Most fans thought general manager Adam Peters would sell assets at the 2025 trade deadline. The Washington Commanders are going nowhere this season, but it didn't provoke any movement from the front-office leader.
Whether no interest arrived or no offer was acceptable is up for debate. Fans might never know for sure, but that does not detract from the critical offseason facing the Commanders in 2026.
Peters ran it back with an aging squad last spring, and it blew up in his face. He'd be wise to take a drastic shift in this approach next time around, although that will be more difficult with the Commanders only having six selections in the 2026 NFL Draft as things stand.
Commanders select T.J. Parker in FanSided's post-trade deadline mock draft
There are several glaring needs, and filling them all might be difficult. Cody Williams from FanSided sorted the most glaring in his post-trade deadline mock draft, having the Commanders pick Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 10 overall.
"Jayden Daniels' injury all but confirms this is a lost season in Washington, but that masks the fact that it might've already been anyway. The Commanders ran it back largely on defense, and the aging group on that side of the ball is, well, showing their age. They need youth, they need juice, and T.J. Parker has both of those things. Clemson's season has been a disaster, but the explosiveness of the star edge rusher is still evident every time he's on the field."Cody Williams
The Commanders are desperate for an injection of youthful explosiveness in their pass-rushing room. Dorance Armstrong Jr. was in the midst of a breakout campaign before a season-ending knee injury, but the cupboard is relatively bare aside from that. And after almost completely overlooking this key position group in the offseason, Peters must rectify this error urgently when the next recruitment period commences.
While Clemson has been one of college football's biggest underachievers this season, Parker is cementing his credentials as a high-end pick. The sack numbers might not be there, but it's worth remembering that the Tigers have been behind a lot, which has allowed the opposition to run the football more. When he gets opportunities to cause havoc in opposing backfields, the pass-rusher is almost always around the action.
The four-star high school recruit is as technically proficient as anyone set to take their place in the draft. Parker's tackling in space needs refinement, but all the physical tools to become a difference-maker are there. And depending on what the Commanders do in free agency, this could be Peters' most important priority above all else.
There is a long way to go, but for Commanders fans, attention is already turning to what comes next after a disastrous campaign so far.