The Front Office: Adam Peters and Roster Construction

[RedWolf]

I'm giving AP all five years and then evaluate him after that. I think some people here are quick to judge. If I were him I would hire a new coach after 5 years, maybe even next year if a very high quality coach is available. I don't think Quinn is the long-term answer

 

[burgold]

In my most optimistic football fantasy, Quinn steps down and Blough takes the reigns with Daronte Jones as his Pettibone, a defensive coach that really ought to have gotten a shot but is considered to old by the league to be given a head coaching nod.

It's hard for me to actually see it, but if we end this season with nine or ten wins and then get even better in 2027... maybe it could happen. The funny thing is, I probably am one receiver away from letting myself get delusional about this team. I like the Dline, the linebackers, the running backs, the tight ends and am okay with the DBs, o line, and safeties. And really, if we could add a one solid vet at wide receiver I'd talk myself into being okay with that group, too.

 

[RedWolf]

In my most optimistic football fantasy, Quinn steps down and Blough takes the reigns with Daronte Jones as his Pettibone, a defensive coach that really ought to have gotten a shot but is considered to old by the league to be given a head coaching nod.

It's hard for me to actually see it, but if we end this season with nine or ten wins and then get even better in 2027... maybe it could happen. The funny thing is, I probably am one receiver away from letting myself get delusional about this team. I like the Dline, the linebackers, the running backs, the tight ends and am okay with the DBs, o line, and safeties. And really, if we could add a one solid vet at wide receiver I'd talk myself into being okay with that group, too.

I would feel better if we signed both of the Diggs Brothers

 

[bowhunter]

I would feel better if we signed both of the Diggs Brothers

I think Trevon is toast. Injuries have taken their toll. Wasn't the passer rating against him like 158-ish, with no INT or PBU last year. Lattimore would be an improvement over him

 

[RedWolf]

I think Trevon is toast. Injuries have taken their toll. Wasn't the passer rating against him like 158-ish, with no INT or PBU last year. Lattimore would be an improvement over him

I thought he was better than that but I don't know I'm just some random guy

 

[bowhunter]

I thought he was better than that but I don't know I'm just some random guy

Me too. Just a semi attractive and witty, yet random guy.

 

[Conn]

I think Trevon is toast. Injuries have taken their toll. Wasn't the passer rating against him like 158-ish, with no INT or PBU last year. Lattimore would be an improvement over him

If wasting money on T Diggs gets us S Diggs, for the novelty of being on the same team together, I’m fine with it. Not many better vet CB’s available anyways and we need bodies at least for camp. If he even makes it through healthy, minimize the ways he can hurt you and watch Stefan put up 850+ yards

 

[Dah-Dee]

semi attractive and witty

 

[Discobob]

Me too. Just a semi attractive and witty, yet random guy.

 

[NoCalSkins]

I think it is too soon to give AP a definitive grade considering what was dropped on his lap when he took the job. Not only was the roster mediocre but outside of having the #2 pick (which had no guarantee of getting the pick correct attached to it) the arrow was not exactly trending in the right direction for that first season. I think the wild swing of 2024 vs 2025 has clouded some judgment because 2025 is the type of season that most of the fanbase & media are used to seeing from this team over the last thirty years so there is an assumption that 2024 was lightning in a bottle. If you average out the results of the first two seasons coupled with the injury plague last season, I would argue the team has been going in the correct direction ever since new ownership signed the dotted line. Success in the NFL is not always linear, there are way too many factors that go into winning/losing in each individual season that I think AP should be given his initial contract time frame to give a legitimate grade.

 

[SkinsFTW]

I think it is too soon to give AP a definitive grade considering what was dropped on his lap when he took the job. Not only was the roster mediocre

Mediocre?

Maybe for the UFL.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

No GM is perfect, and a new GM is going to learn on the job.

I've done this before, but between Rivera and Bruce before him, the team had so few building blocks. McLaurin and Cosmi come to mind. There's probably somebody else along the way I've missed.

Yeah, Daniels was great in 2024, but the 2024 plan was absolutely stunningly great. They brought in a bunch of FAs on one year deals and then drafted guys who could replace them. Wherever there was a veteran, they drafted a successor.

And in 2024, it worked beautifully.

However, 2025 was a massive miss for basically 2 reasons:
1. The entire team got hurt from QB on down. They lost all of their DEs and WRs and best RB (Ekler) by like week 4, and then Ertz got hurt, and then Amos, then on and on and on. The team they were fielding was not the team they thought they would field. And that matters. We were lining up practice squad players because the starters and primary backups both got hurt. This is the #1 reason why the season went off the rails.

