I’d argue the urgency was there - see the pursuit of Pierce, Doubs, Hendrickson, Woolen. With youth as a consideration, we also landed (arguably) one of the top DEs and LBs, and the top TE. Quality 1 year guys were brought in to raise the rotation at DE, and to improve competition and depth elsewhere.
Some good points, none of them really conflict with anything I said.
Clearly, they viewed edge rusher and wide receiver as the two code-red positions this offseason. Peters all but said as much in his press conferences.
The difference is that they had more viable avenues to solve edge. They wanted Pierce, but he chose to stay put with his current team. Keim rarely speculates recklessly, so when he said Washington was willing to go north of $30 million if necessary, I believe him. Pierce simply preferred the in-house deal.
At receiver, the story was similar. By most accounts, they were aggressive in pursuing Doubs, but he chose New England. Meanwhile while they were chasing Doubs, Shaheed re-signed, Nailor landed elsewhere, and many expected Aiyuk to become available at that time, but that never materialized.
Where I fault Peters is not for recognizing the problem, but for failing to pivot quickly enough once Plan A and Plan B fell through. When they realized they weren't getting Hendrickson, they immediately shifted gears and kept attacking edge. I wish they had shown that same urgency and creativity at receiver.
At the same time, I can't pretend he has his head in the sand about the position. He clearly understands it's a major issue. The evidence is right there in the players they pursued and the resources they were reportedly willing to commit.
The reason I'm not giving him a complete pass is because this isn't a one-year problem. This is now a three-year issue. At some point, intentions matter less than results.
Still, I don't think the situation is hopeless.
In fact, if Peters were reading this thread, I highly doubt he'd be siding with the people arguing that receiver is overrated or that a WR isn't that important compared to name that other spot. Teams don't prepare to spend $30-plus million on Pierce or reportedly outbid another franchise for Doubs if they view wide receiver as a luxury.
So in fairness to Peters, while I think he underestimated the position during his first two years, I don't believe that's true anymore. This offseason showed that he understands the urgency. The problem is that recognition came after two years of too much neglect, and now we're entering a third season without a proven solution.
My guess is that if they get burned again at receiver this year, the response next offseason will be dramatic. Just as they attacked edge rusher relentlessly this offseason after identifying it as a weakness, they'll likely go after wide receiver with the same level of aggression in Year 4.
And frankly, if this season plays out the way many fear it might, they won't have much choice. But at worst I don't expect this problem to persist. Maybe, hopefully, they get lucky this season at WR. I don't rule that out. But if not, I'd bet they attack the spot with a vengence in 2027.
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