Washington Football Team taking measured approach in quarterback search

Last season, the Washington Football Team had quite a few issues at the quarterback position.

Though the team made the playoffs, they used four different starters at the position during 17 games. They moved on from Dwayne Haskins less than two years into his time with the team after his poor play and off-the-field antics.

Aside from Haskins, Kyle Allen and Alex Smith won some games before both suffered injuries while Taylor Heinicke put forth a terrific effort in their playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While all three are currently under contract, it’s clear that Washington needs to find an upgrade at the quarterback spot.

That said, it appears that their new front office is taking a measured approach to the situation. According to NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, new general manager Martin Mayhew and new VP of Player Personnel Marty Hurney spoke of this philosophy in a press conference on Wednesday.

That message was echoed by head coach Ron Rivera when discussing the QB position, and he even indicated that the team could wait to make sure they “find the right one”.

This approach from the Washington Football Team is smart.

Though the team made the playoffs last season, they still have some glaring holes on their roster that need to be addressed. Rivera himself stated that the team doesn’t want to end up being unable to surround their quarterback with weapons and proper protection, per ESPN’s John Keim.

Adding a couple of receivers to complement Terry McLaurin as well as some safety and linebacker help will be important, so while Washington is certainly evaluating all the available quarterbacks, it’s not their sole focus.

Under previous regimes, the Washington Football Team may have looked at their quarterback situation and their relative success last season and tried to make a big splash move. They may have even overpaid to get one. That doesn’t seem like something this leadership team is willing to do. Heck, Hurney even said that they were trying to avoid a situation like that and “mortgage the future” for a guy.

Can you pay a hefty price to get a quarterback? Sure. That’s why they reportedly offered a first and a third for Matthew Stafford.

But the point is that Washington doesn’t just need a quarterback. They aren’t guaranteed to be a QB away from contending for a Super Bowl. Getting a great passer would surely help them make the biggest leap, but if the cost of that is too high, then it won’t be worth it, especially for a bridge QB.

Washington will certainly be searching for a quarterback all offseason, but it’s possible that the team could stand pat or add a cheap veteran at the position if they get outbid for other quarterback options.

If that does happen, Washington fans may initially feel frustrated, but they can at least take a little comfort in knowing that the team didn’t end up with a passer they weren’t confident in, unlike Dan Snyder’s selection of Haskins in 2019.

And, of course, if Washington doesn’t land the quarterback fix that they’re looking for, they’ll certainly be able to build up the rest of their units and create a strong, deep roster. That should at least give them a chance to compete in the NFC East once again.

Buckle up for an entertaining offseason. Expect a lot of noise about potential WFT quarterbacks, but know that it could be a while before we know who the starter will be.