Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Washington Commanders weren’t trying to rebuild their fallen empire over three days of the NFL Draft.
“I don’t think that the work is done by any means,” Commanders managing partner Josh Harris said on Friday before Day 2 of the draft commenced.
Harris’ remarks came moments after the introductory news conference with first-round quarterback Jayden Daniels. The No. 2 overall selection, whose on-field performances were social media and television highlight staples during the 2023 college football season, is the tentpole acquisition for the moribund franchise Harris acquired in 2023.
“We think we got the best player in the draft,” Harris said unsurprisingly. Others saw Daniels as the draft’s top quarterback, at least. Washington’s reasoning goes beyond passes and runs.
“You knew a lot about the ballplayer, but I think being around him (Friday), you got a chance to see the man,” coach Dan Quinn said. “That’s honestly a lot of what makes him, him. This is a unique player, but he’s also a really good dude. When you put that kind of work ethic together and somebody that’s that hardworking and, wants to push it that much, you see what the competitor is.”
Washington hopes it solidified the quarterback position by drafting Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
Factor in general manager Adam Peters and the overhauled front office, Quinn and his coaching staff arriving, over 30 new players added in free agency and the draft, and the first full offseason where Harris can imprint his organizational plans, and it’s understandable why the sky looks bluer and the grass greener for those immersed in the burgundy and gold.
“As far as the momentum and the excitement here … it’s going on in a really positive way that feels really different,” Harris said. “I think we’re off to a great start.”
Grading any draft before 3-4 years pass isn’t a fair timeframe, but quickly assessing the process (pun intended) is reasonable. However, “quickly” means after we see the training camp roster.
Peters, the coveted talent evaluator Harris convinced to run Washington’s front office after previous inquiries from competitors, is known for his drafting chops. The ex-49ers assistant GM didn’t arrive trying to showboat or reinvent the roster-building wheel. Instead, Peters brought the processes that turned San Francisco into an annual Super Bowl challenger.
The Commanders spent free agency trying to solidify the depth chart after several poor drafts under the previous regime. Washington’s entire 2020 class is gone. The team declined the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round linebacker Jamin Davis, and it only retained a handful of Washington’s 2024 free agents from the reserves/backups bin. The new signings were almost exclusively one-year or modest-money deals designed to make the lineup credible.
Then Peters leaned into the best player available approach over seven rounds rather than reaching for needs. Using three second-round picks on a defensive tackle (Johnny Newton), nickel cornerback (Mike Sainristil) and tight end (Ben Sinnott) in conjunction with the pre-draft roster isn’t the work of a short-term thinker. Peters isn’t that dude anyway, especially not at this stage of the fixer-upper project.
“I think you always want to blend your needs and your best player available,” Peters said after making five picks and a trade during Rounds 2 and 3. “I think it’s a case-by-case basis. Every time … it’s about to be your pick, we sit there, and we discuss and say, ‘All right, we have these X amounts of players, we want to do this.’”
Contemplations weren’t only about drafting a player at a designated spot. Calls were coming in and going out of the draft war room.
“My phone was ringing off the hook,” noted Peters, who made sure throughout the journey to mention those helping with the choices, including Quinn and assistant GM Lance Newmark.
The one trade consummated dropped Washington out of the 40th pick — Philadelphia jumped up for popular Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean — but added an additional second-rounder for a versatile tight end (Sinnott) whose traits reminded Peters of two 49ers players (George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk).
“We’re going to be playing Cooper DeJean, so we’ll see what happens,” Peters said, acknowledging the risk-reward for any transaction. “You never know who’s going to win those trades, and I don’t think you can even really figure that out for years down the line.”
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That Washington passed on selecting in the second round what was considered its top need beyond quarterback — offensive tackle — angered some fans. League sources told The Athletic that the Commanders tried trading into the first round with multiple teams, aiming as high as the mid-to-late teens. Half the NFL needs offensive tackle talent, as evidenced by five going by pick 18 and 7-8 in the first 30 selections.
The one way for the Commanders to guarantee a Day 1 tackle this cycle was to trade away their 2025 first-round pick, a bonkers path considering Washington’s roster recalibration is only beginning. Carolina went over the top last season to draft quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 overall, only to see they traded this year’s first overall pick.
Protecting Daniels is a paramount concern based on the hope and investment already poured into the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who is coming off a breathtaking season. Fearing this 6-foot-3 quarterback, listed at 210 pounds with a narrow frame, gets pummeled by hulking pass rushers with angry intentions is a legit scare.
Some will note that Washington faced this draft conundrum because its only move at tackle in free agency was re-signing Cornelius Lucas — fair point – except when they don’t mention the poor quality of options available. Ex-Cowboy Tyron Smith was the top left tackle to eventually change teams in The Athletic’s top 150 free-agent list by former NFL general manager Randy Mueller. Smith’s career is Hall of Fame-worthy, but the 33-year-old missed 33 of 50 games from 2020 to 2022. He signed with the New York Jets, who used the draft’s 11th overall pick on his replacement partly because they don’t trust Smith to remain healthy.
The Commanders have the cap space to sign a tackle the rest of the league determined wasn’t worthy of signing in Phase 1 or 2 of free agency. Phase 3 is upon us. Some helpful veterans might join the list with a post-draft cut. That’s how Washington landed Charles Leno Jr. in 2021. The Commanders released Leno following the 2023 season for salary-cap reasons, though it’s unclear if the 32-year-old will continue his career following hip surgery.
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The Commanders selected TCU lineman Brandon Coleman with the 67th selection. Some teams see the college left tackle at guard in the NFL. Washington, at least for now, does not. Coleman will challenge Lucas for first-team snaps unless a mystery man is signed.
Donovan Smith and D.J. Humphries are among the familiar names available. That they are on the market when offensive tackle play is down across the league says something about the stage of their careers. Get help for Daniels, of course, but not every fix is conceivable from the jump. If you think Washington ignored the matter or some apparent savior exists, stop believing that falsehood, no matter what Steve Perry sings.
Washington improved its process and, with good fortune, its potential. As Peters logically said in February, when “evaluating people, you’re going to make mistakes.”
The Commanders have a ways to go before challenging for the NFL crown. Their steps have been more reasonable than reckless, no matter what the angry fans scream. Daniels’ development may accelerate the timeline. But NFL rosters aren’t fixed in a day, even if factions demand it. The work isn’t done by any means. Nobody reasonable would think otherwise.
(Top photo: Geoff Burke / USA Today)
