3 critical ways Commanders must follow Texans' rebuilding blueprint

Commanders must find their franchise QB

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Washington Commanders select…

The decision that the team makes once Caleb Williams goes to the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall will be the key to finding any long-term success. Will it be Drake Maye? Will it be Jayden Daniels? Scouts have called the North Carolina prospect a boom-or-bust quarterback, while others have raised durability concerns for the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU.

Regardless of the choice, this could be a career-defining decision for general manager Adam Peters. Hopefully, the pick is more Brock Purdy than Trey Lance.

The Houston Texans had a franchise quarterback, at least temporarily. DeShaun Watson requested a trade shortly after Nick Caserio took over in the front office. We all know how that story unfolded, but the organization was left with Davis Mills, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle Allen (remember him?), and Jeff Driskel at quarterback.

Then, the Texans drafted C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The rest, as they say, is history.

Kirk Cousins was the closest thing that Washington has had to a franchise signal-caller in recent years. After he left in free agency for the Minnesota Vikings following the 2017 season, the team has had 13 different quarterbacks start a game for them. Unfortunately, that's not a typo.

The list includes Alex Smith, Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, Case Kennum, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz, Sam Howell, and Jacoby Brissett. Not a who's who of top quarterbacks and an indictment of how poorly Ron Rivera evaluated the position throughout his four years at the helm.

Stroud has made all the difference for the Texans, breaking multiple rookie records along the way. Having a franchise quarterback really can help turn the whole trajectory of a franchise around. However, it does take a bit more than that.