3 trade deadline moves the Commanders should avoid at all costs
By Jerry Trotta
The NFL trade deadline is just days away and the Washington Commanders haven’t made any moves yet. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if that remained the case through Tuesday’s 4 p.m. EST cutoff, but a team that was previously 1-4 and now sits at 3-4 with a winnable game on deck against the Colts shouldn’t sit on its hands.
In a perfect world, the Commanders would be buyers and sellers at the deadline. That’s easier said than done, obviously, but most competent organizations are working the phones around the clock to both improve their rosters in the short-term and lay the groundwork for future success by trading players for draft picks.
Most of our pre-deadline content has revolved around players the front office should entertain selling and buying. But what are some mistakes that Washington could make before Tuesday? Here are some moves Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew should steer clear of in the coming days.
3 trade deadline moves the Commanders should avoid
3. Trade for Bears G Michael Schofield
The Commanders need for interior offensive line help goes without saying. Signed to replace Brandon Scherff at right guard and Ereck Flowers at left guard Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell have disappointed beyond belief. While Norwell has shown more (not saying much), Turner might not start another game this season unless an injury forces the Commanders’ hand.
Fans would still like to see Washington bring in a reinforcement, but Bears guard Michael Schofield isn’t the solution. Could the veteran be had for a seventh-round pick? Sure, but Ereck Flowers is still braving the free agent waters and would only cost cap space and Washington has over $4.5 million remaining, per OverTheCap.
If the front office doesn’t view Flowers as a possibility, then it should call up the Patriots about offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn. The idea of Wynn playing right tackle and moving Sam Cosmi to right guard is much more attractive than making Schofield, who’s only played 80 snaps this season, a full-time player out of the blue.
Either keep the offensive line as is, sign Flowers or trade for Wynn and shift Cosmi to the interior, where he could develop into an All-Pro.
No more bargain shopping. Go big or don’t do anything.