2. The 2024 draft picks ALL took a step back or at a bare minimum didn't progress.
Daniels - historical rookie season to injury plagued second season, and when he played, he didn't look as good.
Johnny Newton - Maybe not a step back, but not a step forward. And for a high second round pick, that was disappointing
Mikey Sainristil - Very promising rookie year, at best uneven second season.
Ben Sinnott - Again, maybe not a step backwards, but not a step forward either
Brandon Coleman - Went from starting LT to getting benched at guard. Youch.
Luke McCaffrey - Didn't really develop and then got hurt.
Jordan Magee - Barely played
Dominique Hampton - didn't make the team in 2025
Javontae Jean-Baptiste - Did ok then got hurt.

So the really great plan from 2024 went bust because the guys they selected to be the core of the new roster either didn't develop or took a step back, or (I guess) just got hurt.

Now, how much of that was scheme/fit/coaching? You could definitely argue Whitt had no idea what he was doing, and that effected Newton and Sainristil directly, and Kliff's offense didn't use TEs, and that impacted Sinnott.

Well, now they have a new DC and new OC, and that might change, but we'll have to wait to see it.

Yeah, there were other questionable decisions at specific roster spots. The decision to re-sign Noah Brown was a disaster. They should have looked for an upgrade there. Deebo was a good trade. Tunsil was a very good trade. Lattimore, clearly, was a disaster of a trade though I still appreciate the swing. It just didn't work out. They needed to do more in FA last year than they did. Their biggest pickups were Tunsil (which was great) and Deebo (which was ok.) They weren't as aggressive as they needed to be.

But it looks like they had a good 2025 draft. We'll see how they develop.

This season is going to rest on 3 things from a roster perspective:

1. Health (that's basically true for every NFL team)
2. The development of the 2024 class. In year 3, they need to get serious production from players approaching their prime.
3. How the spending spree this off-season off-sets the lack of spending last off season. Did they get enough pieces.

I still think it's way too early to think Peters is a bad GM. What he did building a competitive team in 2024 was nothing short of a miracle. And nobody should forget that. It did happen. In his first year as a GM. Now, you can't ride that forever. But it should buy you enough good will to survive a terrible, injury ravaged second season with most of your reputation intact.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Voice_of_Reason - doesn’t take away from your point, but I actually think Magee wound up playing a somewhat surprising amount.

I feel like McCaffrey’s a tricky eval, because a) I think he only played 8 games, b) it’s hard for us fans to tell if there was development or not in terms of looking beyond production, c) circumstances around him were far different from ‘24 to ‘25 (as you outlined), and d) I feel like there was a weird blend of Daniels maybe not trusting him, defenses playing us differently, Terry and Brown’s injuries factoring in, and Luke maybe not getting some of the cross-training that was (in hindsight) needed.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this offense is a better fit for Luke. Not that I expect to see him blossom into a quality weapon per se, but I could see him becoming a bit of a pain for defenses with some feisty blocking, his change of direction (and solid hands) allowing him to run some of the pivot and choice routes to good effect, and his KR return skills leading to some positive wr screens. Then again, there’s a lot of overlap in those routes (and abilities) with Williams, so who knows.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Voice_of_Reason - doesn’t take away from your point, but I actually think Magee wound up playing a somewhat surprising amount.

Ok, I went back to look, because what I kept hearing (particularly from Galdi) is that Fred Warner played and Macgee couldn't get on the field.

Week Opponent Home_Away Result Side Player Plays Percentage
1 NYG Home W 21-6 Defense Jordan Magee 2 3%
2 GB Away L 18-27 Defense Jordan Magee 4 6%
3 LV Home W 41-24 Defense Jordan Magee 6 9%
5 LAC Away W 27-10 Defense Jordan Magee 12 18%
6 CHI Home L 24-25 Defense Jordan Magee 1 2%
7 DAL Away L 22-44 Defense Jordan Magee 22 33%
8 KC Away L 7-28 Defense Jordan Magee 58 84%
9 SEA Home L 14-38 Defense Jordan Magee 26 51%
10 DET Home L 22-44 Defense Jordan Magee 27 39%
11 MIA Away L 13-16 Defense Jordan Magee 27 48%
13 DEN Home L 26-27 Defense Jordan Magee 24 34%
14 MIN Away L 0-31 Defense Jordan Magee 35 55%
15 NYG Away W 29-21 Defense Jordan Magee 14 21%
16 PHI Home L 18-29 Defense Jordan Magee 30 43%
17 DAL Home L 23-30 Defense Jordan Magee 48 52%
18 PHI Away W 24-17 Defense Jordan Magee 28 44%

So, you're right. He ended up playing more than I had originally thought. Started out not playing almost at all, and then ended up playing more, thought only twice in the season more than 50% of the defensive snaps. And that was with all the defensive injuries and with Luvu playing some DE.

