The Front Office: Adam Peters and Roster Construction

[Voice_of_Reason]

I do wonder if hiring Peters was, in hindsight, the right decision. Maybe a more seasoned veteran GM pairing with a first time owner would have been a better idea. I get the "next new thing" idea, and he was the top candidate.

However, as I've said many times, it takes time to get good at your job. Nobody knows everything right out of the gate at a new job. It takes a few cycles to really understand everything. In the NFL, a cycle is a full year.

And Peters first job was hiring a coach. Something he'd never done before. He hadn't run a process like that before himself. That's a tough ask for a new GM. And maybe he didn't run the process entirely effectively and turned off Ben Johnson. Maybe that doesn't happen the next time around.

Anyway, I had this thought that in hindsight, a guy with experience might have been a better option with an inexperienced NFL owner.

 

[RWJ]

I'd be shocked first and ecstatic second with 11 wins. 👊 I'd be happy with a winning record of 9-8 compared to what happened last year hoping for improvement from our players that AP drafted since being here.

 

[RWJ]

I do wonder if hiring Peters was, in hindsight, the right decision. Maybe a more seasoned veteran GM pairing with a first time owner would have been a better idea. I get the "next new thing" idea, and he was the top candidate.

However, as I've said many times, it takes time to get good at your job. Nobody knows everything right out of the gate at a new job. It takes a few cycles to really understand everything. In the NFL, a cycle is a full year.

And Peters first job was hiring a coach. Something he'd never done before. He hadn't run a process like that before himself. That's a tough ask for a new GM. And maybe he didn't run the process entirely effectively and turned off Ben Johnson. Maybe that doesn't happen the next time around.

Anyway, I had this thought that in hindsight, a guy with experience might have been a better option with an inexperienced NFL owner.

I don't know VOR. At the time, AP was "can't miss" GM hire when teams were looking for GMs when we hired him. Tough to tell but it's playing out now.

 

[Discobob]

How anyone can sit here and except the lies that both DQ and AP told everyone about Amos having a sore ankle is crazy..Those two should not be trusted on anything thing comes out of their mouths

This reaction feels incongruent with the way the league works when it comes to disclosing injuries. I mean... I'd love to know the real details, but I expect coaches to shade the truth and / or speak about injuries in an overly hopeful manner.

This also ignores the possibility that Amos is right on the edge of coming back and he just hasn't seen that last 10% improvement that they are hoping for. So they go the IR route under the hopes that they lessen the likelihood of him reinjuring himself if they give him extra time. ***I'm not claiming this is true, but it's possible***

 

[bh32]

This reaction feels incongruent with the way the league works when it comes to disclosing injuries. I mean... I'd love to know the real details, but I expect coaches to shade the truth and / or speak about injuries in an overly hopeful manner.

This also ignores the possibility that Amos is right on the edge of coming back and he just hasn't seen that last 10% improvement that they are hoping for. So they go the IR route under the hopes that they lessen the likelihood of him reinjuring himself if they give him extra time. ***I'm not claiming this is true, but it's possible***

I would agree if a game was being played the next week,But as no game was scheduled for multiple weeks they had no reason to hold such information..The lack of transparency with the fans will hurt them.

 

[Conn]

So you like Minute Rice.
The misses by Rivera would be core pieces right now if they hit. You just can't ignore that.

BTW, Dan Quinn was 60 minutes away from a Super Bowl just recently and we have fans that want Quinn and Peters gone before one snap in the 2026 season.
Ridiculous, IMO.

Interesting you didn’t respond to my post. It’s not a desire for perfection or “minute rice”, but it is much easier to play defense against a scarecrow once you’ve built it, so I get it.

It’s okay to be optimistic and patient. But when it comes to criticizing other fans I think it’s only fair to properly represent what you’re disagreeing with.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I don't know VOR. At the time, AP was "can't miss" GM hire when teams were looking for GMs when we hired him. Tough to tell but it's playing out now.

No GM is can’t miss who hasn’t done the job.

I’m not saying it was a bad move, or a wrong move.

What I’m saying is with the benefit of hindsight and how the coaching search played out, maybe an experienced GM might have been better for the situation at that point.

And maybe not. I’m not taking a position, more wondering out loud.

 

[DieselPwr44]

I don’t hear many calling for AP’s firing.
Maybe some are but that’s hardly the general feeling, so let’s not put that straw man up as what fans are calling for.

That being said - it’s not 1970. GMs don’t get a decade to turn a ship around anymore. That’s just how it is in today’s NFL. Average GM tenure is about 3 years.

You can't on one hand say "We can't judge a draft class until Year three" and then turn around and fire a GM after three years.
The whole fan base mantra of we have patience for a rebuild and player development is just horse hockey. They have patience for neither.
Witnessed almost everyone on this board tell how bad the roster was when Peters got here and everyone now expects Championship runs now?

Should Peters have maxed out the Cap like early 2000s Snyder? Is that what you guys are wanting?

 

[Boone]

I have heard very few call for Peter’s head - so again, why are you talking as if that’s the majority viewpoint?

I think most are underwhelmed by the draft classes to-date… because they have largely been underwhelming to date.

I’d be more inclined to trust and be patient had they not fired both coordinators after 2 seasons. Where is the patience there DP? Apparently being patient only applies to the fanbase.

 

[Discobob]

I would agree if a game was being played the next week,But as no game was scheduled for multiple weeks they had no reason to hold such information..The lack of transparency with the fans will hurt them.

I guess it depends on peoples baked in assumptions. I don't know the real story, but it seems plausible that Amos is just a borderline case and they just didn't want to raise concerns until they'd figured out which path to take. I don't specifically recall other coaches saying things like "we're trying to decide if we are going to put player XXXX on IR to start the season." They just do it, and explain their reasoning after the fact...

