Washington Football Team: Three moves that will help open Super Bowl window

3. Find your QB of the future 

Though Alex Smith is a great story, Washington can’t depend on the veteran to stay healthy and play at a Super-Bowl-contending level going forward. Washington also cannot depend on Dwayne Haskins or Kyle Allen to lead the charge to playoff success either.

As the saying goes, this team is just a quarterback away from making serious noise. That assessment is entirely true with this Washington Football Team.

Despite being a game under .500, Washington’s offense is barely able to stay afloat because of inconsistent play under center. There’s no bigger roster move this franchise can make, than upgrading at quarterback.

Washington Commanders

Projected to pick No. 19 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Washington’s odds of selecting the QB of their dreams at that pick is slim to none. With the Trey Lance’s, Zach Wilson’s, and others of the world likely unavailable in the late teens, Washington’s best choice to kick their rebuild into hyperdrive is to sign a solidified franchise QB in free agency.

Dak Prescott, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, and Matt Ryan likely will all be available at some point next-offseason. Prescott is the unlikeliest of all to come to Washington, but he’s definitely someone Washington should push all of their chips on the table for should he be available.

In the case of the other three, all of them can be a four or five-year answer in D.C. Considering Rivera mentioned early in his tenure, both he and Dan Snyder don’t have time for a rebuild, they want to start winning. That’s why I don’t believe drafting a quarterback is a likely option for this regime, signing a solidified franchise quarterback is the likelier option they’ll go.

Stafford is the best option of the three. He’s the best quarterback out of the three, with consistent production despite lackluster talent around him.

The Lions will be heading into a lengthy rebuild, with likely an entirely new coaching staff coming in to play. After another bottom-10 finish in the league, they’ll likely look to move off of their veteran to get some new-blood under center. His contract has an out after this year, one that’ll save the Lions over $24 million dollars should they part with him.

Stafford is worth his contract and the compensation that will be asked for him. Starting in 16 games for a stretch that lasted from 2011-2018, Stafford has increasingly stayed productive despite a mediocre cast around him.

The next two options are Cam Newton and Matt Ryan.

In Matt Ryan’s case, he’s an older veteran now at age 35, with a contract that’ll see him carry a $40 million dollar cap hit for the next two seasons, and in the final year of his deal, he’ll carry a $36 million dollar cap hit. Similarly to Stafford, he has an out, but his is after the 2021 season.

Ryan can be a short-term answer in Washington, he’s stayed healthy throughout his career playing 16 games every season for many years of his career. Bringing in a Matt Ryan can give this Washington team an answer, a savvy veteran who can lead the charge going forward.

Meanwhile, Newton has had his fair share of injuries but has familiarity in Scott Turner’s offense. This season Newton has struggled in the passing game, but that’s to be expected when you look at the supporting cast around him.

Playing with arguably the worst offensive roster in football, Newton has led the Patriots to a 6-7 record, similar to the Washington Football Team. He’s still completing a near career-high in passes and is projecting to run for over 500 yards this season.

Newton will be the most familiar in this offense out of the three, with also the lowest price tag of the three. Newton is making $1.75 million dollars this season, with Spotrac claiming his market value is somewhere around $24-$30 million dollars per season.

With any of these options, Washington will be better suited to not only make a playoff push but to finally have a wide-open Super Bowl window.

Solidifying and upgrading the most important position in all of sports would be the major step needed for Washington to solidify themselves as a Super Bowl contender. If they complete only one of the upgrades in this article, the one that they must do is get an upgrade under center.