Then they drafted Styles. So, eh. I'm not sure what his role is going to be moving forward.

I feel like McCaffrey’s a tricky eval, because a) I think he only played 8 games, b) it’s hard for us fans to tell if there was development or not in terms of looking beyond production, c) circumstances around him were far different from ‘24 to ‘25 (as you outlined), and d) I feel like there was a weird blend of Daniels maybe not trusting him, defenses playing us differently, Terry and Brown’s injuries factoring in, and Luke maybe not getting some of the cross-training that was (in hindsight) needed.

He was seeming to start to do better, and you're right, he got hurt after week 8. He's really good on kickoff returns. However, he also never really broke 50% snaps even in the games he played, and that's with Terry AND Deebo out for periods of that time.

I think they need to pick a spot for him, probably outside, and just let him develop there. They have been throwing a lot at him, which is fine, but he needs to be able to specialize.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this offense is a better fit for Luke. Not that I expect to see him blossom into a quality weapon per se, but I could see him becoming a bit of a pain for defenses with some feisty blocking, his change of direction (and solid hands) allowing him to run some of the pivot and choice routes to good effect, and his KR return skills leading to some positive wr screens. Then again, there’s a lot of overlap in those routes (and abilities) with Williams, so who knows.

I think this offense should be a better fit for Luke. I was one of the biggest supporters of Kliff, because I like to zig when everybody else is zagging. I think there's benefit to that.

Having said that, I think for both Luke and Sinnott, playing in a more traditional style offense is going to help them.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Ok, I went back to look, because what I kept hearing (particularly from Galdi) is that Fred Warner played and Macgee couldn't get on the field.

Week Opponent Home_Away Result Side Player Plays Percentage
1 NYG Home W 21-6 Defense Jordan Magee 2 3%
2 GB Away L 18-27 Defense Jordan Magee 4 6%
3 LV Home W 41-24 Defense Jordan Magee 6 9%
5 LAC Away W 27-10 Defense Jordan Magee 12 18%
6 CHI Home L 24-25 Defense Jordan Magee 1 2%
7 DAL Away L 22-44 Defense Jordan Magee 22 33%
8 KC Away L 7-28 Defense Jordan Magee 58 84%
9 SEA Home L 14-38 Defense Jordan Magee 26 51%
10 DET Home L 22-44 Defense Jordan Magee 27 39%
11 MIA Away L 13-16 Defense Jordan Magee 27 48%
13 DEN Home L 26-27 Defense Jordan Magee 24 34%
14 MIN Away L 0-31 Defense Jordan Magee 35 55%
15 NYG Away W 29-21 Defense Jordan Magee 14 21%
16 PHI Home L 18-29 Defense Jordan Magee 30 43%
17 DAL Home L 23-30 Defense Jordan Magee 48 52%
18 PHI Away W 24-17 Defense Jordan Magee 28 44%

So, you're right. He ended up playing more than I had originally thought. Started out not playing almost at all, and then ended up playing more, thought only twice in the season more than 50% of the defensive snaps. And that was with all the defensive injuries and with Luvu playing some DE.

Then they drafted Styles. So, eh. I'm not sure what his role is going to be moving forward.

I’m assuming that him playing more was a combo of moving to 3 linebacker sets to help vs the run, as well as Luvu having to fill in at DE.
To your point though, we’ll see what his role is in this defense, particularly surrounded by Styles/Chenal/Luvu. He could be the odd man out, or he could be a starter (his versatility winning out) with Luvu as more of a role player. He certainly fits more into the profile of Styles/Chenal than Luvu does, allowing Jones to really mix up coverages, run fits, etc.

He was seeming to start to do better, and you're right, he got hurt after week 8. He's really good on kickoff returns. However, he also never really broke 50% snaps even in the games he played, and that's with Terry AND Deebo out for periods of that time.

I think they need to pick a spot for him, probably outside, and just let him develop there. They have been throwing a lot at him, which is fine, but he needs to be able to specialize.

