Adam Peters mentions sneaky detail that makes Commanders' Marshon Lattimore trade even sweeter
There's zero doubt Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has done an outstanding job rebuilding the team's roster in Year 1.22 outsiders were brought in over the course of the offseason. That kind of turnover typically comes with a 4-13 season that results in the possession of the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, […]
There's zero doubt Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has done an outstanding job rebuilding the team's roster in Year 1.
22 outsiders were brought in over the course of the offseason. That kind of turnover typically comes with a 4-13 season that results in the possession of the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, but rarely does this kind of success tag along. The Commanders are currently 7-2, are leading the NFC East, and have possession of the NFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
Peters made another big move on Tuesday that could end up as his biggest yet. He traded for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore in an effort to help boost a secondary that's played well as a whole, but needed a true No. 1 guy in the mix.
They got that guy in Lattimore and unless something unforeseen happens, it should be a move that helps the Commanders defense take a step forward in a big way.
"This is a player that you'd want to be on your team," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters Wednesday. "Not everybody can go and match onto different players and different spots [like the] left side, right side, [and] in the slot. You have to be a smart guy to be able to do that. And he's shown over the course of his career, the ability to move inside and outside and staying connected to receivers.
"That's really the name of the game. And he's able to play it tight. He's a good tackler. So, yeah, we're pumped we got him, man."
Washington traded a third-, fourth-, and sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-rounder. That's quite a few picks and two solid Day 3 choices, but according to Peters, the Commanders' 2025 draft picks are actually in a better spot than before the trade.
"We had nine picks, and so that made us feel a little more comfortable doing this," Peters told reporters on Wednesday. "… We still feel really good, we still have seven picks. And I think if you look at the charts, our picks are actually what we have now is more in terms of points than what we had back in August. So, we still feel really good about that. We have what's currently a really high third round pick. We'll see how the season ends, but, that was one pick that we certainly didn't want to give up for this."
The third-rounder in reference is the one Peters received from the Eagles in the Jahan Dotson trade. That pick takes on the record of Philly or the Dolphins, whichever is worse. Right now, that's clearly the Dolphins, who hold the eighth overall pick, which reflects the 72nd pick in Round 3. The fact the Commanders are in a better spot than they were before just goes to show how Peters isn't getting wrapped up in the present.
He's doing what any good GM does: keeping at least one eye on the future.
"You're looking at the landscape of this next year's draft [and] this next year's free agency class, and knowing that with some of our corners that are going to be coming up as free agents, that we're going to need to either re-sign one of those guys or dip into free agency or the draft," said Peters.
"So you weigh all that, and then you see, okay, is this player better or easier to get than maybe a free agent or a draft pick?"
As long as Lattimore's hamstring doesn't get in the way, the Commanders just got a lot better on the back end. Both in the short- and long-term. It goes beyond the football field, in the form of better draft positioning, as well.
That's how you GM in the NFL.
