Nothing much went right for the Washington Commanders last season. The page has now been turned, which stemmed from general manager Adam Peters identifying precisely what went wrong.
And it's something fans had been saying for months.
Peters went all-in on aging veterans. He ran it back with the large majority of players who took the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship game. The fall from grace was as drastic as Washington's initial rise, and a massive rethink was required this offseason.
Adam Peters believes Commanders got way ahead of themselves last season
This didn't go unnoticed by Peters. He knew a different strategy — one more in keeping with his initial plans upon joining the franchise — was required. During a conversation with Kay Adams on the Up and Adams Show, the front-office leader wanted to regain the identity that somehow got lost amid the heightened expectations in 2025.
"Having a down year like that was not good enough. We were all disappointed. Learning those lessons, understanding what needed fixing, and not letting it happen again.
"I think we lost a little bit of our identity and play style. In terms of standards, and holding each other to standards. You don't start where you ended up. You start back at the bottom, and if you don't have that mentality, you can get humbled pretty quickly."
Something felt off about the Commanders last year. Beat writers noticed it even during the summer, before their disastrous campaign. Whether it was complacency, reveling in their newfound success, or a combination of the two is debatable. But as Peters stated, it simply wasn't good enough.
Thinking the job is done will always end horribly in the NFL. This is a year-to-year league for a reason. Standing pat will swallow you up. The message got lost in Washington last season. Injuries didn't help, but this was not a roster built to win or in the right frame of mind to overcome adversity.
Peters made mistakes like everyone else. Refreshingly for fans, he's held himself accountable and taken the measures needed to ensure this doesn't happen again. Couple this with the raised urgency in the locker room to bounce back, and the signs should be pointing up once again in no time at all.
Part of success in the NFL is growing. Win, lose, or tie, there are lessons to take on board every week and every season. Peters and the Commanders found that out to their cost last time around, and the aggressive moves across the franchise indicate this freefall is not going to become the norm.
Whether it comes together or not is another matter, but Peters has certainly given Washington's aspirations a major shot in the arm when it was desperately needed.