The Cold, Hard Truth - Adam Peters Miscalculated the Recalibration (by @Tiller56)

General Manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn both shared the same philosophy when they took over their respective roles with the Washington Commanders in 2024.

In fairness, no fan wants to hear that their team is entering a large rebuild. Every person tied to the organization wants to win and wants to do so NOW. However, in reality, a rebuild was exactly what the team was entering.

Prior to Adam Peters’ arrival, Washington had not had a winning season since 2016 under then head coach Jay Gruden and pseudo general manager Bruce Allen. Ron Rivera did make one playoff appearance in the first season of his four-year tenure as head coach/general manager, but that 7-9 record was more on the weak NFC East than a good Washington Team.

Rivera would go on to have a 26-40-1 overall record in Washington, and his tenure will be remembered for his horrible draft choices that would ultimately end up leaving the cupboards bare for Peters and Quinn.

When Peters was hired, he was tasked with finding a new head coach. He had two young risers on his radar – Mike Macdonald (Ravens defensive coordinator) and Ben Johnson (Lions offensive coordinator). Peters offered Macdonald the job, but he chose to take the head role in Seattle over coming down the beltway to D.C. Johnson flirted with the idea of becoming the team’s new head coach but ultimately decided on remaining with Detroit in his current role. I don’t know if either coach was ready to take on the “recalibration” that was in front of them.

Adam ultimately landed on former Falcons head coach and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. The hire did not move the needle for many Washington fans, but Peters was adamant that he had gotten “his guy”.

The “recalibration” was officially under way.

Thanks to the 4-13 season than ended Ron Rivera’s time with the Commanders, Peters and Quinn held the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It was the perfect time to hold this high pick, as Washington desperately needed a quarterback and face-of-the-franchise and the draft had four very good options in Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix. After Caleb Williams was selected first overall by the Bears, Peters settled on the Heisman winning passer from LSU – Jayden Daniels.

Washington held two picks in round two but acquired another via a trade with the Eagles. Peters picks in that round included Jer’Jhan Newton, Mike Sainristil and Ben Sinnott. Adam walked away with nine total players from that 2024 draft, none more important than quarterback Jayden Daniels.

But it was not just the 2024 draft that caused excitement within the fanbase. Prior to the draft, the Commanders had a strategic free agency where they added some much-needed talent to their roster.

• Marcus Mariota
• Austin Ekeler
• Zach Ertz
• Nick Allegretti
• Tyler Biadasz
• Dorance Armstrong
• Dante Fowler
• Clelin Ferrell
• Bobby Wagner
• Frankie Luvu
• Anthony Pittman
• Michael Davis
• Noah Igbinoghene
• Jeremy Chinn

Although some of these players were older veterans, the idea was to build through the draft and have some of these more mature players mentor the younger ones.

Despite these new additions most national media had the Commanders finishing anywhere between 5-7 wins and picking high again in the 2025 draft. Much to the delight of the fanbase, Quinn and his new-look Commanders, led by their rookie phenom quarterback, shocked the league and finished the season 12-5 with a second-place finish in the NFC East. An unprecedented playoff run saw them fall just one game short of a Super Bowl appearance.

This is where miscalculations began…

Everything bounced the Commanders way during that magical 2024 season, including staying relatively healthy, and a few prayers from up above. Daniels looked every bit the part of a future NFL MVP and Peters and Quinn felt it was time to go all-in on a Super Bowl run in 2025.

And who could blame them? In the NFL you need to strike while the iron is hot, and it was scorching to the touch.

What took place in the 2025 offseason could be labeled as malpractice by most.

Instead of focusing on adding young, ascending talent and continuing to approach this “recalibration” with cautious optimism, Peters took the aging veteran approach to a new level, and decided to run it back with many of the same players he signed the pervious offseason.

