The Washington Commanders have cleared the way for the team to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in April's NFL draft.

The team is trading former starting quarterback Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks, per multiple reports. The Seahawks will receive Howell as well as fourth- and sixth-round picks, while the Commanders will get third- and fifth-round picks.

Howell stepped in as the Commanders' starter last season after the 2022 fifth-round pick made just one start as a rookie. The season turned out to be a slog, with Howell leading the NFL in interceptions (21), sacks taken (65) and pass attempts (612). Washington lost the final eight games of a 4-13 campaign, and coach Ron Rivera was dismissed.

With a new regime led by Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury coming in, the Commanders already looked primed to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the draft. The team has most commonly been linked to Drake Maye - who was Howell's successor at North Carolina - and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.

On Tuesday, Washington agreed to a one-year deal with quarterback Marcus Mariota, positioning him to take over the backup role.

All things Seahawks: Latest Seattle Seahawks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

In Seattle, Howell will likely slide in as the No. 2 behind incumbent starter Geno Smith. Backup Drew Lock left to join the New York Giants in free agency, leaving no other signal-callers on the roster.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.