed abundantly clear to most that The Washington Commanders were not going to stick with Sam Howell after his struggles last season. But in the past week or so there have been rumblings from Commanders media members that there may be other NFL Draft options besides just simply replacing Sam Howell by drafting a signal caller at the second pick overall.
Lynnell Willingham of 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. made it abundantly clear that there are several ways to attack the QB position this offseason, but regardless of who the Commanders bring in they "should have to compete" to win the job.
It sounds like Williams (among others) believe that although Sam Howell finished poorly down the stretch for the Commanders he at least deserves a shot to compete for the job again in 2024.
Others believe the Commanders may attempt to move Howell via trade to a team like the New York Jets. NFL reporter Connor Hughes shared that some on the New York Jets staff think very highly of Sam Howell. They could be one potential trade partner.
But then others around the country still believe that Howell just needs better protection. He did take a league leading 65 sacks on the year. What if the Commanders select the best offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Joe Alt (left tackle from Notre Dame), as Jack Caporuscio suggests in the post below.
Joe Alt is an absolute monster of a man at 6'8", 320+ pounds who is the consensus top offensive tackle in the 2024 NFL Draft. He could certainly be a foundational piece for the Commanders offense for many years to come. But would that fix the major sack issues for the Commanders?
The Commanders did have absolutely atrocious offensive line play in 2023, but recent studies have shown that quarterbacks can own a significant portion of their pressure and sack rates. In fact, halfway through the season Sam Howell was the absolute worst starting quarterback in terms of taking sacks when he didn't likely have to do so (as you can see via my post below).
Howell did vastly improve down the stretch in dealing with pressure, only taking seven sacks in his last four starts. However, he ended up creating new problems for himself by throwing seven interceptions in that same four-game span.
Howell's inconsistencies taking sacks and creating turnovers this year are well noted. The hard truth of the matter for the Commanders is two-fold. Howell was far from the only issue. And the possible replacements via the draft have shown to have the same exact issues in avoiding sacks.
Travis May’s 2024 NFL Draft Top 50 Prospect Rankings coming off Super Bowl LVIII features six quarterbacks
Travis May’s 2024 NFL Draft Top 50 Prospect Rankings coming off Super Bowl LVIII
Caleb Williams (USC) is the assumed first pick off the board for the 2024 NFL Draft. That much has been chalk for months. After him it seems the next best two options for the Commanders at pick two are Drake Maye from North Carolina and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels out of LSU.
Drake Maye took 43 sacks in just 14 games during the 2022 season and saw his pressure to sack rate actually get worse last fall, taking a sack on 20% of his pressures. Jayden Daniels has a career pressure to sack rate over 24%, and while he improved slightly last season it still was above 20%. So yes, the Commanders very well could draft their "quarterback of the future" this spring and still lead the league in sacks allowed.
Sam Howell very likely may not be the answer at quarterback for the Commanders. But there's great evidence to suggest simply drafting a quarterback at the second pick overall might not be the fix that Commanders fans want it to be, especially right away.
So, what are the Commanders supposed to do? Trade Howell for offensive line help? Draft the best offensive lineman to help improve blocking for whoever the Commanders go with at quarterback? Draft a quarterback with well-documented issues with pressure and sacks hoping it works out for the best?
There doesn't seem to be a one-move-fix-all play. The pressure is on for new general manager Adam Peters to make several decisive moves in the coming months if the Commanders want to have any hope of competing soon.
