Tag: Adam Peters Commanders GM

What do the Commanders know about Marshon Lattimore’s injury?

What is Marshon Lattimore’s current status?

Marshon Lattimore did not practice again on Thursday.

We know some said Lattimore was coming to a good team and would find his hamstring wasn’t really injured after all. Well, seeing the opponent is the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lattimore has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday, we should safely conclude that, yes, Lattimore does have a hamstring injury, and it has been confirmed by the trainers and medical personnel.


GM Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn, and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt have all publicly stated since the trade that they love Lattimore’s competitive fire and intensity.

The Steelers coming off a bye week, are rested, and they have also picked up former Redskins and Packers pass rusher Preston Smith and receiver Mike Williams. In addition, the Commanders are apparently going to be without Lattimore, and the Steelers do like for Russell Wilson to go deep occasionally.

Whitt, in his introductory remarks launching his press conference, expressed,

“I didn’t know if I was going to see some guys with their heads down because you bring in a talent like this, some other guys might say, ‘Well, I’m going to lose opportunity.’ And they might be saying that I don’t know, alright. But that’s the business, but nobody’s acting that way.”

Whitt likes the winner’s attitude he sees in the current defensive backs, who are glad to be bringing in Lattimore. Whitt added, “That’s a credit to DQ (Quinn) and AP (Peters) and the brotherhood and the culture that’s being set here. That everybody is bringing them in, helping him, teaching him, talking to him.”

However, Whitt made it clear from the start that he was willing to talk about his defense but not about Lattimore’s health and when he would actually begin playing for the Commanders.

“As soon as we can get him out there, we will. When that will be, I don’t know. Okay. So, please don’t ask me because I don’t know when that will be, but as soon as we can, we will.”

Would the Commanders keep Lattimore from running until warmups for Sunday’s contest? We can only hope. But for now, they might be targeting Lattimore for Thursday at the Eagles.

Commanders’ GM Adam Peters: ‘We are trying to win now’

Peters talked about the Dotson trade and trading to teams within the division.

George Allen came to Washington in 1971, became the head coach and general manager, and proclaimed, “The future is now.”

Adam Peters boarded the Washington NFL ship in 2024, and he again told Grant & Danny (106.7 the Fan) Thursday, “It’s not a rebuild; it’s a recalibration.”

This being his first time as a team’s general manager, Peters expressed to Grant and Danny, “We are trying to win right now. We do have goals to be really good this season.”

In recent history, the NFL has had a team each season rebound really well from a really down year the previous season. Last season, it was the Houston Texans, who had been 3-13-1 in 2022 and fired Lovie Smith. They hired Demeco Ryans, drafted C.J. Stroud, and finished 10-7 atop the AFC South in 2023.

Peters feels the responsibility on his shoulders to get the Commanders turned around in 2023 after not having a winning regular season since Kirk Cousins was the quarterback in 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1). “It is my job as a general manager and really in conjunction with DQ  (Dan Quinn), and we make every decision together, is to be good now and to build for a sustainable team for the future, a team you guys will see compete for championships every year.”

It’s a delicate balance, but Peters and Quinn are attempting to make decisions not simplistically based on winning now or winning in the future. They seek to embrace both—getting better for 2024 and beyond.

As for why he traded receiver Jahan Dotson to division rival Philadelphia, Peters expressed, “That was clearly the best offer. A tie is going to go to the team outside the division. But there’s not always going to be a tie. In this case, they (Eagles) were very bullish on Jahan, and rightfully so. But every time, it is going to be different. If it’s the Cowboys and the Steelers, and everything is the same, and we are making a trade, it’s probably going to go to Pittsburgh.”

Commanders’ assistant GM Lance Newmark has connection to legendary Washington GM

Lance Newmark’s connection to Bobby Beathard.

Lance Newmark knew the Washington Commanders would be challenging, but he is glad he came aboard.

Newmark was first actually hired by former Washington general manager Bobby Beathard, when Beathard was the GM of the Chargers in 1996. Being hired by the Detroit Lions in 1998, Newmark then spent the next 25 seasons with the Lions in various scouting capacities and player personnel.

Knowing the Commanders were 4-13 last season and haven’t had a winning regular season since 2015 and 2016, they are, to say the least, a challenge for their new assistant general manager.

Newmark met with the media on Thursday, declaring, “Every day, we’ve come in here with the attitude of trying to get this better, to make this team as competitive as it can be right away, while also trying to build a team that is going to be competitive for the long haul.”

