Commander Country

Commanders Winners or Losers in Panthers Trade with Bears?

The Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears shook up the NFL Draft by agreeing to their blockbuster trade Friday. How does it affect the Washington Commanders?

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

The Carolina Panthers acquiring the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster trade is sending shockwaves throughout the NFL.

Even though the Washington Commanders won't be on the clock until the No. 16 pick, they are affected in one way or another like everyone else.

While the Commanders aren't impacted as much as teams like the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, two teams eyeing a quarterback at the top of the draft, there are effects.

Assuming the Panthers stay at No. 1 and take a quarterback, this means that the top four signal callers (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson) are all seeing their stock grow. With the Bears likely not taking a quarterback with Justin Fields already in the building, this trade ensures that a quarterback should go No. 1.

What it also means is that teams will try and match the aggression the Panthers have shown to try and guarantee that they will get a quarterback. Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and Tennessee Titans (No. 11) could be the next to make a move and try to get in that top five picks, trying to sneak in before the Indianapolis Colts (No. 4) or Detroit Lions (No. 6) get a chance to take a quarterback.

If the Commanders wanted one of the top quarterbacks or hoped that one would magically fall to No. 16, then they would be considered a loser in this whole deal.

However, given everything head coach Ron Rivera has said about Sam Howell and the team's trust in the second-year pro, it didn't seem likely for the Commanders to take a quarterback.

With all the quarterbacks rising, it means the top offensive linemen and defensive prospects will slide down, giving the Commanders a better chance at nabbing one in the first round and making them a small winner in the blockbuster trade.

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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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