Insider's Jaxson Dart buzz gives Commanders window for perfect NFL Draft trade

Adam Peters only has five selections in the 2025 NFL Draft after a flurry of trade incomings in recent months. The Washington Commanders were right to make these win-now moves, but it makes the general manager's life more complicated when the selection event arrives.

Peters will explore potential trade-down options depending on how things shake out. An intriguing revelation from Adam Schefter of ESPN could provide the front-office leader with a big chance to recoup some assets.

Teams are reportedly showing little desire to move into the top 10. This isn't perceived as the best quarterback class, so moving back into the first round is more realistic if prospects of interest are there for the taking.

One expects the Commanders to be open for business. Whether they'll get an acceptable enough offer remains to be seen, but Peters will consider everything.

Commanders could benefit greatly if Jaxson Dart makes it to No. 29

Schefter revealed that the New Orleans Saints have already made inquiries about trading up in the second round from No. 40 overall if Jaxson Dart is available. If the NFC South club wants the Ole Miss signal-caller and the luxury of a fifth-year option, calling the Commanders would be a good place to start.

[Jaxson] Dart would figure to be squarely in play for the Saints' next pick, whether that's in the second round (No. 40) or a trade-up. An then there's this: New Orleans already has made exploratory calls about trading up in Round 2, per league sources, and it's worth noting it has two third- and two fourth-round picks.Adam Schefter

Whether Peters would want to move so far down from No. 29 is debatable. This is a draft loaded with potential starting-caliber prospects. The more picks he has, the better his chances of finding them will be.

The Saints have a quarterback conundrum to solve after their starting position became clouded in uncertainty. Derek Carr's shoulder issue might be bad enough to miss the entire 2025 campaign pending further assessments. None of New Orleans' other options inspires confidence, so getting aggressive for a long-term option under center couldn't be completely dismissed.

That could play into Peters' hands. Having the No. 29 pick is tricky, but it won't take long for teams to panic once polarizing Colorado prospect Shedeur Sanders comes off the board. Dart, Tyler Shough, and Jalen Milroe are the best of the rest, and teams won't want to miss out if all it'll take is giving up one or two extra picks to seal the deal.

The Commanders will be ready and waiting. Peters wants to build through the draft, but the team's immediate success forced him to pivot slightly. This remains his desired path to perennial contention, so getting additional resources to find promising prospects wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

If that happens to be for a quarterback, it's the best chance Washington has of extracting maximum value for the No. 29 pick. If not, Peters will have no trouble standing pat and picking one of several options on his board.

It'll be intriguing to see what happens. And there isn't much longer to wait.