When Adam Peters was appointed as the General Manager of the Washington Commanders in January 2024 he faced a huge challenge. Coming off the back of a 4-13 season in 2023, with no Head Coach, no long term answer at QB and a roster filled with holes, the former 49ers, Broncos and Patriots executive knew that the road to restoring the glory days to Washington was likely a long one.
At his introductory press conference Peters made it clear how he intended to rebuild the ailing Commanders. “We’re going to build through the draft here and supplement through free agency. We’re going to be very process driven and diligent” were the sensible words from a man who knew the scale of the challenge that lay ahead. Those words were backed by a juicy hall of 9 selections in the 2024 draft and the template for future years seemed set.
The approach received widespread support from fans, media and experts alike as the consensus seemed to be that the Commanders were at least a couple of years away from potential contention.
However, as we know by now, things didn’t go quite the way anyone expected in 2024! There’s no need to recount the whole season but suffice to say the remarkable success of both Jayden Daniels and the team overall has resulted in a notable change to the team building principles initially laid out by Peters on his arrival.
The first sign of a shift in philosophy was the trade for cornerback Marshon Lattimore when the team stood at 7-2 midway through the season. Lattimore was injured at the time and the trade seemed to have an eye on beyond 2024 in addition to whatever the feisty corner could contribute when healthy for the remainder of that campaign.
At the conclusion of the magical and unexpected season, one thing became clear…..the future is now. Thoughts of rebuilding through the draft have been at least temporarily replaced by adding weapons for the present. Jayden Daniels has two more seasons before he’s eligible for a second contract, so Peters has altered course, bringing in proven veteran talent at the expense of valuable draft capital. The message is clear, the Commanders feel that they are close, and want to arm themselves to make a push for potential Super Bowl glory.
The approach, while understandable, is not without significant risk. The trades for Lattimore, Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil meant that the Commanders had only 5 picks in the 2025 draft, and have the same number again in 2026. Would any of those trades have been made if the Commanders had performed as many expected in 2024? The only one that I think may have happened was the Tunsil deal, which cost 3rd and 7th round picks in 2025 and 2nd and 4th round picks in 2026, with a 2025 4th coming back to the Commanders. Building a wall in front of Daniels is an advisable strategy regardless of how the remainder of the team shapes up, and the subsequent drafting of Josh Conerly has emphasised that even further. The Lattimore trade saw 2025 3rd, 4th and 6th round picks heading to the Saints with a 5th coming back to the Commanders, and the Samuel trade cost the Commanders a 2025 5th rounder.
Overall, the various trades, including the Jahan Dotson trade, meant the Commanders had no 3rd or 5th round selections in 2025 and will have no 2nd or 4th round picks in 2026, with a total of 10 picks across the 2 drafts.That’s a pretty good chunk of draft capital traded away in an attempt to win now.
Clearly, we’re a long way from the 2026 draft yet, but the Commanders don’t appear to have many obvious trade candidates to add additional selections, and do not appear likely to receive any compensatory picks as the outgoings have basically been matched by the incoming. Peters has been shrewd with his free agency moves in the last 2 years, and the Commanders are well placed with around $82 million in 2026 cap space, but free agency is generally for plugging gaps not building the foundations of your roster.
Overall,the rationale for the trades is refreshingly ambitious, but it means that the Commanders will have a smaller core of young, cost controlled players than they would have had by retaining their picks and not going all in for the next year or two. The Commanders were the oldest team in the playoffs in 2024, and that figure is unlikely to come down by signing veterans over draft picks. That’s not to say the all in approach is the wrong one, it’s a calculated move by Peters, who recognises the opportunity for immediate success, and only time will tell if it will pay dividends. What is clear is that Peters has adjusted his team building template based on the unexpected success of the 2024 season and the accelerated development of Jayden Daniels. The moves will either be hailed as decisive and proactive, or backfire and leave the roster potentially short of a core of young talent.
