We have arrived at week 13, folks. We have finally received what we have been longing for (albeit sooner than expected), and that is meaningful games in December. At the center of it all is the future of longtime enigmatic Quarterback, Daniel Jones. He continues to make do with collectively below average offensive personnel to this day and has done well overall given his circumstances (sorry to those who disagree).
The Schoen/Daboll regime are relatively new to their respective jobs and have done very well given their situation as well (being broke sucks). They know in order to continue their success; they will need to make sure they have the right signal caller at the helm of their team. Although Jones has improved, they are naturally skittish at anointing him as this person because of his lack of sustained success and he wasn’t their handpicked choice. Though this doesn’t mean they can’t succeed with him, they know they would be possibly risking their jobs on a guy they didn’t directly scout and the financial cost to keep him will be significant.
This is where John Mara needs to step in. Mara has been a longtime fan of Jones due to his association with the Manning family and his reputation as a hard worker. If Mara feels so strongly about Jones as the QB of this franchise, he needs to put his “money where his mouth is” and provide a commitment to the regime’s job security in the possible event Jones falters. One cannot expect a GM/HC to stake their jobs to a QB they didn’t pick without some kind of reassurance that they can pivot to “their guy” in the event the previous QB’s situation becomes decisively untenable. However, the new regime needs to do their part and ensure Jones has players on offense worthy of an elite NFL roster.
Given the unlikelihood of being able to acquire an ELITE prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, their best bet would be to bolster their Wide Receiver room and Interior Offensive Line to maximize the Quarterback position. If Mara is unwilling to “put his money where his mouth is”, then trading down this draft to collect extra high-end picks for next draft to trade up with would be best to address the future of the QB position and allow Jones to succeed somewhere else. That way, they won’t need to deprive themselves of too much capital that should be used to round out this roster successfully. Regardless, Jones should be here for 2023 in the interest of competitiveness and continuity. Good thing this doesn’t matter right now (and a lot can change), because they have a game to win in the present. Bring on the Commanders!