The Front Office: Adam Peters and Roster Construction

[Chris]

For all things regarding the GM, salary cap deployment, talent acquisition, etc. Please use this as a catch all for thoughts that don’t fit comfortably in the draft, the free agency, or the existing offensive and defensive coaching staff threads.

 

[method man]

Excellent article here

Commanders should have about $51m in cap space for 2026 free agency before any roster moves are made

Be careful about relying on salary cap ‘snapshots’ that don’t look ahead to what’s happening with the cap

sports.yahoo.com

 

[The Brotherhood]

Excellent article here

Commanders should have about $51m in cap space for 2026 free agency before any roster moves are made

Be careful about relying on salary cap ‘snapshots’ that don’t look ahead to what’s happening with the cap

sports.yahoo.com

Good article which spells out how the cap works, in easy to understand language. Feel like I understand it better now. Thanks for posting.

 

[Riggo44]

That number is all over the place. OverTheCap has us at just over $69m (nice) in Effective Cap Space. Plus Tunsil deal will probably free up a bit more this year and release Lattimore: https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space

 

[burgold]

I'm going to (as usual) go with a contrarian take.

I think Peters first draft was a pretty good one. Sophomore slumps, injuries, and poor scheme fit/usage has made it look worse that it is.

1 Jayden Daniels: A huge hit who we need to figure out how to keep healthy.

2 Jer'zhan Newton: (projection) Based on the flashes, he'd be good if used as a penetrator and pressure guy I think he can be good. I think his struggles are more about misuse than lack of talent.

2 Mike Sainristil: His sophomore slump was just that. Also, I think his fall had to do with coaching. I don't think you show as much promise as he did as a rookie and wind up a complete bust.
3.Ben Sinnott: Right now, this pick feels like a bust. The guy can block and he can catch, but he's been invisible. Maybe in a different scheme?
3. Brandon Coleman: I think I'm higher on Coleman than most. The guy is a tackle and a pretty good one. They tried to force him in as a guard because they traded for Tunsil and drafted Connerly. That's not his fault. When he's been put out there at tackle he's gotten the job done. In my book, he's a better than average tackle.
4. Luke McCaffey: Showed some chops as a kick returner. Began to make some noise at receiver. We need more out of him, but his star was rising just as he got hurt.
5. Jordan Magee: Still annoyed with Quinn and Whitt for not putting him on the field more. The staff is high on him, but the sample size (like with Luke and Newton) is smaller than it should be. Is that the player or coaches?
6. Dominique Hampton: Bust. Not on the team.
7. Jean-Baptiste: Team envisioned a role for him and liked him, but he got hurt.

So of the 9 picks we made in 2024, I'd argue that seven have shown they belong on an NFL playing field though at least three of those seven probably score an incomplete grade due to misuse, underuse, or injury.

I still think Sainristil has it in him to be a very good player. Likewise, I think Coleman is at least a good player. McCaffrey, Magee, Newton, and Jean Baptiste we just need to see more from, but I don't think any should be written off. As for the bad, Sinnott looks like he has some good tools, but no role. By now, he should have been able to figure out how to beat a zone and find the soft spots. He should be a Cooley-level player. He can block and has caught the ball when it comes his way, but still fails to make himself a target. Plus, being below Bates on the depth chart (and in pass usage) is a really bad sign for a player coming into their make or break third year.

 

[Conn]

Possibly minor, but interesting

 

[method man]

When fans and media discuss drafts, for the most part, it is binary. It is "Was this guy a hit or a miss?"

I think that is the wrong way to think about it. When this question gets asked, it is the baseball equivalent of on base percentage. Conversely, let's say a draft results in 2 plus starters but everyone else is completely useless. Your on base percentage would be low, but your "slugging" percentage would be ok.

I think the discussion needs to fundamentally tie to more of an "OPS" conversation. This, for non baseball fans, is the on base percentage + the slugging percentage and is perhaps the primary metric baseball fans use to evaluate players as hitters.

