Commanders Would ‘Do Anything’ to Improve, Including Trading Up in NFL Draft, GM Says
Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters didn’t rule out trading up for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
“I think we’d do anything to make our team better,” Peters said when asked about possibly trading up, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “So, you trade up, trade down, had a lot of good conversations with a lot of GMs this week. Really productive. So, we’re going to look through every avenue to make our team better.”
Washington currently owns the No. 2 pick in April’s draft, although the front office could explore trading up in order to select a player such as USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Chicago Bears currently own the top pick, although general manager Ryan Poles has been open to trading down in the past. The team did exactly that in 2023, sending the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for two first-round selections as well as wide receiver D.J. Moore.
With Chicago’s uncertainty at the quarterback position after an uneven season by Justin Fields, the team could choose to stand pat in 2024 and draft Williams. Poles explained to reporters on Tuesday that the Bears front office would need a significant offer in order to trade down.
“It’s hard to say right now,” Poles said when asked about the specifics of an offer, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “But it’s gotta help our organization significantly to move around, because we saw what it did last year. And I’m looking for that type of return ticket to improve our football team.”
The Commanders still have former fifth-round pick Sam Howell under contract, although his inconsistency throughout his 2023 campaign could have Peters looking for a fresh face under center. After all, the general manager was not part of the front office regime that drafted Howell in 2022.
A trade doesn’t seem too far-fetched, as Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department predicted Washington moving up to the top pick during the latest mock draft in order to select Williams.
