Who should the Commanders trade?

Before we begin, I have a favor to ask. If you like what you're reading, consider subscribing so you never miss a blog post, and share it with anyone you know who might be interested. The best part is that it's free! Every post keeps bringing in more views, which is fantastic to see.

The NFL season’s trade deadline is here, and the Commanders have a lot of interesting pieces that they could trade before time expires tomorrow. I thought I would go over my top six players that are on the trade block.

Curtis Samuel: This one is the first controversial one, but one I feel like needs to be done for the long term future of the team. The wide receiver room is getting more and more crowded and trying to turn Samuel into a Debbo Samuel clone hasn't worked.They could get something for him and would also get out of his cap hit. When Samuel has been healthy, he has been good for the Commanders. But that's the issue. He didn't play much in 2021 and with one more year on his contract after this season, it may not be a bad idea to trade him while his value is the highest it will ever be. Samuel would likely fetch a third or fourth-round pick.

Antonio Gibson: Some say the NFL stands for "Not For Long." Running backs’ careers truly illustrate this. People say that you shouldn't pay running backs because they will usually fall off. Gibson has been a really good back for the Commanders but Brian Robinson has taken over most of the carries. Now would be a good time to trade Gibson because Robinson is the future at this point. I think Gibson could fetch a second-round pick, or at the very least a third and a younger player.

William Jackson III: This signing hasn't worked out for both player and organization. Jackson hasn't been able to adjust to a defensive scheme that uses more zone than man coverage. Though he has denied the public trade request rumors, Jackson isn't happy in Washington. His trade value would be small due to his contract, so Washington likely will not get much for him. It would be a win for a team because they can continue to move on to young cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste and Rachad Wildgoose. One of the most popular trade deadline deals I have seen is Jackson for Jeff Okuda, and while I don't think that trade would be accepted you never know.

Kendall Fuller: Fuller is a great cornerback in today's NFL. But despite its three-game winning streak this team isn't going anywhere and it would be better to sell high on some players to rebuild the team. Fuller has high trade value and could fetch a great return that would help to revitalize the defense. Also, after this season Fuller will be a pending free agent so his value will go down immediately. Maybe you could somehow turn Fuller into a first round pick. Hey, at least it’s worth checking.

Kam Curl: The second controversial player that could be traded. Curl is one of the best safeties in the NFL today. While Curl might not be the best in one specific area, he's the most well-rounded safety in the entire league. (QUOTE ME on that if you want.) But back to why he is on his list: He has value because of his talent and the fact that he is only making $1 million for both this season and next season. He would be an interesting guy to trade because of what value he would get. The best trade would probably be two seconds or MAYBE a first. The Commanders shouldn’t trade him for anything less given both his talent and low salary.

Daron Payne: I don't want him to be traded but it looks like he will be. Think about it... Jonathan Allen got an extension worth $18 million per year, Montez Sweat and Chase Young will also need new contracts and the team just drafted Phidarian Mathis in the second round. With Payne in the last year of his rookie deal, his future in a Commander's uniform doesn't look bright. Payne could easily receive a second, maybe even a first round pick based on the fact that he is a solid player and is only 25 years old. Again I don't want to lose him because he is really good but if he won't re-sign it's better to get something in return instead of losing him for nothing.

Something to think about

I've been thinking about something with the Commanders: 2020 may have been in the team's worst interest. They made the playoffs and thought they were closer to Super Bowl contention than they actually were. But I will ask this and it may be a preview for a future article but what would have happened if the Eagles won that Week 17 game? I can tell you one thing… the Giants would be worse. But that is a topic for another week.