It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the New England Patriots won’t be the only team eyeing the potential of drafting their next franchise quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, which means they will have competition when it comes to selecting a prospect like USC’s Caleb Williams.
Based on recent mock drafts, the near consensus is that whoever lands the Trojans signal-caller will likely be the holder of the No. 1 overall pick. As things currently stand, the Chicago Bears is the team in prime position to draft Williams thanks to last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers, who, despite trading up for the pick that got them, Bryce Young, have the league’s worst record at 2-13.
However, according to a recent report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Patriots could be joined in the Williams sweepstakes by the 4-11 Washington Commanders after they recently announced the benching of former fifth-round quarterback Sam Howell.
“There’s some thought around the league that Washington is very interested in Caleb Williams, a Washington, D.C., native who’s the strong favorite to be picked first overall,” Graziano writes. “The Commanders, with a break here or there over the next couple of weeks, could find themselves in a position to either draft Williams or trade up a spot or two to get him.”
Similar to the Patriots, quarterback play has plagued the Commanders. After a promising debut at the end of last season for Howell as he led Washington to a 26-6 upset win over the Dallas Cowboys and the offseason hiring of long-time Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator, the former UNC Tarheel has struggled.
In 15 games, Howell threw for 3,624 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions before coach Ron Rivera pulled the trigger on benching him in favor of Jacoby Brissett, who had replaced him in each of their last two games.
Combine Howell’s benching and the prevailing thought that an offseason clearout is looming, many now expect the Commanders to join the fold of teams hoping to find their next quarterback. And if Graziano’s report is to be believed, they are already “very interested” in Williams.
Yet, with four wins on the year, they, like the Patriots, may still need help to make their dream of drafting him come true. While both teams sport the same record, the Commanders are currently the holders of the No. 3 pick, with the Patriots right behind them at No. 4 due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker.
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While both teams’ picks look too low to have a chance at Williams, trading up with Chicago is possible.
“Many people around the league believe Chicago should just take USC’s Caleb Williams and start over,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. “But Fields has made this decision difficult with his toughness, work ethic and playmaking. He has shown some growth over the past five weeks, and he’s very well liked in the locker room.
” Thus potentially creating the NFL version of an “arms race” for who can make a deal with the Bears to secure the rights to the No. 1 overall pick.
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