Conn has pointed this out but what this team needs to be great, especially given we may have a massive QB extension coming next offseason, is for us to hit big in the draft across all days of the draft.

I was taking a look at previous drafts and I came across the Rams 2023 draft. They had 14 picks but no first round pick. Well, they absolutely killed that draft despite not having a first. They landed Steve Avila (2nd rd pick, stud interior OL), Byron Young (3rd rd pick, Pro Bowl EDGE), Kobie Turner (3rd rd pick, stud DT averaging 8 sacks a season) and a historically great 5th round pick in Puka. Add other contributors like Nick Hampton, Warren McClendon, Davis Allen, Ethan Evans and Desjuan Johnson.

That's a hit rate of 64% and you hit home runs on Avila, Young, Turner and Puka. The 2022 Rams finished 5-12 and I'd argue that this draft was at the heart of their turnaround as the 4 home run guys were impact rookies.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I listened to a lot of the Peters presser (not all, I got the highlights from Galdi.

I liked what he said about Tunsil, that gave me reassurance that they are going to get that done at some point. The line was something like "neither side wants it to linger" or something like that however he said that there wasn't a deadline before/after the new league year. I thought that was fine.

I hated literally everything he had to say about TE, though I'm not sure if any of it meant anything. But he talked up Ertz a lot, and said they were definitely leaving the door open to bringing him back. Now, that might be just something he's saying whether he does it or not, and you don't want to talk ill of a guy who's rehabbing a torn ACL. And he also talked up all the guys on the roster. He was kind of dismissive of "we might look to add a guy" or something like that.

I think they need to do more than just hope the current guys get better and Ertz recovers and plays at a banana slug speed. It could all be talk, or it could be subterfuge. I don't know. But I didn't like it. Go get a guy. And go get a good guy.

I don't think he revealed really anything at all, which is the way I want it.

He did praise the heck out of Wylie. Which is such an odd turn of events.

 

[skinsinparadise]

To me this is a pivotal off season for Peters.

I think overall he's been a C plus level GM. As lol I've mentioned to death my biggest disappointment is arguably he's been the worst GM as to helping their young QB thrive -- some other Gms have done everything, sometimes even a bit over the top to ensure their young QB's succeeds -- Peters has basically been relying on Jayden to put the team on his back.

the best thing he's done IMO is rework the O line. And yes that helps Jayden. But you can walk and chew gum at the same time.

He's been good for the most part with his FA signings but IMO played it too conservative.

He's been so so with the draft IMO.

But in year 3, I'll give him a shot to see what he can do. People that are good at their jobs still make mistakes but learn from them. Howie Roseman famously had an up and down run until he got on a roll and he referenced learning a lot from his experiences.

 

[Boone]

Voice_of_Reason I had the same gut reaction to some of Peter’s comments that you did and talked about it a little on last nights pod. I would add I think they may bring Bobby Wagner back and, hell, they may not even move on from Lattimore.

I am hoping he is just keeping things close to the vest. We have to get younger and faster and stop sitting around hoping project players like Sinnott, McCaffrey, and Lane turn out to be stars.

There are things that concern me about Peters. I think he may be a bit stubborn. He also seems determined not to overspend as a big priority (and sometimes to get difference makers in free agency, you HAVE to outbid other teams and overspend).

We’ll see what happens over the next couple of months.

 

[burgold]

Peters seems open, but so far most of moves come without fanfare. He runs a pretty tight-lipped ship. No one knew we were trading for Tunsil until after the fact. Same with Deebo. I think he comes from the school where you don't talk bad about anyone on the roster and Lattimore, Ertz, and Wagner are all still (sort of) on the roster and he won't show his hand until he's ready to make a move. With Tunsil, Adam showed a little of his hand. He said, he considers Tunsil a top five tackle. That shifts the leverage a little bit towards Tunsil's camp.

But I wouldn't put much stock in Peters speaking because I don't think what he says to the media hardly ever is a window into his plans or how he feels about a player. For now, he loves everybody who put on a jersey last year.

