To trade or not to trade: That's the Commanders' question

When Washington Head Coach Dan Quinn insisted this offseason that his team was “recalibrating” instead of rebuilding, the plan was clear: improve now for big wins later.

Only rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t necessarily subscribe to that plan. Daniels showed up, showed out, and in turn changed the scope of the Commanders' 2024 season.

Great quarterbacks alter organizational plans. And it sure looks like Daniels is or will be a great quarterback.

And as the trade market heats up around the NFL - with two Pro Bowl wideouts traded on Tuesday - the question becomes what, if any, action the Commanders will take. The deadline to complete trades looms in early November so if Washington General Manager Adam Peters wants to make a move, the clock is ticking.

Peters’ squad sits at a crossroads, the intersection of early success and the desire to be a consistent contender. Hit the accelerator or stay patient.

Go for it

At 4-2 and with two home games on the horizon, Washington is better than most analysts expected. Coming into the season the Eagles and Cowboys were the front runners to win the NFC East, but through six weeks those two squads look to be somewhere between an early slump or an outright embarrassment.

Daniels has led Washington to first place in the division, and after a Week 6 30-23 loss in Baltimore, it appears the rookie signal caller won’t falter against the NFL’s best competition.

If that’s the case, surely the Commanders want to add pieces before the deadline. Quinn’s defense could absolutely use help at cornerback, and after a major injury to defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and other bumps and bruises along the defensive line, that group could use reinforcements as well.

There are some terrible teams in need of draft help, with Carolina and Cleveland near the top of the list. Both teams mortgaged their futures in trades to acquire quarterbacks over the last few seasons, and the trades haven’t worked out. And both teams have quality cornerbacks.

Whether the Panthers are actually looking to be sellers at the deadline remains to be seen, but should that happen, fourth-year pro-Jaycee Horn would have a robust trade market. He’s only 25 and any club that acquires him could exercise his fifth-year rookie option, giving team control of his contract through the 2025 season.

Whereas in Cleveland, the for sale sign is on. The Browns traded five-time Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper on Tuesday.

Could that mean cornerbacks Greg Newsome or perhaps even Denzel Ward become available? Either corner would be a fit in Washington. Newsome is only 24 and has the same rookie option scenario as Horn. At 27 and with three Pro Bowls on his resume, Ward is a more veteran player. The cost will be high, but he’s under contract through the 2027 season and is a true No. 1 corner.

The price tag matters, too

Peters made clear throughout the offseason, his first guiding the Commanders, that he intends to build Washington into a perennial Super Bowl contender. For Peters, that path comes through the draft.

Trading for a player now likely means sending away draft picks, which could be counterproductive to Peters' long-term plans. But there is a way to trade away picks and still get young players in return. Young players that will be part of the Commanders for the long-term.

That isn’t easy to do, but it’s doable.

When Peters traded away WR Jahan Dotson in late August, many questioned if the GM got good value for the former first-rounder. Two months later, after Cooper and Davante Adams were also traded for similar compensation and Dotson has underwhelmed in Philadelphia, the trade looks brilliant. So Peters has proven the acumen to pull off valuable trades.

There are lots of players on lots of teams that could hypothetically help Washington. But that doesn’t mean those guys are actually available or that trade terms would be palatable for Peters.

What isn’t hypothetical is that this team is good, now, and has winnable games on the horizon. That starts this weekend with Carolina coming to town and Washington installed as more than a touchdown favorite.

So what's next?

There’s no wrong answer for Peters. If he wants to stay the course, build through the draft and win as much as possible this year with the team already assembled, that’s a fair stance. It might even be the most prudent.

At the same time, if the organization decides to press the gas and be buyers before the deadline, that could make sense too. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. Not next year.

Not next week. Football seasons are finite resources, and Washington might be able to make noise this January in a way unthinkable for most of the last decade.

The Commanders currently hold nine picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, four in the Top 100. Peters has chips should he want to sit at the table. Washington is also in good financial shape with more than $25 million in salary cap space.

Washington majority owner Josh Harris made his fortune on Wall Street, where big bets build unbelievable fortunes but good planning protects them. Peters built his reputation with shrewd moves and good drafting.

A move is certainly possible to bolster the roster right now. Yet if the team stands pat, there’s nothing to suggest that’s the wrong move. Peters, Quinn and Commanders leadership have a lot to consider over the next few weeks.

Election Day in Washington is like a religion. The whole country watches the results, but inside the beltway, people live and breathe the outcomes.

This year Election Day falls on November 5th, the same as the NFL Trade Deadline. Certainly, people will care most about the races between red and blue, but plenty will be watching intently what the Burgundy and Gold do too.