5 bold moves Commanders made during the 2024 offseason

Commanders chose their franchise quarterback

By one metric, the drafting of quarterback Jayden Daniels was not bold at all.

Daniels was the odds-on choice to be taken with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. A bolder move may have been to trade down or go with a wildcard like Michigan's national championship winner J.J. McCarthy. Maybe Adam Peters could have taken a swing at Michael Penix Jr., who went much higher than many expected when the Atlanta Falcons took him at No. 8.

However, picking a quarterback with the No. 2 overall selection is always going to be a bold move. Peters and Dan Quinn’s success will be inexorably linked to Daniels for many years to come.

In addition to the moves mentioned previously, the Commanders also might have drafted Drake Maye. Some analysts had the North Carolina product rated as the best prospect in the entire draft. But Peters made his choice and didn’t look back once he became convinced Daniels was the man capable of leading this organization to better days.

Washington is most likely not done tinkering with its roster, both on the field and off. There are always reports of other initiatives in the works regarding a new stadium and various corporate sponsorships. That suggests that the new regime headed up by Josh Harris and Peters will continue looking for large and small ways to innovate how the franchise conducts business.

That fundamental philosophy - a willingness to strip everything down to the foundation - is the ultimate bold move we have seen from the Commanders this offseason. Based on the two-decade reign of Dan Snyder which was littered with nothing but incompetence, to say this shift is welcome would be an understatement.

Let's hope a few more bold moves in the coming years can help Peters propel the Commanders back to being an industry leader. It's been a long time since fans could say that.