Getty Justin Fields pressured against UCLA.
The Washington Commanders‘ draft decisions will be controlled by what the Chicago Bears decide to do with the No. 1 pick. It’s uncertain if they’re going to trade the pick, use it to draft Caleb Williams, or draft a different player to build around Justin Fields. With all of these options, the Commanders must be ready to make tough decisions leading up to the draft.
Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will almost certainly be one of the players that Washington drafts. The franchise is looking for its long-term quarterback and any of the three could possibly give them that. If they want to trade for the No. 1 pick, however, the Bears are looking for a massive haul, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
“Chicago would need a historic haul of draft picks and overall compensation to move off the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, sources say.”
Rapoport writes that the Bears are likely to make the pick. Chicago landed it from trading last year’s No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers.
“That indicates the Bears, who received the pick in a mammoth trade last offseason with the Panthers, are more likely than not to make the pick and land their new franchise QB.”
Should the Commanders Trade for Justin Fields?
Is there a scenario in which the Washington Commanders keep the No. 2 pick and trade for Fields? It’s unlikely, but it could be a move that they think about. Fields is better than he’s gotten credit for and while he’s certainly had his struggles in his young career, a chance of scenery could be exactly what he needs to turn it around.
Rapoport added that if they did decide to draft Williams, it’s essentially guaranteed that they’d trade Fields. Fields value shouldn’t be too high, maybe as most as a second-round pick. A scenario where the Commanders trade with the Bears for Fields and Washington uses the No. 2 pick on a player like Marvin Harrison Jr. could interest them.
The Commanders could like what Fields has shown and not rely on a rookie quarterback to turn their franchise around.
“If Chicago does decide to take the former Heisman Trophy winner in Williams, they would almost certainly trade Justin Fields to the highest bidder in what should be an active and fertile market. Fields, who hit his stride in the second half of this season and should command considerable interest, received plenty of support this week from teammates (DJ Moore is one example) with hopes of him sticking in Chicago.”
Washington Can’t Make the Wrong Move
It’s easy to make the wrong choice here for the Washington Commanders. There are 100 different decisions that they can make and some will work out much better than others.
No matter what they decide to do, there’s a risk involved in all of them. However, the front office needs to get this right as it’s clear they need a franchise quarterback.