Josh Harris spent over $6 billion buying the Washington Commanders. Perhaps the most important decision a manager will make in his first few years as an owner is which quarterback to select with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft. That player becomes the face of the franchise.
With that in mind, it’s completely understandable why Harris is sitting in on quarterback interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine. Either the 21-year-old or the 22-year-old, chosen by the commander, will be the most high-profile employee in Harris’ multibillion-dollar business. Of course, he wants to talk to the candidates first.
But that’s unusual in the NFL. And perhaps it will give Commanders fans an unwanted flashback to the Daniel Snyder era.
Harris was present for all six interviews the team had with top quarterback candidates at the combine this week. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s unusual to see an NFL owner other than Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys in Indianapolis during the combine. For some, it’s a red flag that Harris is so hands-on, or at least walking around, in the quarterback selection process. Being known as a “hands-on” owner is often seen as a bad thing.
But Harris sitting in on the interview wouldn’t seem so strange if it weren’t for Snyder’s enduring legacy of a disastrous tenure as the team’s owner. Former Commanders coach Jay Gruden once complained about the draft, saying Snyder would “come off a yacht and make the pick,” but this was Snyder’s misguided personnel change and the team’s management. This was consistent with his reputation as a meddling owner, which led to his bankruptcy.
It’s a tough position for Harris. In some ways, he’s taking on an even worse situation than an expansion team. The Commanders were ranked as the worst franchise in the NFL, a holdover from the Snyder era, on the NFLPA’s team report card. The team needs a new stadium. I haven’t won on the field in years. They have to find a way to get their fan base back. It takes an incredible amount of work to fix a commander. Mr. Harris must be as involved as possible to avoid a reputation as a meddler.
The next big step is which quarterback to draft second overall. Whether it’s Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or someone else, turning around a coach starts with making the right quarterback decisions. Harris isn’t likely to ask quarterbacks how they would handle a cover-3 defense, but he is making sure the person is a good fit for what he wants to represent in his big-budget business.
Even though it’s an anomaly and Commanders fans will be weary of having to think about Snyder again, it all makes sense.