Commander Country

Raiders Ex Derek Carr 'Step Above' Current Commanders QBs; Washington Interested?

The Washington Commanders are considered a potential landing spot for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr after he was released Tuesday.

Jeremy Brener

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Derek Carr is a free agent for the first time in his career after the Las Vegas Raiders cut him Tuesday after nine seasons with the team.

Carr joins the offseason quarterback carousel and is expected to be one of the first dominoes to fall given the fact that he can negotiate and sign with any team immediately as opposed to other free agents who have to wait until March 15 when the new league year begins.

Bleacher Report created projections for this year's quarterback carousel and believe the Washington Commanders will be Carr's next landing spot despite the team's interest in starting Sam Howell next season.

"Yes, the Commanders have publicly endorsed second-year pro Sam Howell as their 2023 starter," Bleacher Report writes. "But that's more the best of a bad set of choices than a ringing endorsement of Howell's talents. Carr isn't an elite quarterback. But he's a step above what Washington has now. And with skill position talent, a decent offensive line and a stout defense, the Commanders aren't far off from competing for a playoff spot."

Given the fact the team was a 0.5-game away from going to the playoffs, the Commanders need to strike while the iron is hot. By going with Howell for next season, it's a tremendous risk that could backfire if he's not ready to be an NFL starter. Carr is a proven commodity and an upgrade from Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.

On the flip side, Carr will cost far more than Howell and the money freed up from spending at the quarterback position can be used to ink some free agents in other positions, including defensive tackle Daron Payne.

Either way, the Commanders have to take some kind of gamble and they won't know if it will pay off until next fall.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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