The Washington Post - USA (2022-03-06)

SUNDAY, MARCH 6 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ SU D5

Mitchell Trubisky, 27

Experience: Five seasons (four as a starter)

Status: Unre stricted free agent

Why him: The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft

helped the Chicago Bears to two playoff

appearances and played in a Pro Bowl, providing

reason to believe that, if put in the right situation,

he could become a consistent and reliable starter.

Why not: Trubisky has failed to live up to his draft

status, and it’s fair to wonder whether he lacks

confidence as a result of his play and his

experience in Chicago. He spent last season as

Josh Allen’s backup on the B uffalo Bills. Although

he’s five years in, he’s still a work in progress, and

Washington needs consistency now.

Key st at: 8 — Trubisky’s pass attempts in 2021,

one of which was an interception.

Offensive fit: Among the concerns are Trubisky’s

struggles with the deep ball and his often poor

decision-making. But he can make plays with his

feet, and with a sound offensive line and productive

running game, he could be a good fit in Washington.

What they’re saying: “When given the opportunity

to play, whether it was in preseason or the regular

season, he did a phenomenal job,” Bills Coach

Sean McDermott said at the combine. “... I think

it’s unrealistic to think that we’re going to be able to

have him back, but I want him to go on and do

great things for him and his family, which I know

he’s going to do.”

Best guess: Trubisky makes sense, given the

limited options this year. But it will be hard to

convince fans and others that he’s a significant

upgrade over Heinicke.

Deshaun Watson, 26

Experience: Four seasons (did not play in 2021)

Status: Under contract. Watson signed a four-year,

$156 million deal before the start of the 2020

season. His availability for 2022 is unclear, and he

already missed all of 2021 because of multiple

sexual assault allegations. He has not been

charged with a crime, but his civil cases are

pending, and the NFL, which is also investigating

the matter, could suspend him if it finds he was in

violation of its personal conduct policy.

Why him: If he’s available to play — and is still the

player he was in 2020, when he led the league in

passing yards — Washington would have a

franchise quarterback in his prime and would

instantly become a contender.

Why not: There’s no certainty that he will even be

allowed to play in 2022. Giving up a load of draft

picks and possibly veteran talent, too, while

absorbing his contract without any guarantee he

will be available is a tremendous gamble. And an

organization under fire for its workplace culture

and facing a second NFL probe plus an ongoing

congressional inquiry might be hesitant to swing

open the doors for a player who’s facing 22 civil

lawsuits related to misconduct and sexual assault.

Key st at: 69 — Watson’s plays of 20-plus yards in

2020, the second most among quarterbacks

behind Patrick Mahomes’s 70.

Offensive fit: W atson’s abilities can fit in most any

scheme. His ability to extend plays with his feet,

play well under pressure and hit the deep ball

would transform Washington’s offense in

production.

What they’re saying: “To look at certain

situations, certain circumstances, you’d like to

hope that your culture inside is strong enough to

put their arm around people and help them get

things going in the right direction too,” Rivera said

Jan. 11. “So we’ll see.”

Best guess: There’s too much uncertainty to take

this risk. Watson could still face criminal charges,

and it would be tough for any team to wait for a

resolution here before making a move.

Aaron Rodgers, 38

Experience: 17 seasons

Status: Under contract. His deal with the Green

Bay Packers runs through 2022, and Rodgers has

yet to decide whether he wants to stay, retire or

request a trade. But the Packers are roughly

$30 million over the projected cap — and that’s

without factoring in wide receiver Davante Adams.

Why him: He’s Aaron Rodgers — a four-time MVP,

10-time Pro Bowl pick and perennial leader in many

major passing statistics. And in recent years, he

has played some of the best football of his career.

Why not: Rodgers’s availability is unclear. If he

does want to play in 2022 and the Packers are

willing to entertain trade offers, it would

undoubtedly take multiple first-round picks to even

start a conversation and possibly a marquee player

thrown in as well.

Key st at: 4.83 — Rodgers’s career touchdown-to-

interception ratio, tops among NFL quarterbacks.

Offensive fit: T he Packers’ offense under Matt

LaFleur has been a hybrid of sorts, mixing West

Coast principles with big play-passes. Turner’s

offense in Washington is founded on the Air Coryell

system but also has elements of play-action, RPO

and deep passing. With a quarterback of Rodgers’s

stature and experience, talk of fit may be more

about the roster around him. Washington would

need to give him more receiving options and

ensure the offensive line holds up if right guard

Brandon Scherff is gone.

What they’re saying: “I don’t want to be a part of a

rebuild if I’m going to keep playing,” Rodgers said

in January after the Packers’ divisional round

playoff loss to 49ers. “So a lot of decisions in the

next couple of months.”

Best guess: Rivera indicated he plans to take a big

swing this offseason, and Rodgers would be worth

a significant haul. But the Commanders would face

competition, and the Denver Broncos could edge

them out because of their coaches’ ties to Rodgers.

