Dan Orlovsky was not happy with the trade of Carson Wentz from the Colts to the Commanders. The song is called "2. The Washington Commanders have been searching for a quarterback for more than 30 years, interrupted by brief periods of solid play and the hope that Quarterback X would end the quest. It never happened. The Commanders embarked on yet another search this winter, which led to the signing of Carson Wentz. The search included a meeting with former Washington coach Joe Gibbs, a film session at the NFL scouting combine, and calls with his former coaches. Ron Rivera liked his roster so much that he gave up salary-cap space and draft picks to find the right guy. Washington made an offer to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, but could not afford to be as aggressive as the Los Angeles Rams. The Commanders considered trading up in the draft last year, but felt the price was too high. Rivera made it clear to the league that the Commanders were open for business. They mapped out a strategy and made a trade with the Colts to get the No. 2 overall pick from the 2016 draft. Washington has had 33 starting quarterbacks since 1991, the last time they won a Super Bowl. The Commanders landed him. The current group of college quarterbacks were studied by Washington's scouts. The Commanders knew that the quarterback would be a priority in the off-season. With questions about the quality of this class and the 11th pick in the first round, the team focused on finding a veteran. Rivera traveled to Charlotte, N.C. in January to visit with the man who led Washington to three Super Bowl victories. He won with different quarterbacks. Rivera spent up to two hours on the topic of finding a quarterback. He was told how to put up a wish list, with each quarterback numbered in order of their desire. He was told how he would go down the list until they found their guy. They talked about what they looked for in a quarterback. The next two Super Bowl quarterbacks were bigger than Joe Theismann. They had the ability to look over the top, Rivera said. Tracking signings, more
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Rivera put down the characteristics they wanted, including size, athletic, arm talent, and quick-twitch throws. They looked to see who checked the most boxes. They didn't want to overlook someone who wasn't at the height they wanted. If a quarterback did not have the height, he had to show good pocket movement and the ability to find and create passing lanes.
That led to a list of eight quarterbacks.
The first two were obvious: Rodgers and Wilson. The Commanders prepared for scenarios. What moves would they have to make if they got one of those two, and how would their cap look? How could they shape the roster if they acquired a less expensive quarterback?
Rodgers and Wilson were not viable options. Seattle rejected Washington's offer of three first-round picks for Rodgers, who wasn't going to be traded. His legal issues made him a no-go. The Commanders watched film of many other quarterbacks.
They wondered if Andrew Luck would want to play again. That didn't go anywhere. They wanted to make sure that everything was dotted, even if it was a realistic Lloyd Christmas scenario.
At some point before the combine, they called Indianapolis and were told he wasn't available.
After talking to other teams, they learned that Wentz was in play.
Rivera said that Washington's staff spent a couple hours watching multiple games and looking at the throws he made, while they sat in a suite inside Lucas Oil Stadium. It was the first time they had studied him and it became the most intense.
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Rivera said that one game stood out as much as the throws that were impressive.
They had done a deep dive on his data. Since he was drafted by the Eagles six years ago, their internal analytic showed that he was in the top 10 in many categories. He is 19th in total QBR since the beginning of the year.
He has 140 touchdown passes, ranking him 11th in his career. He is tied for 10th in completions and eighth in passing attempts with 20 air yards or more.
Washington has 98 touchdown passes and its total QBR is ranked 31st in the league. Washington has a record of 31-50 over that stretch.
The Commanders focused on his arm, his quick-twitch throws and ability to stretch the field when they watched the games.
There are many questions about the game. They range from his desire to extend plays to his inconsistencies with his mechanics to his tendency to press in games when his team falls behind.
Booger McFarland says that the Commanders need a temporary solution.
Some people don't believe in the long-term solution because of those reasons. He has thrown over 3000 pass attempts. Among the 10 other quarterbacks with at least 2,800 attempts, six have thrown more picks and eight have thrown more touchdown passes.
The ability is obvious. He has the arm strength to make every throw and can see over the line. It could be a slant or a shallow crossing down the field. According to Matt Bowen, the ability to attack defenses at the second and third level matches what Scott Turner wants.
He can throw deep in-breakers, skinny posts, and challenge vertically down the field. He can make big throws. He can run outside the pocket and make plays. That is important in today's NFL.
He talked to Turner about his vision for the offense, how he likes to call things and push the ball down the field. Hearing his excitement level as well. I think we are both pretty fired up.
Rivera felt that he received a balanced scouting report on all aspects of Wentz. He talked to Doug Pederson and Frank Reich. Both said that he wants to please people and that he has a good work ethic.
Rivera said that it was interesting to hear what certain people had to say.
The locker room of Washington had low-key veterans who would work well with Wentz. After the trade, one of the captains of the Colts, Darius Leonard, took to social media to support the trade.
Rivera said he got the first call after the trade.
Rivera said that Frank was tremendous after they made the trade. I wanted to reach out to him but he called to congratulate me.
After the trade, Rivera had another conversation with Gibbs, who was in Washington for an event. Rivera said the first thing he said was this.
We got our guy.
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