Commanders' prosperous offseason position
Since there will be meaningful games into January, fans may not be quite as prone to look forward as in previous years. That had become something of an annual panacea over the past decade.
The team wasn’t in contention for the postseason, but at least the Washington Commanders usually had a good draft pick. Mock drafts and simulations became a pleasant way to kill a few minutes.
The Commanders will not have a top-five pick in the 2025 draft to get excited about. But due to intelligent moves by general manager Adam Peters and his staff, they will most likely enter the college selection process with a virtual full slate.
They currently have seven picks — with no pick in the fourth round and two in the seventh. Even more exciting, if you like to peruse the list of pending free agents, Commanders’ fans can do so with the knowledge that Washington has an outstanding salary-cap situation for 2025.
Peters cut some deadwood and did not lock the team into high-priced contracts this past year. If he decides to go after a young offensive tackle like Alaric Jackson of the Los Angeles Rams or wants to poach breakout linebacker Zach Baun from the Philadelphia Eagles, he will have more than enough cash to do so.
If he wants to aim higher and dangle an offer in front of wide receivers such as Tee Higgins or Chris Godwin, he will have the wherewithal to do that as well. For the first time in many years, talented wideouts will want to come to Washington to catch passes from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
All that makes the game of playing general manager a lot more fun for fans as the season winds down. Of course, all of the above become a lot more fun if the Commanders find a way to win three or four of these final games.