The first significant roster move Adam Peters made with 2025 in mind occurred midway through the 2024 season. The Washington Commanders traded three picks to the New Orleans Saints for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore and a fifth-round selection.
Lattimore was coming off an injury. When questioned about his health, Peters made it clear that, though he hoped the 28-year-old could contribute in 2024, the deal had come about only because he was signed through the 2025 season.
It became increasingly clear over the offseason that Peters was going all-in on 2025. Jayden Daniels’ spectacular rookie campaign had pushed the timeline for success ahead. Whereas the new regime’s strategy had been to build methodically through the draft and wise investment in young free agents, they seemed to do a complete 180 in preparation for the quarterback's second campaign.
Things went about as badly as they possibly could.
Commanders must get back to the original plan after 2025 turned sour
Part of it was due to bad luck and injury. But a larger share now appears to be based on an overly optimistic assessment of the team’s actual roster.
They are now staring at a likely 4-13 season, the same record they had in Ron Rivera’s final disastrous year. Though they still have Daniels and several other promising young players, the roster is once again in need of a large-scale overhaul.
The roster is old. Very old. Oldest in the league. That seems inconceivable given where it stood at the start of the 2024 season. Though Peters had signed a couple of graybeards like Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner, he only gave out multi-year deals to young vets in their mid-to-late 20s — players who should be entering their prime.
Last year, it seemed to be working. Those young vets — Dorance Armstrong Jr., Frankie Luvu, Tyler Biadasz — formed the new core of an exciting roster. With Daniels under center, the future looked bright.
But there were obvious growing pains. Peters drafted and signed many first-year players. Some of them, like cornerback Mike Sainristil and offensive lineman Brandon Coleman, performed well as rookies. Others, like defensive tackle Johnny Newton and tight end Ben Sinnott, developed more slowly.
Peters did not seem inclined to wait. Virtually every move he made last offseason elevated an older veteran over one of those young players. Despite Coleman's promising rookie season, Washington traded for Laremy Tunsil, a veteran who clearly represented an upgrade but was also much older.
Instead of turning things over to Sinnott in his second year, Washington re-signed Ertz for one more year.
Peters re-signed Noah Brown and traded for Deebo Samuel Sr., giving Washington three starting wide receivers (including Terry McLaurin) who were all nearing 30. Luke McCaffrey would have to wait while other younger wideouts like Dyami Brown and Mitchell Tinsley were allowed to leave.
In isolation, each of these moves was defensible. But they backfired. Older players like Lattimore, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Austin Ekeler all got hurt early. So did younger players like Armstrong and Trey Amos. It isn’t all due to age.
But the fact remains that Washington currently has 12 offensive players on its 53-man roster who will be 30 or older at the start of next season. They have another dozen on defense. Five players currently on the injured list — all presumed starters this season — will be 30 or older. Even two of the three specialists — Tress Way and Tyler Ott — are well past 30.
When you do the math, you find that the Washington Commanders currently have 64 players on either their 53-man roster or injured list, and 31 of them will be at least 30 years old when the 2026 season dawns. Peters has six picks in the upcoming draft. Four of them are in the final three rounds.
Fans can expect a serious housecleaning this off-season. He may try to recover some draft capital via trades. He may try to shed big contracts to free up salary cap space. Whatever he does, he has to hit on several key moves.
Peters needs to hit on his two early draft picks. He has to find mid-level free agents, as he did in 2024, and not gamble on talent, as he did in 2025 with Javon Kinlaw.
The Commanders’ roster still has some good young players. Of course, they still have Daniels. Peters may have gotten greedy in 2025, and the franchise has paid the price. But assuming he has learned from the misstep, the future can still be very bright.
It may just take a bit longer than we all had hoped.