3 critical factors behind Commanders GM Adam Peters' franchise regeneration

Adam Peters' coaching choice

The public was not all that interested in front-office moves. What fans wanted to know was who Adam Peters would hire to replace Ron Rivera as Washington Commanders head coach.

Some were underwhelmed by the choice of Dan Quinn, primarily because he had been fired a few years earlier from a similar role with the Atlanta Falcons. He wasn’t a young hotshot genius.

After some serious, unsuccessful flirtations with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Peters figured that a veteran coach might not be such a bad idea. He knew there were going to be huge roster changes, and a lot of young players to develop. Perhaps an experienced head-man could provide a steadier hand.

The results have been obvious.

Quinn has developed a team capable of challenging the best in the league. He has the players all going in the same direction, and all remaining upbeat. The team has weathered a bad stretch and recovered, which is usually a hallmark of quality leadership.

No one has been raving about Quinn’s innovative schemes or bold decisions. In hindsight, his decision to kick an extra point late in the Dallas Cowboys game looks too conservative. But those who critique that apparent lack of creativity ignore one of the most fundamental jobs any head coach has.

Quinn has assembled a first-rate staff of assistants. He has largely allowed them to do their jobs without a lot of interference.

That may well be the reason that Peters chose Quinn. As a much-admired veteran coach, he had the knowledge and the personal relationships to bring in the best assistants. Take for instance a situation that developed with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks did hire one of the young geniuses as their head coach. Mike Macdonald, defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, was reportedly high on Peters’ list as well. Whether Seattle beat him to the punch or he just decided to go in a different direction, he ended up in the northwest.

He has done a nice job, pulling his team out of an early tailspin to take over the lead in the NFC West. One of the strangest decisions Macdonald made in assembling his staff was to hire Jay Harbaugh, nephew of Ravens head man John Harbaugh, as special teams coordinator despite his relative lack of experience.

Macdonald fired long-time coordinator Larry Izzo to make room for the younger Harbaugh. Quinn immediately snatched him up for Washington's staff. The result: the disastrous Cowboys’ game notwithstanding, the Commanders' special teams play has improved this season while Seattle’s has regressed.

More obviously, Quinn was able to pry offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury away from the Las Vegas Raiders, with whom he had reached an agreement, to come to Washington and coach Jayden Daniels. That situation may have been affected by contractual issues, but the Commanders were there to pounce nonetheless with a little help from Magic Johnson.

He has built an outstanding staff of coaches that combine veterans like Kingsbury and Anthony Lynn with young leaders like Tavita Pritchard and Brian Johnson. As a result, Washington’s young players are developing while older veterans are finding new life.