The Washington Commanders have a new owner, general manager and have assembled an impressive coaching staff that his spear-headed by Dan Quinn, but includes former NFL head coaches Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator) and Anthony Lynn (running backs) as well as several respected names within football circles.
With a roster that has some talent, particularly at running back, receiver and on the defensive line, Washington was viewed as one of the top destinations for head coach and GM candidates heading into this offseason.
Beyond some of the in-house talent that wasn’t maximized under Ron RIvera’s tenure, the Commanders own the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft and have several picks within the first three rounds due to their midseason trades of pass rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young. With the increased salary cap that was released by the NFL last week, Washington leads the entire league with over $79 million in available funds.
That will allow new GM Adam Peters and the Washington Commanders brass to acquire critical pieces through free agency to give this team a chance to thrive sooner rather than later. With almost everyone in consensus that Washington will select one of the top quarterbacks with the No. 2 overall pick in a class loaded with the most talent at the position in recent history according to most experts, expect Washington to target offensive linemen and possibly a few skill players to set the new rookie signal caller up for as much success as possible.
The biggest question is who will Washington select with the coveted second pick? With the Chicago Bears almost surely taking USC star Caleb Williams at No. 1, barring a crazy turn of events or monumental trade, Washington will likely have to choose between UNC QB Drake Maye and LSU dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels.
There are mixed reviews on how NFL Draft evaluators grade each prospect, but the general consensus is either option would be a smart move and instant upgrade for any team.
Maye became one of the hottest names in NFL circles after a stellar year at UNC in his first season as the team’s starter after Sam Howell — who started at QB for the Washington Commanders last season — left for the NFL.
The first-year UNC starter began to gain buzz after closing out the 2022 season with 4,115 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions, while showing off rare athleticism for a 6-foot-4, 230-pound QB rushing for another 653 yards and 7 touchdowns as a runner.
PFF gives Daniels a slightly better grade than Maye and believes Washington will select last year’s Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 2 pick, but they still slate Maye as a top five QB with a ton of upside.
Drake Maye Reveals Thoughts About Possibly Having To Compete Against His Best Friend, Sam Howell, With Washington Commanders
There’s a very real chance Washington opts to select Maye with the No. 2 overall pick, which as of now, means he would have to compete against his best friend Sam Howell, for the starting QB job in DC.
Howell has been linked to several trade rumors but there’s a strong chance Washington keeps him in-house as he had plenty of flashes last season — behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league and questionable play calling — that showed he could possibly thrive as a starter in the NFL.
On a recent podcast appearance with Adam Schefter, Drake Maye was asked about the possibility of getting drafted by the Washington Commanders and having to compete with Sam Howell.
North Carolina QB @DrakeMaye2 is close with his former college teammate Sam Howell, knows Joe Gibbs, and shares what it would be like to land in Washington, as well as Chicago and New England.
🎧 https://t.co/qhzWPr4Vw4 pic.twitter.com/rVtbJcTJ0n
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2024
“No doubt Sam is one of my best friends, you know Sam had a big impact on me going in there and learning my freshman year and it being his last year, seeing him have such great success and just seeing how he prepared and how seriously he took it,” Maye said.
“It wasn’t necessary a culture shock, but kind of a shift from playing all sports in high school to focusing on one sport and how he handled that, how he took care of his body, worked hard in the weight room it was awesome to see him and sit behind him that one year, I feel like it kind of paid off big dividends for me.”
“So I still keep in touch with him, shoot he was just here the other week visiting Carolina and we were out there playing golf, so I’m a big fan of Sam and we keep in touch almost daily.”
Schefter then asked Maye if he’s had conversations about the possibility of winding up with Howell again in the NFL competing for the starting QB job with the Washington Commanders.
“Yeah I think it’s part of it, I think it’s one of those things that’s not ideal but it’s part of the business,” Drake Maye responded. “You know we’ve done it in college together, we would help eachother, and however the scenario goes he’s still one of my best friends and there’s no hard feelings. And being in the same room as two NFL quarterbacks together isn’t a big problem. There are a lot bigger problems in this world.”
Schefter then asked Maye to elaborate on saying “it’s not ideal” if he were to get drafted to Washington and have to compete against Sam Howell.
“I mean I wouldn’t say it isn’t ideal but you don’t really plan, you know growing up and talking about it in college Sam and I we’d talk about possibly playing against eachother and having shootout games and hey, it’s something that could happen and it’s not something we are shying away from, we’ll see what happens and I think God has a plan and whatever happens we will be ready for it.”
