Commanders owner Josh Harris sitting in on QB prospect interviews at NFL combine

Josh Harris spent more than $6 billion to buy the Washington Commanders. Arguably the most important decision the Commanders will make in his first few years as team owner is which quarterback will be selected with the second pick of the upcoming NFL Draft. That player will become the face of the franchise.

When you put it like that, it makes complete sense why Harris is sitting in on quarterback interviews at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Whichever 21- or 22-year-old man the Commanders select will be the most visible employee in Harris' multi-billion-dollar business. Of course he wants to talk to the candidates first.

But in NFL circles, it is unusual. And it probably gives unwanted flashbacks for Commanders fans to the Dan Snyder era.

Harris has sat in on all six interviews the team has had with top quarterback prospects at the combine this week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's unusual to see any NFL team owners, other than Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, in Indianapolis during the combine. To some it's a red flag that Harris would be so hands-on, or at least hovering around, in the process of picking a quarterback. Being known as a "hands-on" owner is often seen as a bad thing.

But Harris sitting in on interviews would not seem that strange if not for the enduring legacy of Snyder, who had a ruinous tenure as the team's owner. Former Commanders head coach Jay Gruden once complained about the draft that Snyder "would come in off his yacht and make the pick," which fit with Snyder's reputation as a meddlesome team owner whose misguided personnel moves helped run the franchise into the ground.

It's a tough spot for Harris to be in. In some ways he's taking over a situation that's even worse than an expansion team. The NFLPA report cards on each team had the Commanders ranked as the worst franchise in the NFL, a remnant from the Snyder era. The team needs a new stadium. It hasn't won on the field in many years. They have to figure out a way to win the fan base back. There's an incredible amount of work to be done to fix the Commanders. Harris has to be as involved as possible, without getting the reputation of being meddlesome.

And the next biggest step is which quarterback to draft at second overall. Whether it's Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or someone else, turning the Commanders around begins with getting the quarterback decision right. Harris is unlikely asking the quarterbacks how they'd handle a Cover 3 defense but making sure the person fits what he wants represented in his massively expensive business.

All of it makes sense, even if it's unusual and will make Commanders fans cringe having to think about Snyder again.