To say there was pressure on Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters this offseason would be an understatement. The team struggled to meet raised expectations in 2025. A complete rethink was needed, and the front-office leader delivered accordingly.
Fortunately for Peters, his ill-advised gamble on aging veterans gave him plenty of financial flexibility. Most were on one-year deals, and very few were worthy of another commitment. Fans were also clamoring for the team to get younger across the board. This did not go unnoticed by the former San Francisco 49ers executive.
It's been an eventful and profitable third recruitment phase at the helm for Peters os far. The Commanders have signed 13 new faces, with much more to come. Washington still has plenty of cash to spend should it wish. They also boast six draft picks, including the No. 7 overall selection.
The roster looks in better shape now. There is still a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead, but fans couldn't have asked for much more. But make no mistake: not every move will yield the desired results.
With this in mind, here are five Commanders' offensive decisions that could backfire quicker than expected.
Commanders' offseason moves that could backfire sooner than expected
Commanders re-signed Jake Moody
The Washington Commanders' kicking carousel showed no signs of slowing down last season. Adam Peters re-signed Zane Gonzalez, but when the chance to acquire Matt Gay arose, the general manager gave him the most guaranteed money for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history.
Gay wasn't up to the task. His Pro Bowl-caliber production was long gone, and he was released. Peters had another option in mind, plucking Jake Moody from the Chicago Bears' practice squad for another swing at a problem position.
Moody was accurate. There were a couple of wayward moments, but it was largely encouraging. Still, fans were expecting the Commanders to aggressively pursue a long-term option to finally provide some long-awaited stability.
This scenario looked even likelier after the Commanders didn't offer Moody a restricted free-agent tender. However, the kicker got a reprieve, signing a new one-year deal with far less money than the tender would have cost Washington.
This was a supreme vote of confidence in Moody, but the Commanders would be wise to hold a genuine kicking competition over the summer. That will raise urgency and improve performance. But it won't take long for the knives to come out if the 2023 third-round pick out of Ohio State makes some glaring early errors.