Adam Peters is officially a Washington Commander. On Tuesday, managing partner Josh Harris introduced Peters in a joint press conference where the pair took questions for around 30 minutes.
Peters appeared genuinely excited about this opportunity, again calling it “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
While Peters didn’t tell anyone who the Commanders would select with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — that’s a joke — he did give some insight into how he will build the Commanders. Fans will love his answer.
Here are five takeaways from Monday’s presser.
The roster
Peters was asked what he thought of Washington’s roster. While he didn’t name any players, he did say there were a “few cornerstone pieces.” However, Peters followed it up by saying there was a lot of work to be done.
“I believe we have a lot of work to do, and that’s just evaluating everybody, and that’s going to start with the coaches,” Peters said. “When we hire a head coach, we sit down together with the personnel department, and we sit down and evaluate everything and figure out where we need to be. So that’s an ongoing process. I’ve started a little bit, but we have a lot of work to do.”
What Peters is saying is Washington’s roster isn’t good enough. That’s not news. Almost everyone who follows the team closely, including last year’s coaching staff, believed the roster was in a much better place than it actually is. While there are good players on the roster, Peters understands there are some position groups that will need a serious infusion of talent. There are other positions where better coaching could make a world of difference.
Kyle Shanahan is no longer a dirty word or words
Remember when Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen refused to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2017 NFL draft? According to former head coach Jay Gruden, the 49ers were willing to offer some serious compensation for Cousins, including the No. 2 overall pick and perhaps another first-round pick, but Snyder, out of pure pettiness, would not trade Cousins to his former nemesis, whom he fired at the end of the 2013 season.
How’d that work out for Dan?
When Peters was introduced on Tuesday, he thanked his family and several of his mentors, including GM John Lynch and Shanahan.
“John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan and their wonderful families, thank you guys for the leadership you showed me and the friendship you gave me and all the lessons,” Peters said.
It’s truly a new day in Washington.
Shanahan never forgot what Snyder did to him and his father. However, when the 49ers came to Washington last month, Shanahan admitted all those negative feelings were gone with Snyder no longer around. Now, things appear much friendlier between Washington and San Francisco.
This is not a total rebuild
Remember when Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said he didn’t want to stick around for another rebuild? While many around the NFL view any team with the No. 2 overall pick as a rebuild situation, Peters doesn’t view this job in that manner.
“There’s a lot of good things about this building,” Peters said. “First and foremost, just walking through here today, there’s a ton of great people in this building, so it’s really, this is not a total rebuild. This is a wonderful group of people here that just needs leadership. That’s what I think is the biggest thing, is we need leadership and an aligned vision. So that’s what I’m going to bring here, along with Josh and our head coach. And I don’t think there’s wholesale change needed. I just think we need leadership here, and that’s what we’re here to bring.”
The previous regime talked about culture all the time. As the losses continued to pile up, fans were beyond tired of hearing about culture. Allen didn’t want to hear about the team’s character anymore. Fans wanted to win. Players wanted to win.
The good news is Peters doesn’t think this team is far away. While he said this is not a total rebuild, he was careful not to put a timeline on it, something Rivera did do. His answer on the team needing real leadership is 100% accurate. Do you think Peters would take this job if he believed he needed to gut the entire roster? He understands the Commanders need a lot, but with a strong draft and critical free agents, Washington can change its fortunes in a hurry.
Look no further than the Houston Texans.
Head coach MUST be a leader — not offense or defense specific
Since the Los Angeles Rams hired Sean McVay away from Washington as head coach in 2017, and he experienced immediate success, the trend is for NFL teams to hire young, offensive-minded coaches. It’s worked for some teams, others not so much. With the Commanders holding the No. 2 overall pick and with a new GM in place and a new head coach to follow, many fans want Washington to find the next McVay or Shanahan.
Out of the seven coaches the Commanders requested permission to interview last week, five were on the defensive side of the ball. However, the two offensive coaches — Texans OC Bobby Slowik and Lions OC Ben Johnson — are among the hottest candidates in the upcoming carousel. Of course, this year’s version of the coaching carousel also features the legendary Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel. This is a good year to be needing a head coach.
The thinking behind hiring an offensive mind is if you pair him with a young quarterback and they experience success, you can keep them together for years. Whereas if you hire a defensive-minded coach, if the OC has success early, he leaves for another job.
That doesn’t matter to Peters. One thing stands above all else: Leadership.
“I think in any head coach, in any leader, is leadership,” Peters said. “Leadership, great communication, being able to be honest, direct and upfront, have all those qualities, and they’re all intertwined. But those are the main qualities. You have to be very smart. You have to be very driven. There’s so many different qualities that make up a great head coach and a great leader, but really it’s just about being a great person, a great human being that people will follow.”
The Commanders will be built through the draft
Another refreshing answer from Peters came when he was asked if he valued building through free agency or the draft. His answer was perfect.
“Yeah, I find this a very similar situation from when we got to San Francisco in 2017,” Peters said. “A lot of great similarities, so I have a lot to lean on from that experience. Both things we did well and things we didn’t, but ultimately, we’re going to build through the draft here and supplement through free agency. We’re going to be very process-driven and diligent in who we select in free agency. But we’re going to build through the draft here.”
When he, Lynch and Shanahan arrived in San Francisco, the 49ers were in a similar position to where the Commanders are now. They had money to spend, the No. 2 pick and an extra first-round pick. Washington has the No. 2 pick and two early second-round picks.
That first year didn’t work out well for the Niners. Both first-round picks didn’t work out for different reasons. And, in picking defensive lineman Solomon Thomas in the top five, San Francisco passed on quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. They signed wide receiver Pierre Garcon away from Washington, and he was never able to stay healthy. Those are some of the lessons Peters is talking about. Since that time, the 49ers crushed the draft each year — outside of the disastrous trade-up for QB Trey Lance — and always supplemented their outstanding rosters with a big free agent. Even with the Lance trade, the 49ers grabbed their current starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, in the seventh round in the following draft.
Peters trusts his process, and that will not change. He plans to be competitive in 2024.
