Commanders QB & Cap Situation: Coach Ron Rivera's Odd Spin

“We have Jacoby [Brissett] with his contract and Sam [Howell] on a rookie’s contract,'' Commanders coach Ron Rivera says. "So we have a moderate hit from that position, which allows us to do some of the things that we did."

We suppose we have to hand it to Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. The franchise has tried to spend money to get QB help (see: Wentz, Carson), and now that the effort in that direction has failed?

Hey, it's a good thing!

“We’re in a position right now that we can sign guys (at other positions) because of the quarterback situation," Rivera said.

And it is technically true: Rivera is making the point that having to - er, being able to - go cheap at quarterback effectively opens up cap space to be great at other positions for the rest of the roster.

“We have Jacoby [Brissett] with his contract and Sam [Howell] on a rookie’s contract,'' Rivera said. "So we have a moderate hit from that position, which allows us to do some of the things that we did."

"Moderate'' in dollars and cents? Yes; Brissett, slated to be the backup, will make $8 million on his one-year deal; that's semi-moderate. And Howell, as a fifth-round second-year guy, counts just $960,000 against the cap.

That's a steal ... if ...

The good news, potentially? If Washington strikes gold on Howell - yes, it's possible - and spends successfully elsewhere, the Commanders can win now.

The bad news? There is no particular indication quite yet that Howell is going to achieve a level far above that of Carson Wentz, last year's Commanders flop who represented a $28 million cap hit for Washington after the team traded for him last March.

Do NFL teams have to pay for quality? Not necessarily.

Does the Commanders history of failed pursuits of true franchise quarterbacks - or even decent quarterbacks - give the fan base a reason for optimism this time around? No matter how Washington spins it ... Not necessarily.

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