And honestly, I'd probably do the same thing in their situation 🤷

 

[DieselPwr44]

I have heard very few call for Peter’s head - so again, why are you talking as if that’s the majority viewpoint?

I think most are underwhelmed by the draft classes to-date… because they have largely been underwhelming to date.

I’d be more inclined to trust and be patient had they not fired both coordinators after 2 seasons. Where is the patience there DP? Apparently being patient only applies to the fanbase.

So you wanted him to max the Cap out?

And if the OC and HC had a conflict in philosophy, they should just live with each other in turmoil, right?

 

[Conn]

So you wanted him to max the Cap out?

You aren’t having the same conversation anyone else is which makes it difficult to consider your responses anything other than disingenuous

 

[RWJ]

No GM is can’t miss who hasn’t done the job.

I’m not saying it was a bad move, or a wrong move.

What I’m saying is with the benefit of hindsight and how the coaching search played out, maybe an experienced GM might have been better for the situation at that point.

And maybe not. I’m not taking a position, more wondering out loud.

I'm just saying that the perception or dream scaping in minds going on while Peters was supposed to be the next hotshot GM. Many thought so and I was using "can't miss" as an example. Yes, in no way is someone a can't miss until they prove themselves. He's in year 3 and hot a lot to prove. In this day and age of accountability of a GM time is running out quickly, I think. This years and his past drafts need to start proving themselves.

 

[Conn]

I mean, any GM who has done the job well enough to be a competitive hire is employed, right? In a position he can’t be hired out of? Not sure what veteran GM option could have been realistic, though I understand the idea.

People also forget that Harris isn’t a total noob. He was a minority share owner with the Steelers for a few years and sold his shares to buy Washington. Now to be fair that was during Pittsburgh’s lowlight era, but he still got his NFL sea legs under him observing how one of the most consistently professional franchises in the league operated, during a time of total stability for them. He wasn’t a total outsider and had spent some years making relationships with the other owners, which is how most future majority NFL owners do it (starting as a minority owner for a while)

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Average age of Commanders in 2025 (initial 53)
28.09 (clear oldest team in the league by a mile)

Average age of Commanders in 2026
26.7

 

[HTTR]

Average age of Commanders in 2025 (initial 53)
28.09 (clear oldest team in the league by a mile)

Average age of Commanders in 2026
26.7

Have to give AP credit for making such progress on the aging roster problem, but at the same time he’s the one who got us there to begin with. Hopefully this means he’s moved on from constantly going old and cheap in free agency. Even with the receiver situation, he was legitimately trying to get somebody young before finally settling for Diggs. I only wish he would’ve started working this way last offseason, when we were actually an attractive destination, at least on paper, for high-end free agents.

 

[DWinzit]

Have to give AP credit for making such progress on the aging roster problem, but at the same time he’s the one who got us there to begin with. Hopefully this means he’s moved on from constantly going old and cheap in free agency. Even with the receiver situation, he was legitimately trying to get somebody young before finally settling for Diggs. I only wish he would’ve started working this way last offseason, when we were actually an attractive destination, at least on paper, for high-end free agents.

He does deserve a lot of credit, especially with this past years FA class...except for:

• adding competition with Allegretti...Good-Jones, really?
• taking too long with DIggs because he hang on to the Aiyuk plan even after he had flushed his future. But he made amends
• concerns over adding another good coverage guy coverage at CB or FS. He did add Douglas late

So there's credit due as well as, well, miscalculations I guess is the nicest way to put these.

 

[Primus Porcus]

He does deserve a lot of credit, especially with this past years FA class...except for:

• adding competition with Allegretti...Good-Jones, really?
• taking too long with DIggs because he hang on to the Aiyuk plan even after he had flushed his future. But he made amends
• concerns over adding another good coverage guy coverage at CB or FS. He did add Douglas late

So there's credit due as well as, well, miscalculations I guess is the nicest way to put these.

not really fair to hold Diggs against him. Who says Diggs was even willing to sign earlier? Aiyuk may have been the plan, one A LOT of people were on board with as long as it was handled the right way...and it was. We didnt trade for him, and it would have been a short term - team friendly prove it deal. Problem is, he went off his rocker. Peters deserves credit for not making the move at the cost of assets imho. It's very possible he pivoted to Diggs a while ago, and Diggs just didnt want to participate in the early part of camp... it's not an abnormal thing. He may have drug his feet, but we have zero evidence that it was all Peters waiting... until Diggs comes out and says "nah, i was ready to sign in June" it's all speculation.

 

[gbear2]

The injury reporting seems to be following the NHL injury reporting guidelines. Next up will be the reporting of the infamous "lower body injury" that will keep a player off the field for an inderterminate period of time.

 

[burgold]

I think it will be fair to ask where does this roster stand after this year ends.

Three years ought to be long enough. If we are looking at a major rebuild again after this year then I think think that's a strike against Peters. There's a chance that may not be the case.

If Brandon and Connerly game out and Tunsil returns for next year, the o line looks in shape.
If Bill and Allen do the thunder and lightning thing, then running back looks solid.
Wide receiver is tough. I suppose it's possible Terry looks good enough to milk one more year out of him, but otherwise it's really Williams, Lane, and McCaffrey which right now sounds awful.
I can imagine TE, LB, and edge rusher being pretty good.

OTOH, it's really, really easy to imagine the glass half empty, too. I guess what I'm saying is that we are nearing a time of judgement, but really we need to let this season play out before we cast our ballot.