 

[Boone]

That’s fair. He’s also been tight-lipped right before his major mistakes so while I appreciate that discipline, it is not necessarily an indicator we will see the changes most of us are looking for.

 

[The Brotherhood]

There are things that concern me about Peters. I think he may be a bit stubborn. He also seems determined not to overspend as a big priority (and sometimes to get difference makers in free agency, you HAVE to outbid other teams and overspend).

What are the chances the ownership group have Peters under instruction budget-wise? Is that a thing?

 

[burgold]

What are the chances the ownership group have Peters under instruction budget-wise? Is that a thing?

I'd guess 100%. Mind you, I bet every ownership group works with the front office to determine a budget and then lets the GM know that they need to get approval if they wish to exceed the amount.

I really doubt any front office is given a blank check and told to spend whatever they want without limits.

 

[Boone]

I don’t know. I guess it’s possible but we are talking about having plenty of money within the salary cap and purosefully electing not to spend it to better the roster? I am inclined to think Harris would not hamstring his GM that way. The truth is the Harris group spent a huge amount of their wealth to buy the team with more to come on a stadium - but relatively speaking salary costs are chump change by comparison. I have to believe if they think they can substantially improve the roster by spending up to the limits of the cap, that they would do that?

 

[actorguy1]

Source: Dolphins rank first, Steelers worst in NFLPA survey

For the third consecutive year, the Dolphins ranked first overall in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Steelers finished in last place.

www.espn.com

For the third consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first overall in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Minnesota Vikings finished second overall in 2026, followed by the Washington Commanders in third.

 

[Conn]

I don’t know. I guess it’s possible but we are talking about having plenty of money within the salary cap and purosefully electing not to spend it to better the roster? I am inclined to think Harris would not hamstring his GM that way. The truth is the Harris group spent a huge amount of their wealth to buy the team with more to come on a stadium - but relatively speaking salary costs are chump change by comparison. I have to believe if they think they can substantially improve the roster by spending up to the limits of the cap, that they would do that?

I struggle to explain away Peters saying to the media scrum before FA opened last year, as if to temper expectations when a question about their copious amount of cap space was asked, that they operate under a cash cap, so it’s not just about “cap space”. I’ve never forgotten it and it explains much of their previous offseason behavior.

I can only hope the disaster that was last season offsets the miracle that was 2024, and shows them that they need to open the wallet more to truly compete. And hopefully the stadium deal being done now has also allowed them to lay out their budget into the 2030’s with less question marks about large future cash outlays. Because like you said, in the big picture, the guaranteed player salaries that must be placed in Escrow are pennies compared to the billions spent on everything else about the team. So why half ass it. Go earn those PSL purchases that are right around the corner.

 

[Chris 44]

Source: Dolphins rank first, Steelers worst in NFLPA survey

For the third consecutive year, the Dolphins ranked first overall in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Steelers finished in last place.

www.espn.com

For the third consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first overall in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Minnesota Vikings finished second overall in 2026, followed by the Washington Commanders in third.

Thats an incredible turn around!

 

[Riggo44]

Thats an incredible turn around!

Dead last to third in three years? Incredible. Clearly shows the ownership cares.

As for the finances, I believe two team spokesmen went out of their way to tell contradict Sheehan when he was questioning how much money they had to spend. I'd be stunned if they didn't spend, all signs seem to point to it

 

[burgold]

I don’t know. I guess it’s possible but we are talking about having plenty of money within the salary cap and purosefully electing not to spend it to better the roster? I am inclined to think Harris would not hamstring his GM that way. The truth is the Harris group spent a huge amount of their wealth to buy the team with more to come on a stadium - but relatively speaking salary costs are chump change by comparison. I have to believe if they think they can substantially improve the roster by spending up to the limits of the cap, that they would do that?

Oh, having a budget doesn't mean not spending on the salary cap. It just means having a budget.

Harris might tell Peters has 400m in guaranteed money and signing bonuses this year to divide how he likes, for example (totally pulling that number out of my butt) but I imagine there is a number that he must not go beyond without getting approval.