5 decisions the Commanders might regret after 2024 NFL Draft

Commanders traded a high draft pick to a division rival

I don’t mean to harp on about the Philadelphia Eagles. But when general manager Adam Peters decided to trade back in the second round - swapping the No. 40 pick they had received in exchange for Montez Sweat from the Chicago Bears for two seconds a bit later in the round - the reaction I heard from fans was: “good trade, but we shouldn’t have done it with Philadelphia."

When the Eagles chose Cooper DeJean with the pick, the concerns grew further. The gifted defensive back out of Iowa was seen as a first-round talent who had slipped. And Peters handed him to a rival despite getting what he thought was a substantial haul in return from fellow front-office leader Howie Roseman.

For the record, I have no problem with trading the pick to Philadelphia. You can’t worry about what other teams are doing. You have to focus entirely on what you think makes your team better. Otherwise, you start to outthink yourself, which leads to panic and rash decisions - something that became evident under the previous regimes before Peters' arrival.

If Peters saw value in this trade, he was right to do it. And it netted the Commanders two excellent prospects in Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil and Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott, so there needs to be a level of trust attached given his strong reputation in league circles.

However, should DeJean jar the ball loose from Sinnott in the fourth quarter of a close game in the years to come, we’re going to remember this trade, and most likely lament it. That's just the way things work, but Peters felt this was the right move to make despite handing Philadelphia the chance to fortify their secondary over their first two selections after they spent a first-round pick on Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.