Adam Peters faces a massive offseason. The Washington Commanders have failed to meet expectations this season, and even though injuries haven't helped, this roster looks a long way off from the contenders right now.
Significant alterations are needed. Peters will have a plan in place, but the margin for error has diminished with quarterback Jayden Daniels in Year 3 of his rookie contract next time around.
It doesn't help that some players who left Washington this season are currently thriving elsewhere. And there is one veteran presence coming to the fore when all hope seemed lost for his career aspirations.
The Commanders gave Clelin Ferrell another one-year deal in free agency, but he was released during final cuts. He returned to the San Francisco 49ers, initially on the practice squad. But when he got the chance to showcase what he could bring to the franchise amid their growing injury problems on the defensive edge, he seized it with both hands.
Clelin Ferrell is making the Commanders pay for their lack of conviction
Ferrell's been outstanding in recent weeks. He's provided a sense of dynamism and aggression that was sorely lacking in his production previously. And if the same trend continues, the Niners would be wise to offer him a new deal.
Zachary Pereles from CBS Sports highlighted Ferrell's resurgence, proclaiming him as the under-the-radar signing who has been a driving force behind San Francisco's playoff push. And as all fans know, that is a far cry from where the Commanders sit right now.
"Now in his second go 'round with the 49ers, [Clelin] Ferrell only caught on in San Francisco more than a month into the season due to several injuries to the 49ers' pass rush. Since then, he has four sacks in four games for the 49ers, and Sunday against the Browns, he had a career-high nine tackles in addition to two sacks."Zachary Pereles
Considering how the Commanders are crying out for help on the defensive edge, one could forgive fans for feeling a sense of regret. Even so, it's not like Ferrell took the league by storm in Washington, so saying anything less is just revisionist history.
Ferrell played the best football of his professional career with the Niners before joining the Commanders. He clearly prefers this environment, and he's coming to life when most experts wrote him off entirely.
The former Clemson star, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019, deserves enormous credit for the way he's turned things around. Ferrell knew this was probably his final opportunity to prove his worth as a productive starter, and he's thriving under raised pressure. One can say the Commanders should have been more patient, but they had every right to remove him from the equation.
This is how things sometimes play out in the NFL.