Washington re-signed key veterans Marcus Mariota, Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz and Noah Igbinoghene, all who played well the prior season. Instead of re-signing the young, productive Jeremy Chinn, Peters let him walk and inked Will Harris two a two-year deal. Washington chose not to look at younger edge rushers and instead brough in Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin on a one-year deals. Peters would later add the 36-year-old Von Miller to the team. Veteran corner Michael Davis was replaced by an even older Jonathan Jones. Eddie Goldman was added in an attempt to bolster the middle of the defensive line.

The only younger signing that was of any significance was Javon Kinlaw. That was considered the Commanders “splash” for the 2025 offseason.

Peters did make two nice acquisitions via trade, landing Laremy Tunsil from the Texans and Deebo Samuel from the 49ers. Tunsil did not come cheap, as very good offensive tackles rarely do, seeing Washington send 2025 third and seventh round picks, and 2026 second and fourth round picks in exchange for Tunsil and a 2025 fourth rounder. Samuel came a bit cheaper, requiring just a 2025 fifth round pick for the 29-year-old veteran. Just before the trade deadline in 2024, Adam also acquired veteran corner Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 fifth round pick from the Saints in exchange for 2025 third, fourth and six round picks.

In less than one year, Adam Peters traded away the following picks for three veteran players, just one of whom panned out:

• 2025 3rd
• 2025 3rd
• 2025 4th
• 2025 5th
• 2025 6th
• 2025 7th
• 2026 2nd
• 2026 4th

In the grand scheme of draft picks, first and second rounders are seen as immediate contributors. Third, fourth and fifth rounders are your developmental guys, while sixth and seventh rounders are bottom-of-the-roster/special teams contributors.

While Laremy Tunsil has certainly lived up to, and exceeded, expectations, Latimore and Samuel are both likely on their way out of Washington. These last two were calculated risks taken by Peters that really didn’t work out; however, these are moves that are usually made when your roster is missing just a few pieces, not for a team under a “recalibration”.

As for the other 2025 free agents…

Deatrich Wise suffered a quad injury and was placed on season-ending IR after just two games. Will Harris broke a bone in his leg and missed eight games. Jonathan Jones missed five-and-a-half games with injury and was ineffective in the games he did play in. Bobby Wagner showed even more signs of aging and was picked on by opposing offensive coordinators in coverage and on outside runs. Zach Ertz showed he was not effective after the catch, before getting his season ended on a brutal hit to his knee. Eddie Goldman played in 13 games and recorded just 10 solo tackles and no sacks. Lattimore played poorly in nine games before tearing his ACL and missed the remainder of the season.

2024 free agent signing Austin Ekeler (30) tore his Achillies two games into the season, and fellow 2024 free agent and second team All-Pro Frankie Luvu took a MASSIVE step backwards in 2025. Finally, after a torrid start to the season, Dorance Armstrong missed the team’s final 10 games of the year with a knee injury suffered against his former team.

Three free agent acquisitions who did well in 2025 were defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw (career best 43 total tackles with five for a loss), Von Miller who led the team with nine sacks and Jacob Martin, who appeared in all 17 games notching five-and-a-half sacks.

Adam Peters severely miscalculated the “recalibration”. Instead of spending the money to add young, ascending free agents coming off their rookie deals, he chose cheap, one-year ageing veteran contracts, mistakenly thinking this team was close and his desire to try to run it back in 2025 may have set this team back a few years.

The Commanders are now at a pivotal point in the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn tenure where a hard reset is in order. Washington currently has the fifth most cap space in the NFL at just under $70 million and can easily make more with some cuts and restructures.

An infusion of youth is desperately needed for the oldest roster in the NFL and if Adam does want to see a Super Bowl title in the Jayden Daniels era, he’ll need to do a much better job of acquiring younger, difference-making talent.

On a team who could be entering year three of a responsible rebuild, Washington has taken a significant step backwards and needs to ‘recalibrate” yet again – this time with a head coach on the hot season and two brand new first-time play calling coordinators.

A turn-around is possible, but it needs to be done the right way, and it needs to be sustainable.

The ball is in your court Adam. What’s your play?