"In only two years, the Commanders have sped up the story arc of a championship window's rise and fall. They took shortcuts to success, and those shortcuts backfired, with long-term consequences that Adam Peters now must face. When the Commanders take to the field in Philadelphia, it will be their last time doing so with a roster built to win now for the foreseeable future. Make of that what you will."
"By the time the new NFL season rolls around again, there's no telling how many players on Washington's current roster won't be around. Some cuts or free agency walks are obvious: Marshon Lattimore, Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, Austin Ekeler, Von Miller, and Noah Brown, to name a few. Others are more questionable. Did Deebo Samuel Sr. do enough to earn an extension? Could Daron Payne's time in Washington finally be up? Can the Commanders find a way out of Javon Kinlaw's contract? Nick Allegretti?"
"More often than not, if there's ambiguity as to whether or not a player should return, the answer should be to move on. Any of Washington's aging veterans on expiring contracts should be replaced with younger building blocks. Peters needs to do whatever he can to re-acquire some draft capital. All in all, the Commanders' mission this spring and summer should be clear. They are entering a rebuild."
The Commanders accelerated a championship window's rise and fall by prioritizing short-term gains that produced long-term consequences. The current roster was built to win now and will largely be dismantled by 2026 through cuts, free-agent departures, trades, or non-renewals. Several veterans on expiring contracts — Marshon Lattimore, Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, Austin Ekeler, Von Miller, Noah Brown — are likely gone, while others face uncertain futures. The front office must prioritize acquiring draft capital and constructing a core of rookie-contract standouts rather than relying on stopgap veterans. The team enters a rebuild that must be executed correctly and swiftly.
Read at Riggo's Rag
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