Did Washington Seriously Consider Drafting QB Anthony Richardson?
And how close were they to actually taking him?
Before this story takes on a life of its own, thanks to the vapid and mindless fodder provided by local sports talk radio, I’d like to get out ahead of and put it out of it’s misery (or our misery, anyway):
Yes, there is credibility to the rumor that Marty Hurney, the Executive Vice President of Player Personnel for the Washington Commanders, was an advocate for the team POTENTIALLY drafting quarterback Anthony Richardson, if the correct circumstances presented themselves.
I can totally see this scenario. Should we really be that surprised by it?
After all, Hurney was the General Manager of the Carolina Panthers when the team selected Cam Newton—to whom Richardson has been frequently compared—with the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. So, are we really shocked by the idea that a personnel executive advocated for a team drafting a quarterback who many believed had the highest upside of anyone at his position in the Draft?
Have we already forgotten that this team seriously considered trading up in the 2020 NFL Draft to grab Justin Fields?
And do we really think that the organization is totally comfortable putting all their proverbial quarterback eggs in the Sam Howell + Jacoby Brissett basket? Of course the coaching staff and the front office are going to say all the right things about their belief in Howell, and I really do think they’re excited about what they potentially have in him. Heck, even I’m starting to drink the Kool Aid when it comes to Howell1.
But the point of the NFL Draft is to furnish your roster with the best possible players available, particularly if/when they match a position of need. And until this franchise has an established cornerstone quarterback (something we haven’t had in approximately four decades), it remains a position of need.
Now, in terms of how realistic such a scenario was, let’s not forget: the current regime seems to operate in a tribunal approach, with Hurney, General Manager Martin Mayhew, and Ron Rivera making decisions jointly—and Rivera having the final say on decisions. And from what we can piece together, it seems like Rivera had has heart set on taking CB Emmanuel Forbes from the get go2.
Then there’s the actual logistics of how the trade could’ve/would’ve happened. Specifically, Washington would’ve (theoretically) started making moves if Richardson fell to the #7 pick, owned by the Las Vegas Raiders. That, of course, didn’t happen.
But for the sake of argument, let’s say the Colts didn’t take Richardson, and nobody else traded up to get into position to trade him, and he was available at #7 overall. From what it sounds like, the Raiders weren’t really targeting him; they were reportedly keen on walking out with one of the top pass rushers in the Draft3 (Will Anderson or Tyree Wilson). So in this hypothetical world in which Richardson was available at #7, if Wilson was somehow also available, it’s further unlikely that the Raiders would’ve made this trade.
So in summary:
Did Washington have a key personnel executive in the front office pushing the idea of Anthony Richardson? Pretty likely.
Was there a strong possibility that Washington was actually going to take Richardson, even if he had fallen into a realistic range to grab via trade up in the first round? Pretty unlikely.
At the end of the day, is this story nothing more than click bait-style fodder to get people talking as we approach the two month football-less abyss of the offseason? Extremely likely. ■
And I was always one of those guys who either rolled my eyes or threw my phone across the room anytime fans started screaming “WE SHOULD START HOWELL!!!” after his intriguing performance(s) last preseason.
The Raiders interest in a pass rusher was always a distinct possibility at #7 overall, given the prospects available in this Draft, combined with their need to find a long-term replacement for Chandler Jones (who is very likely going to be released next offseason between his age and cap number).