The Washington Commanders didn't get offers good enough to move players at their 2026 trade deadline. General manager Adam Peters also hinted at buying, but the players he wanted were not available or cost too much.
That was not the case with the Philadelphia Eagles, proving again that Peters and Howie Roseman are living in two different worlds.
The Commanders are 2-5-1, but they are still trying to salvage something from the season. The Eagles have the same number of wins, but Roseman saw his situation for what it was and made the moves needed to improve Philadelphia's future.
Howie Roseman set the Eagles up for the future as Commanders cling to the present
First, it was offensive lineman Cam Jurgens, sending the offensive lineman and a seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2028 second-rounder and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
But he was just getting started.
In a stunning move, the Eagles traded stud defensive lineman Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder. He is a top performer, and this deal sent shockwaves through the league. But for the compensation, it was a difficult proposition to turn down.
Couple this with the offseason trade involving wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was sent to the New England Patriots for a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027, and the Eagles are absolutely loaded with significant high-end draft assets over the next few years.
Washington is not.
Now, Peters acknowledged to The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan that he was taking and making calls. But when it came down to it, no offer was acceptable enough to rubber-stamp any deal.
"We looked to find guys that could help us short- and long-term. We made some efforts, but ultimately those guys weren't moved. ... Nothing really made sense in the end that was of great value for us, and other teams decided to hold onto their guys."
That's fair, even though it was frustrating for fans.
Howie Roseman is running rings around Adam Peters, even in a losing season
But it's clear that the advantage in the art of negotiating lies in Roseman's favor.
Anyone who agrees to a trade with the Eagles typically comes out on the wrong end. Peters is one of the few exceptions, getting a good haul for wide receiver Jahan Dotson. But moving down in the 2024 draft so Philadelphia could select defensive back Cooper DeJean was a mistake in hindsight.
When Roseman makes up his mind, he does so with real conviction.
Meanwhile, Peters and the Commanders are stuck in NFL purgatory with no real plan either way.
The Eagles have more talent than the Commanders. Roseman used that to his advantage, but there is also the scenario where Peters is overvaluing his players compared to the market and Washington's situation.
If defensive lineman Daron Payne and wide receiver Terry McLaurin were healthy at the deadline, it would probably be a different story. One or both could have been moved. But even then, the Commanders' blind faith in their bounce-back chances could have seen them stay on the books.
Whether it's pride, hesitancy, or just pure ego is debatable. Perhaps it's a combination of all three, but no matter the name or the talent, Roseman has no trouble dumping his stars if everything aligns.
Roseman is a master operator. The Eagles have enjoyed tremendous success throughout his tenure, and his judgment is fully trusted.
Peters has not earned this trust yet. Some fans are becoming increasingly restless, given that we are more than three years into this project and the Commanders are still languishing in mediocrity or worse.
The Eagles have all but written off the year. The Commanders have not. This matters, but if Peters had found the right players or drafted the right talent since taking charge, maybe he could have consolidated more effectively.
Alas, that hasn't been the case. And even in a losing season, Roseman is still running laps around the competition.
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