I agree with the principle of letting him focus on a certain position, but I have a feeling that with a variety of formations and motions, this offense is going to require versatility.

I think this offense should be a better fit for Luke. I was one of the biggest supporters of Kliff, because I like to zig when everybody else is zagging. I think there's benefit to that.

Having said that, I think for both Luke and Sinnott, playing in a more traditional style offense is going to help them.

I thought Logan’s point regarding Luke was interesting, that with the prevalence of nickel defenses, it’s possible Luke plays and his blocking forces teams to shift to their base defense, opening up the pass game. With Williams in the fold and the likelihood we play with a lot of 12 and 13, I have my doubts Luke gets a ton of snaps. I do think it’s possible he earns the #3 receiver spot… if we don’t land another quality receiver. Not saying he’s better than Brown/Jefferson/Burks, but he’s got more upside than them (in the sense that they’ve all been in the league a while). I’d be excited to see him get the opportunity, but I’d hate for it to be forced (due to lack of quality competition) vs earned.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I’m assuming that him playing more was a combo of moving to 3 linebacker sets to help vs the run, as well as Luvu having to fill in at DE.
To your point though, we’ll see what his role is in this defense, particularly surrounded by Styles/Chenal/Luvu. He could be the odd man out, or he could be a starter (his versatility winning out) with Luvu as more of a role player. He certainly fits more into the profile of Styles/Chenal than Luvu does, allowing Jones to really mix up coverages, run fits, etc.

The one thing which might help him is the Flores defense was a base 3-4, and they stayed in the 3-4 more than most teams stay in base. So there's another MLB spot available. So he has a shot to get on the field, but he's going to have to beat out somebody for playing time. Interestingly, it might be a safety or something.

I agree with the principle of letting him focus on a certain position, but I have a feeling that with a variety of formations and motions, this offense is going to require versatility.

I think the motion and stuff is going to still be within picking a spot. Picking a spot doesn't mean "left or right" it means like X, Z, Y, etc. Just pick one of the spots, let him work there, and that will include motions and switches, whatever. Just don't try and have him learn multiple of them.

I thought Logan’s point regarding Luke was interesting, that with the prevalence of nickel defenses, it’s possible Luke plays and his blocking forces teams to shift to their base defense, opening up the pass game. With Williams in the fold and the likelihood we play with a lot of 12 and 13, I have my doubts Luke gets a ton of snaps. I do think it’s possible he earns the #3 receiver spot… if we don’t land another quality receiver. Not saying he’s better than Brown/Jefferson/Burks, but he’s got more upside than them (in the sense that they’ve all been in the league a while). I’d be excited to see him get the opportunity, but I’d hate for it to be forced (due to lack of quality competition) vs earned.

I personally would stick him outside opposite Terry and say "go win this spot." He would be a perfect WR2 if he could develop into it. He's got good enough size, really good speed, toughness, etc. Having his physicality on the outside would be great. Then you could go Terry/Williams/McCaffery + Chig + RB. And that would be great.

But we'll see. He's going to have to show a lot to get on the field in a meaningful way. And that starts next week.

 

[DWinzit]

If AP could find a WR2 via trade, the package would probably include one of our questionable 2024 draft selections - Newton, Coleman, McCaffrey, or Magee. I would think they'd say hands off on Mikey and Sinnott would bring little.

If one of those players was involved in the trade and the acquired player worked out well, would the 2024 selection be considered a failed choice by AP?

Unless they went to stardom, I'd look at them as a semi AP bust

 

[HTTR4LIFE]

Rating the Washington Commanders Foundation Under Adam Peters: The Bucky Brooks Formula https://www.si.com/nfl/commanders/onsi/commanders-roster-bucky-brooks-formula

 

[NoCalSkins]

I think an interesting alternative timeline to ponder is what happens had AP not gone QB in 2024 draft and/or picked a QB that looked average as a rookie, how different does the 2025 draft situation look and what does the team look like going into that season. I still don't think the construction of the roster would have been nearly complete but maybe a few more pieces would have been added.

It is sort of a would you rather situation because it is difficult to have that early success and still get to the offseason in maxed out prime position in the draft.

 

[SkinsLife]

I dont get this "new gm must learn on the job" thing, one of the most ridiculous things ive heard. You dont hire a CEO for them to learn on the job so that they can add value 5y from now. If a tech CEO does not produce within a couple of years he is usually out the door. Football is no different.. You hire a GM because he has shown traits that make you confident he can lead a successful franchise right away. If he makes stupid moves right out of the gate.. he is not that good at his job.