Is Trading Up the Right Move for Washington?

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April 16, 2021

by David Earl

Cost of Trading Up

It’s that time of year, when draft rumors and mocks flood our feed on a daily basis, with some posts merely being clickbait. With the draft just a couple of weeks away, Washington will continue being the subject of trade-up rumors aligning them with one of the top quarterbacks. While speculation continues and many fans debate on some reports’ legitimacy, there is no debate on the cost. The price of such a move up to, say, Atlanta at #4 would be in the ballpark of 2021 picks 19, 51, and 82, plus two future 1st round picks (additional later-round picks possible) to jump 15 spots. This franchise-defining move would have to be for “THE GUY”, in Ron’s eye of course, because moving this much asset could potentially cripple the team’s ability to fill glaring holes on this roster.

Not Sold On Trading Up

In gauging where this fan base is heading into the draft, what many are feeling is not surprising. Recognizing the cost to move up and just how far this team is from contending, trading up has not been the overwhelming choice, especially when Trevor Lawrence is the only “Lock” franchise quarterback in this draft and will certainly not be available. Much like our poll suggests, the fans just want Ron Rivera and the front office to be smart.

Of all the comments in this thread, this one referencing building the team first before handing it over to a young QB was a common and excellent point. You can refer to teams like Kansas City moving up for Patrick Mahomes and Houston trading up to grab Deshaun Watson as they had already spent several years building a deep playoff team. In that particular draft, both teams were described as merely a quarterback away when they made their moves.

There is simply a clear theme under this regime for the fans and that’s to not buy into the quick fix, but instead get back to relevance over the long term. While a franchise quarterback is a dire necessity for long term success, this fan base also understands the importance of a well-constructed team and how that alone can carry an average quarterback into success (refer to the 80s). This sentiment and the idea of just drafting a developmental quarterback behind Ryan Fitzpatrick (not trading away valuable assets) seems to be more of a focus as Ron and company solidify a team still years away from being a Super Bowl contender.

One remark within this thread also raises a good point in drafting a developmental guy – potentially wasting a pick for a 4th quarterback, which is an asset the team may just drop. This is an intriguing thought depending on your feelings about Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen. They are both young and proved they can run this offense efficiently, but are they the answer? In a league that has seen the occasional rare rise of a quarterback from nowhere like Kurt Warner, could someone like Heinicke be that diamond in the rough? Although it could be a risk to hedge your bets on that idea, it’s not ridiculous to consider the option as you continue strengthening the roster with playmakers and depth. Honestly, you lose nothing and will only be in the position like Kansas City was to move up for your guy as the team’s final piece.

Staying The Course

I’ve heard the idea of not moving up now and remaining an average playoff team will waste the team’s talent as we will never be in a position to draft a quarterback. It’s an idea in which makes no sense to me while guys like Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson exist in this league (even Dak Prescott too). These are either late round quarterbacks or were taken by playoff teams moving up in the first to grab their franchise guys. This organization has spent decades looking for the quick fix, and had a failed attempt moving up for RG3, I personally side with building the roster first. The offensive line/linebacker/tight end/defensive back holes needs to be addressed and solidified before I even think of this team as a quarterback away. Patience is a term most of us are tired of hearing. However, after we all saw how last offseason when and how Ron is putting together the front office this year, it’s absolutely reasonable to push for patience as in no time under Bruce Allen was this organization was a dysfunctional mess. So sit back, relax, and allow Captain Ron (and his crew) to continue steering this ship in the right direction because the alternative is Dan Snyder at the controls.