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The Washington football team signed former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Tuesday. The journeyman is expected by most pundits and analysts to head into pre-season training as the number one QB on the roster.
However, Washington still have signal-callers Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke on their books. While most agree Fitzpatrick is marginally better than Allen and Heinicke, but his starting spot is far from guaranteed.
Moreover, strange things do tend to happen during the off-season. So it wouldn't come as a big surprise if coach Ron Rivera delves back into free agency or opts to use one of his two back-up QBs in a trade for a true QB1.
Three quarterbacks, Washington could pursue this off-season:
This strong Washington roster is aiming to reach their first Super Bowl in almost thirty years. So coach Rivera will know he doesn't have much time to mess around. If Deshaun wants in, go get him! Plus, stranger things have happened, right?
With that in mind, let's take a look at three quarterbacks, in no particular order, the Washington football team could still pursue via trade or free agency before the new NFL season gets underway in the autumn. Let's get started.
#1 Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago Bears)
Second-overall pick at the 2017 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears' Mitchell Trubisky has flattered to deceive during his first three years in the NFL.
The North Carolina University graduate was replaced in the starting lineup by Eagles legend Nick Foles for the middle part of the 2020 campaign and struggled to win his place back.
However, when Bears coach Matt Nagy grew tired of Foles' inability to protect the football and the poor run of form his offense had been in, Trubisky was brought back. The latter's end-of-season performances were pivotal in helping the Bears make it to the NFL playoffs.
Now hear me out: personally, I don't think you can attribute all the Bears' failings at the feet of Trubisky; you just can't.
Matt Nagy's offense has been called boring and uninspired by his own fans; Trubisky has hardly had a plethora of great receivers out there to throw the ball to (Robinson ll is obviously superb, but question marks linger over the rest of the Bears' receiving corps), and the offensive line in front of Trubisky has been sub-par (ranked 20th in the NFL via PFF).
Meanwhile, ranked sixth in the NFL by PFF in 2020, and with RG Brandon Scherff having signed on for a few more years earlier this week, the Washington OL appear to be in fine fettle.
Washington have also taken the liberty of adding versatile WR Curtis Samuel to their roster recently, meaning their football team has a far superior offensive line and receiving corps than the Bears do. WRs McLaurin and Samuel, with TE Logan Thomas and RB Antonio Gibson coming out of the backfield, is a scary prospect for any defense!
I just think if Trubisky had more time in the pocket and more quality to aim at, we might finally see the best of him.
The Bears finally let go of their man just yesterday. Trubisky is free to sign on with any team that wants him, and I don't think he'll be short of offers. I'd personally welcome the kid in New Orleans, so why not Washington?
#2 Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans)
In the 2021 off-season, there cannot be a 'top 3 QB anything' that doesn't feature Deshaun Watson on the list.
The wantaway Houston Texan is atop pretty much every NFL team's trade wishlist this season. If a team has the talent on the roster to prise Watson away from Texas, they would be silly not to at least try doing so.
The rumor is that Houston want at least two first-round picks, two second-round picks,and one or two young defensive stars in return for their Clemson University product.
Washington have two third-round picks heading into this year's NFL draft, meaning they could sacrifice picks one and two and still exit the draft in decent shape, so long as the scouting team does its homework. Moreover, Washington currently boast Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young, on its roster.
Two NFL first round picks (2021 and 2022), two second-round picks (2021 and 2022) and Chase Young for Texans' QB Deshaun Watson and a 2022 third-rounder may seem extortionate. But if Washington could get their franchise QB for perhaps the next decade and beyond, it'd be something worth pondering.
#3 Sam Darnold (New York Jets)
Another NFL trade that would make sense for Washington would be to pursue Jets QB Sam Darnold, whom most analysts think is likely on his last legs at the MetLife Stadium, New York.
Darnold was the third-overall pick at the 2018 NFL Draft but has been stuck behind a weak offensive line with next to nothing to throw at and nobody of quality to hand the ball to. For two years now, Darnold has been getting hit, getting hurried, getting hurt and making big mistakes in the pocket.
Like Trubisky mentioned above, I just think Darnold has a lot more talent than what he's been able to produce in New York thus far. Coming out of USC, Darnold had thrown for 57 TDs and just 22 picks -- you don't just lose that, surely.
If Washington were to offer up a second-round pick plus QB Kyle Allen (useful backup for the Jets), I think they might be able to steal in on Sam Darnold.
The mere idea of Darnold and Fitzpatrick battling it out for the number one spot in Washington just makes me happy; both of these guys go guns blazing when it's time to throw down. It would be great fun to watch.
