The Washington Commanders had one key objective this offseason, and it was no secret to anybody what it was. They needed to get younger.
Last season, Washington had the oldest team in the NFL. It was what general manager Adam Peters had to do after inheriting a husk of a roster thanks to four years of failed Ron Rivera draft picks. But while his strategy paid greater dividends than anybody expected in Year 1, it backfired in a major way in 2025.
Now, Peters is correcting course. If the Commanders return to a competitive status when the 2026 campaign rolls around, they'll have his adaptability on the recruitment front to thank.
Commanders are fulfilling fans' desires with roster youth movement
The narrative that Peters prefers aging veterans past their prime has become a Washington meme, and it checks out. The guys he brought in during his first two seasons were old as dirt.
Zach Ertz. Bobby Wagner. Austin Ekeler. Marshon Lattimore. Von Miller. That's a Super Bowl roster, in 2018.
None of the above are likely to be back in Washington, and the players Peters has replaced them with signal a night-and-day shift in his philosophy. He's going for youth over experience, and substance with upside over name value.
Edge rusher Odafe Oweh. Tight end Chig Okonkwo. Safety Nick Cross. Linebacker Leo Chenal. Running back Rachaad White. What do they all have in common? All of them just completed their rookie deals, hitting free agency for the first time.
They're entering the two- to three-year window that will mark the peak of their careers. They'll be spending it in Washington after Peters struck with supreme aggression.
Add to that some slightly older — but still under 30 — vets in K'Lavon Chaisson, Tim Settle, Amik Robertson, and Charles Omenihu, and objective number one has been accomplished with flying colors. The Commanders have found the fountain of youth, and we haven't even had the NFL Draft yet.
Of course, having all these players simply exist won't be enough to get Washington back on the right track. They need to contribute effectively. But teams with speed, energy, and physicality, especially on defense, tend to perform better than the sum of their parts.
One of the hardest things for a general manager is to admit their mistakes and learn from them. Regarding Peters, we can confirm that he's willing to self-reflect, grow as a decision-maker, and do what is required to get the Commanders back on the front foot.