Now that the Bears appeared to have settled on Caleb Williams for the first pick of the NFL Draft, the Commanders are on the clock. But forget all the stories that say Washington will select Jayden Daniels. Or Drake Maye.
Dan Quinn, the new Washington head coach, insisted that the Commanders have yet to make a decision about what to do with the second pick.
“If somebody thinks they know, they’ll have to fill me in,” Quinn told reporters earlier this week from the NFL owners meeting in Orlando. “And so, with (general manager Adam Peters) and I, we’re not there yet.”
But, at a minimum, signs are pointing to the team picking a quarterback in the spot. After all, newly signed Marcus Mariota is the lone quarterback on the roster. Coincidentally, Mariota was the No. 2 pick of the draft (by the Titans) nine years ago.
This will be Quinn’s first draft as head coach of the Commanders. This time a year ago, he was defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
Earlier this month, the Commanders shipped Sam Howell, last year’s starting quarterback, to the Seahawks. In the trade, Washington received a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. Seattle received Howell and Washington’s fourth- and sixth-round selections
Coming into last season, the Commanders decided Howell, the former North Carolina favorite, would be their quarterback of the future. And now they’ll turn to another QB, maybe even one from UNC. Quinn lauded Howell in his post-trade comments.
“I’ve said it before, how impressed I was as Sam as a competitive, tough guy,” Quinn said. “And I thought once in a while in our league there’s a good win-win that takes place.
“I think Sam heading to Seattle, they’re excited to have him. He’s got a great opportunity there with those guys. For us, you know, Marcus (Mariota) being here, you know, that was an opportunity that we want to do as well.
“So every once in a while, those win-wins happen, but I certainly respect who the player is. I got a chance to coach against him and that’s what I told him when we spoke.”
Howell will work as Geno Smith’s chief backup after Drew Lock signed with the Giants.
Meanwhile, both Daniels and Maye showed out for the scouts this week during their respective on-campus Pro Days. The NFL Draft now is less than a month away. Click it here for On3’s extensive draft coverage.
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