One of the reasons why the Washington Commanders’ general manager and coaching search was arguably the most popular this offseason was the resources available.
The Commanders have a new owner. Dan Snyder is gone. Josh Harris is a committed and experienced professional sports owner who hires good people and does whatever he can to provide them with the resources to succeed.
Additionally, Washington held the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and somewhere around $80 million in salary cap space.
For a new GM and coach, that represents a massive and rare opportunity. It’s not often things align so perfectly. Everyone starts fresh at the same time, including a potential franchise quarterback with the No. 2 pick.
Washington’s new general manager, Adam Peters, comes from a scouting background. Peters has made it clear that the Commanders will be a draft and develop franchise. That’s music to the ears of most Washington fans. But with so much cap space in 2024, the Commanders will certainly go shopping in two weeks with the hopes of a quick turnaround next season. Right?
Don’t count it, Peters said in an appearance on “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.
“There are a lot of holes we need to fill, but we will always build through the draft and supplement through free agency,” Peters said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “This year, it won’t be a big spending spree; we’re not going to go out and blow all that money in year one. We’re going to build a competitive team with the right types of guys, then have a great draft after that. We will find the types of players we want to build our team, supplement them with people that can really make us very competitive this year, and then draft really well to build competitive team.”
This will likely cause some frustration among some Washington fans. No one wants to return to former owner Dan Snyder’s big-spending days when he never received a proper return on his investment. The flashy moves did nothing but sell a few jerseys in March.
But no one wants the Bruce Allen or Ron Rivera approach either. When you go shopping at Dollar Tree for free agents, the results often resemble the product you purchased.
Peters even joked about the dollar menu.
“There’s nothing wrong with the dollar menu, man!” he said.
You can find value, for sure. But what Washington fans would like is to see the Commanders add at least one impact player in free agency.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The Commanders will add free agents. Who cares if they’re big-name free agents? Washington hired an elite talent evaluator in Peters and a head coach (Dan Quinn) who is respected for utilizing his players to the best of their ability.
As for what Peters said on Tuesday, why would he reveal his strategy? The Commanders will likely target younger players the staff worked with in other places or who fit the specific schemes the new coaching staff will run. That’s the correct strategy.