3 players the Commanders absolutely shouldn’t sell at trade deadline
By Tim Payne
There has been a ton of speculation around the Washington Commanders’ approach to the NFL trade deadline this season. Given the poor start to this season, many have concluded that a fire sale is warranted. Others, hilariously, want to trade off pieces Washington doesn’t want for expected returns of valuable draft picks (let’s trade William Jackson III for a conditional 1st!).
But with back-to-back wins under their collective belt and a winnable game looming against an untested QB making his first professional start, the narrative has changed in many corners of Commanders’ fandom…even to the point of discussing possible trade targets for Washington to boost their current roster. As hilarious as the former propositions had been, this one is even more ridiculous to me. But I admire the eternal optimism of fans who always think we’re a player or two away.
As always, I’m in search of the middle path…looking for reasonable moves the team should make to acknowledge the fact they aren’t exactly contenders while still seeking not to gut the current roster and fully tank on a season when there’s a roster full of men laying it on the line week in and week out. With that in mind, here are three players Washington absolutely must not trade at the deadline……unless…
3 player the Commanders should not sell at the trade deadline
3. JD McKissic
After the weird offseason fiasco surrounding his free agency, it’s absurd to think that McKissic would be on the trading block. But, with Brian Robinson Jr. back, healthy, and contributing, and Antonio Gibson producing at such a high level, there is some thought that Washington could stand to deal McKissic.
But Gibson’s injury history and fumbling issues necessitate a legitimate backup, and McKissic is the only RB on the roster who is a “plus” pass-protector, so Washington would be foolish to deal him … unless some playoff-bound team were to get desperate and offer a third- or fourth-round pick, in which case, rolling the dice on the injury risk would be well worth that kind of draft capital in trade for a third-string RB.
There’s still a role for McKissic on this team. It might just be limited if Gibson and Brian Robinson continue setting the tone in the trenches.