Commanders GM Adam Peters discusses quarterback search, potential interest in trading for Bears' No. 1 pick

Commanders GM Adam Peters discusses quarterback search, potential interest in trading for Bears’ No. 1 pick

The Washington Commanders are widely expected to add a new quarterback this offseason. The only real question is whether they do so via trade, free agency or with the No. 2 overall pick in next month’s draft.

According to recently hired general manager Adam Peters, the decision regarding who it will be and how he will be acquired has yet to be made. “We still have a lot of work to do,” Peters said at the NFL Scouting Combine, via NFL Media.

Most league observers expect the Commanders to select a quarterback with that No. 2 pick, whether it be Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. When it comes to the secret of identifying which quarterback will perform best at the NFL level, though, Peters demurred.

“If I knew that answer, I’d be somewhere else,” Peters said. “Probably retired. … There’s so much more that goes into it besides the tape. If you’re evaluating a defensive end, I think we all can see what Nick Bosa or Myles Garrett looks like. At quarterback, there’s so much nuance that goes into it besides the talent and skill set and the arm strength and all that.”

That’s obviously true. Quarterbacks need to be accurate, they need to get the ball out on time, they need to be able to identify coverages, they need to know instinctively where the ball needs to go based on those coverages, they need to have the requisite arm strength to get the ball there, they need to manage the pass rush and avoid taking sacks, they need to be leaders in the locker room and on the field, and a whole lot more.

Because so much goes into it, it’s easy to misidentify which players will succeed.

“With really quarterback or any position, it’s people evaluating people, so you’re going to make mistakes,” Peters said. “It’s a matter of [whether] you have a better hit rate, really. In the draft, you try to hit on as many as you can, and the more hits you have — whether it’s the first-round pick or the seventh-round pick, or anywhere in between — that’s how you build your team.”

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears own the No. 1 pick in the draft. Would the Commanders be in the mix should the top selection become available?

“Really with anything that could happen in this league, you always want to be involved in it,” Peters said. “Whether you actually pull the trigger or not, that’s a different story. But you always want to understand what people are looking to do.

“So, you always want to be involved in any of those things, whether you actually pull the trigger at the end. That’s when you gather all the information and make the best decision for the team.”