With the Washington Football Team looking to layer and build their organization for years to come, specifically at the most crucial position, the rumor mill has been flying that Trey Lance is directly in their line of vision.
This week, we have several features from different angles on the quarterback and the reported pursuit of the WFT.
Our 'Trade Up For Trey' Game plan looks like this:
**What the scouting analysts are saying
**Our 'Tale of Trey's Tape' view
**Why Should Washington Make this Move?
**Why would they be crazy to make the move?
**Pulse of the Fan - Should the WFT be desperate or patient?
**Trey Lance - Inside the Numbers.
Today, we examine why the Washington Football Team would be crazy to make a move into the top-five or even the top-10 for Trey Lance.
When we say "crazy'' ... obviously everyone's perspective is different. Some fans, coaches and analysts believe you can't win a Super Bowl without a stud at QB and taking a big swing for the fences.
They'll point to Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the deal that Andy Reid made to land the Texas Tech star. Obviously that has been an enormously successful trade but .....what proponents don't ever point out is the deals that went horribly sour for the Chicago Bears with Mitchell Trubisky, the New York Jets with Sam Darnold, the WFT with Robert Griffin III, the Eagles with Carson Wentz, the Rams with Jared Goff and, of course, the largest blunder of all time was the Chargers absurdly overpaying for Ryan Leaf.
The bottom line is this: Trading up for any quarterback is an enormous risk. Basically, it's like playing Russian Roulette.
You might get lucky. Or you might be done, in the blink of an eye.
There's no doubt that Lance has the strong arm and athleticism that every coach craves and thinks they can develop. He seems to work hard and appears to be mature. (Two traits that Dwayne Haskins did not possess.)
What makes anyone think that a player who has operated in one game over the last year-and-a-half at North Dakota State is going to be absolutely ready to take over as the QB face of an organization in 2022?
What happens if it needs to be before that? You can hope. You can think ... but you have no idea.
A team that still has significant holes on both sides would not be best served by emptying the ammunition in the draft for such a "maybe.''
Two first-round picks? A first next year, a second and a third this year along with another sweetener?
No thanks. Let someone else make that mistake (or, in fairness, reap the rewards). Realistically, there's, what? Maybe about a 10-15% chance (if that) that Lance or any quarterback in this draft turns out to be Mahomes or something even close?
What if Lance is as talented as they probably think he is and he always gets hurt? QB is the one position you cannot afford an unreliable player at.
Ron Rivera has talked time and time again about being patient. They'll defend it as striking for their guy, the guy they believe is a game-changer and a franchise-changing QB.
That's what they said with all of the bad trades teams have made over the years to justify their desires and impulses. The WFT needn't, and shouldn't, fall into that trap.
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