INDIANAPOLIS – One year ago, Adam Peters didn’t have a quarterback as he confronted his first offseason as general manager of the Washington Commanders. He didn’t even know what a “scrum” with the media meant.
At his second scouting combine in the big chair he has discovered both, with Jayden Daniels the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year and Peters participating in his fair share of meetings with the media.
He and head coach Dan Quinn will need answers for a second straight busy offseason, with 28 members of the 2024 roster set to become free agents, an elite wide receiver in Terry McLaurin poised for a contract extension and a defensive-line stalwart in Jonathan Allen given permission to explore a trade.
Still, “it feels a lot better than last year,” Peters said Tuesday.
Peters and Quinn have daily discussions about the best way to improve the team, especially in the wake of a first year that exceeded expectations and the turnaround from 4-13 to a 12-5 campaign, which ended with a loss to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
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“It’s going be a challenge every year,” Peters said. “Not just last year, not just this year, but next year’s going to be a new set of challenges.
“There was a lot we had to accomplish and I thought we did a really good job. And this year, I mean, we still have a lot of challenges, so having Jayden is great, obviously, but you still want to build the team the right way with the right type of people.”
Entering this offseason knowing what a ‘Commander’ is
The most important thing Quinn knows now that he didn’t this time in 2024 is “the definition of a Commander.” At its core, that player possesses competitiveness and is a person who loves football and connecting with his teammates.
That makes combine week more purposeful this time around because it’s no longer conjecture – they’ve seen what “a Commander” is in practice.
“We’re looking forward to following up on that this year, especially now that we know who we are even more clearly,” Quinn said Wednesday.
Washington’s 2024 roster had 28 free agents but Quinn said he didn’t have a specific number of how many he wanted to bring back. But in his mind, there are two types of free agents as he considers who will be on his team in 2025 – the ones who were on the Commanders last year, and those on other teams. He said he’s also counting on the 2024 rookie class developing and making big jumps.
Some took on significant roles during their first season – Daniels notwithstanding. Brandon Coleman, a third-round pick, became the starting left tackle and cornerback Mike Sainristil, a second-rounder, was a starter by the end of the season.
To figure out the areas Washington will be active in player acquisition doesn’t require a degree in forensics. Start with the Commanders’ depth chart, Peters said.
“Which, there’s a few places that we don’t (have any players),” he said.
Depth at running back, wide receiver and tight end are all issues on the offensive side of the ball. Defensive line is a big question mark currently, although it is regarded as the strongest position group at the top of the 2025 draft class.
For Peters, the puzzle-solving begins by figuring out which positions may have stronger players available in the draft versus free agency and vice versa.
“Going into the offseason, into March really, just understanding the totality of the classes and understanding where you can best use your assets,” Peters said.
The Jon Allen question
On Tuesday, the team said Allen has been given the opportunity to seek a trade.
“These kinds of decisions and things you have to come up with are always tough, right?” Peters said. “…He’s been a great person for this franchise for a long time.’
The conversations that lead to a player given the chance to explore other employment opportunities can be tough to have, said Peters, “but you always want to have them civilly, and we have.”
If there is no deal to be made, Allen could be a cut candidate. Allen is due $15.5 million this season but that base salary is not guaranteed, according to NFL.com.
This is the time of the sport’s calendar when football and business intersect and that’s reality, Quinn said.
“No team is the same year-to-year,” he said. “We know that.
“That’s not specific to one player. It’s specific to the whole team.”
Defensive line prototypes
One area that’s abundantly clear for addressing is the pass rush, especially if Allen – who missed half of the season with a torn pectoral muscle – is on the move. Veterans Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, who led the team in sacks last season, followed Quinn from the Dallas Cowboys to the Commanders last offseason, but being younger at the spot would be wise.
The ideal pass rusher in Quinn’s mind is someone with initial quickness and capable of “beating somebody to the punch.”
That sounds similar to Peters’ ideal version of a pass rusher. He wants someone who is physical and relentless, a prospect “who’s got that get-off and, really, to be really good in this league, I think you have to have both speed and power.”
Finding weapons for Jayden Daniels
Part of Daniels’ encore to a sensational rookie season will depend on how the front office supplies him with targets. Veteran tight end Zach Ertz became a trusted target for Daniels down the stretch and is certainly a candidate to be re-signed. Receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown also emerged.
Whether it’s those players back in the burgundy and gold or fresh blood, Quinn said players at skill positions will have one thing in common.
“We want to attack, man. So, however we can find ways to do that, we will,” said Quinn, who noted the Commanders had the most no-huddle snaps outside of running two-minute drills in the NFL. “That’s part of our edge. So finding guys that can play in space, play with quickness, be violent with their cuts.”
What about Bobby Wagner?
Whether linebacker Bobby Wagner, who became a mentor to Daniels last year, will return in 2025 is a question mark, and Quinn said to the reporters gathered they’d have to ask his agent – a tongue-in-cheek comment, of course, because the linebacker represents himself.
But Wagner was still top of mind for Quinn on Wednesday when he was describing the type of players he wants in the building.
“Somewhere – I have not talked to him today – but somewhere Bobby Wagner is getting better,” Quinn said. “I don’t know where it is or what it looks like or how he’s doing it but that’s the type of attitude we want to chase.”
High marks
The Commanders jumped from 32nd to 11th in the NFL Players’ Association’s annual report card, based on more than 1,600 player surveys across the league.
Quinn was happiest about the treatment of families score (B+), saying the families of everyone in the organization make sacrifices so they can do their role with the Commanders.
“So to have that right there – team travel – all those, to me, reflect back to (owner Josh Harris) and the vision of what it can be,” Quinn said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be part of it.”
Quinn himself was the highest-rated coach, and he was still talking about chasing improvement anyway. Play style and identity were his main priorities in year one.
Yet Quinn still wanted proof – results. Hope is one thing, Quinn said, and in the second half of the season, he saw hope turn into belief.