The Washington Commanders are 0-2, and their season is hanging by a thread heading into Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. Moreover, to make matters worse, they lost Jayden Daniels to a gruesome elbow injury in the Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington will go with Marcus Mariota to try to salvage their season against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Nonetheless, the veteran QB likely won’t steady the ship, as he couldn’t do much last season to keep the Commanders from sinking.
As a result, Wynston Wilcox of FanSided floated a trade idea involving the Cleveland Browns‘ Shedeur Sanders. In a Sept. 21 article, Wilcox pitched that the Commanders should trade a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for Sanders 2027 seventh-round pick (via the Houston Texans).
“This decision is two-fold,” Wilcox wrote. “For one, Sanders landing with Washington doesn’t necessarily mean he needs to start over Marcus Mariota. But it does give him a system to develop in… The Commanders have to find out what their quarterback room of the future is going to look like.
“Not just this season but moving forward. Mariota is a free agent next year and landing Sanders gives them a young backup that can not only develop, but give them decent play in a pinch if need be. It also gives them the chance to bring in a veteran as a third option to mentor both.”
Why It Makes Sense for Browns to Trade Shedeur Sanders
Meanwhile, Wilcox notes that Sanders is unlikely to see the field right now in Cleveland with Deshaun Watson having the team at 1-1. As a result, if Mariota can’t salvage the season and Daniels is out for a lengthy time, Sanders could see the field in this type of situation.
“Cleveland doesn’t plan on playing Sanders any time soon. Watson got the Week 1 start and earned at least one more start despite speculation that Week 2 would potentially be his last this season,” Wilcox added in his article. “There’s no reason for Cleveland to continue to waste Sanders’ time when he’s proven he’s good enough to be the starter on this team.
“He may not be a starter in the NFL right now on any team not named the Cleveland Browns, but he could be a player to build around. He could also take the same path Malik Willis did in learning behind the starter, coming in when called upon and do just enough to earn himself a starting job elsewhere.”
Analyst Has Little Faith in Commanders’ Marcus Mariota
Mariota has been with the Commanders since the 2024 season and has a passer rating of 94.3 with 2,170 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 15 games, per StatMuse. As a result, CBS Sports’ Damien Harris says he doesn’t expect Washington to turn things around if Daniels misses time and the team counts on Mariota to steady the ship.
“We already saw last year the Commanders cannot win with Marcus Mariota,” Harris said during a Sept. 20 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “I love Marcus Mariota. He’s done a lot of great things, but he is not the face of this franchise. They cannot win with him. Now, not to say Jayden Daniels was torching and lighting it up, but he’s still your best chance to win.”
Commanders, Browns Get Intriguing Trade Idea After Jayden Daniels’ Injury