Malik Willis, 22

College: Liberty

Year/experience: Redshirt senior, 23 starts

Why him: Willis is the only quarterback in the draft

with elite potential. Draft analysts believe he could

be a top-tier thrower and runner if given time and a

good support system. The gamble is necessary

because in the past two decades only a few

quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl without elite

traits.

Why not: He could be seen as too much of a risk.

Draft analysts believe he may be rawer than

Buffalo’s Allen was in 2018, and while Willis’s

ceiling is high, he probably will have to sit for his

entire rookie season to fix mechanical flaws and

prepare for NFL defenses. There are questions

about his work ethic, which Willis admitted cost

him the starting job at Auburn in 2019 (and said he

has since fixed).

Key st at: 75.7 mph — the velocity of Willis’s

hardest throw at the Senior Bowl, which was the

fastest of any pass there since Zebra Technologies

began tracking full data in 2019.

Offensive fit: Willis is talented enough that, if he

lands in Washington, Turner may have to tweak his

system for the quarterback. The Commanders

coordinator probably would add more designed

quarterback runs or run-pass options to capitalize

on Willis’s athleticism.

What they’re saying: “That ‘P’ word can get you in

trouble as an evaluator if you’re chasing that

potential,” said Reid, the ESPN analyst. “But if he’s

able to get with a team that has some patience to

unlock that potential and provide some weapons

and proper coaching, I think he has the most

upside of any quarterback in this draft.”

Best guess: If Washington misses on a big-time

veteran, Willis seems like the next best option. He

has to tools to become a quarterback a team can

win because of, not just with. Washington should

take a shot if it believes Willis has even a decent

chance of reaching his ceiling.

Russell Wilson, 33

Experience: 1 0 seasons

Status: Under contract. Wilson has two seasons

left on his contract with non-guaranteed salaries of

$19 million and $22 million.

Why him: Tensions between Wilson and the Seattle

Seahawks came to the forefront last season, and

the quarterback has reportedly shared with the

team a list of acceptable trade destinations (the

Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas

Raiders and Bears) that he would consider if

Seattle wanted to move him.

Why not: Wilson has a no-trade clause, and even if

he’s willing to waive it, the Seahawks would have to

be willing to eat $26 million in dead money —

money that would count against their salary cap

this year. Coach Pete Carroll also doesn’t have a

clear successor ready to fill Wilson’s shoes. For

Washington, acquiring a player of Wilson’s caliber

probably would cost multiple first-round picks and

maybe a veteran as well.

Key st at: 9.89 — Wilson’s average air yards per

attempt last season, the highest in the league.

Offensive fit: W ilson is coming off a down year, by

his standards, but has four traits that bode well for

any scheme: experience, decision-making, mobility

and one of the best deep balls in football.

What they’re saying: “We have no intention of

making any move there,” Carroll at the combine.

Best guess: Washington did make an offer to the

Seahawks for Wilson, according to two people with

knowledge of the matter. The of fer was declined,

supporting the Seahawks’ claim that they don’t

plan to trade him.

Desmond Ridder, 22

College: Cincinnati

Year/experience: Redshirt senior, 48 starts

Why him: He’s one of the most polished

quarterbacks in the class and helped Cincinnati

become the first Group of Five team to make the

College Football Playoff. Ridder throws and runs

well, and though he doesn’t have the flashy

potential of Willis, he’s also not as raw. Some

analysts, such as ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., have Ridder

ranked as high as the No. 2 quarterback in this

class because of how he combines a thleticism,

confidence and smarts.

Why not: He may be close to maxing out his

potential. There are flaws in his game — despite his

refined mechanics, he struggles with ball

placement — but because he grew each season at

Cincinnati, the main argument against him would

be the prospects of a lower ceiling. Teams prefer

not to build around a limited quarterback.

Key st at: 4 — the number of years Ridder totaled

at least 281 passes, 2,164 yards, double-digit

touchdown passes and single-digit interceptions,

highlighting unmatched consistency among this

draft class.

Offensive fit: R idder ran a pro-style offense at

Cincinnati, which means he may have a smoother

transition to the NFL than Howell, Corral and

others. Ridder described his game as blending

those of the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Tannehill and

the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson.

What they’re saying: “If you’re looking at his body

of work, he has 40-plus wins, and of the

quarterbacks in this class, I think he’s probably the

cleanest processor as far as reading the field and

being able to attack coverages and layer the ball,”

ESPN’s Reid said. “Everything is smooth about his

game. But he, too, is going to have a lot of question

marks entering the next level because he didn’t

play against the best defenses in that conference.”

Best guess: Unless he shoots up draft boards

following the combine or Washington has wildly

differe nt evaluations of him than former NFL scouts

in the media, Ridder looks more like a

consideration for Washington after the first round.