It didn’t take long to recognize that Newmark and general manager Adam Peters are on the same page. Newmark was echoing much of what Peters told the press on Wednesday. “Every day, we just try to find ways to get better, to improve our roster, to improve our process, whether it’s free agency, the draft, workouts, going back on guys that have been hurt.”

“We try to look under every rock and find every opportunity to improve; we’re trying to do that as fast as we can.”

Newmark has been around a long time, working in the NFL for 28 consecutive seasons. This year, he began working with head coach Dan Quinn for the first time.

The front office, coaching staff, and roster have been overhauled. The DMV hopes this will result in more wins in 2024.

Why is Commanders’ Dan Quinn losing sleep this week

This is not an easy week for Dan Quinn.

In a few days, on Tuesday, August 27, NFL teams must reduce their roster from 90 to a maximum of 53 players before 4:00 p.m ET.

That is a lot of decisions that need to be made from the end of Washington’s Sunday night home game against the Patriots until Tuesday by 4 p.m.

Dan Quinn led an energetic training camp that ended Friday. “I am pleased as we’re heading out of camp,” Quinn told the press.

However, what looms ahead is not allowing Quinn to relax or enjoy the fact that the team has just completed his first Washington Commanders training camp.

“The way we look at it is that it’s a 70-man roster… it’s always a hard conversation for the ballplayer, whether a veteran or a rookie.” By 70, Quinn refers to the 53-man roster and then the 17-man practice squad that teams can construct after each released player has an opportunity to sign with another club.

 “There’s a lot (that keeps me up at night)… a lot of that has to do with what’s to come…” Quinn spoke of getting to know the person, not merely the player, making it even harder when it comes to the cut-down days.

“It’s a hard conversation walking into that room because you’re not coming with good news,” Quinn spoke of talking with some players, telling them what they would need to see if the player makes it back to them on the Practice Squad.

In addition, Quinn offered, “If a player’s not coming back, I try to give him some things to work on in case he has another opportunity elsewhere.”

Commanders Johnny Newton says Jonathan Allen is ‘like a big brother’ to him

Jonathan Allen has been helping Johnny Newton.

Johnny Newton is back on the field.

The rookie defensive tackle drafted 36th overall by the Commanders met with the media Tuesday, expressing he is happy to be active again, following his foot surgery this Spring.

“They’ve been giving me great support—everybody in the locker room, everybody in the building, really. So, just to get out there and compete, it felt really good to get off.”

Choosing to have the surgery right away, Newton said he really didn’t have a long-term goal. Rather, he just tried to do the right recovery things day by day.

Newton was surprised when the X-rays revealed the problem, seeing he insists he never had discomfort in that foot. Having been through this already with one foot, he felt like he knew what to expect in the rehab, so he just got to it.

“Great training staff in there, great coaching staff. Everybody always came to check on me, definitely right after I had surgery. So it was comfortable for me and I knew what my goal was and what I had to do to get back, so I just did exactly that.”

Being drafted to a team that starts Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne at your position might bother many rookies, but not Newton.

“I’ve been watching them for years now. Back when they were in college at Alabama I used to watch them, but actually getting to know them, great people outside of the football field. They’re honestly like big brothers. Whenever I mess up with something, they’ll tell me. Just the smallest things on the field, they always help me out, always encouraging me.”

When asked how long it would take the former Illinois tackle to regain his quickness, Newton responded, “Rome wasn’t built overnight, so I’m not expecting to get back to 100 percent on the first day of practice. I’m just getting my feet. Honestly, this is my first NFL practice, getting up to speed, and hopefully, eventually, for sure soon, I’ll be back to 100 percent and back to my old self.”

Newton didn’t like missing minicamp but is thankful for the support he received. He expressed it was hard on him to miss, but “everybody in the building was always encouraging me.

“Jon’s my locker mate, so always talking to Jon, he’s like, ‘Bro, you’re going to be alright.’ He is like, ‘I can’t wait for you to get on the field.’ And just hearing that from Jon was great encouragement to me because I look up to Jon. He is like a big brother to me.. and, DQ (Dan Quinn), AP (Adam Peters) always came to check up on me, and that meant the most to me. So, I knew what I had to do, and that always gave me an extra boost.”

Dan Quinn discusses when Jayden Daniels will be named Commanders starting QB

Dan Quinn is clear when discussing Jayden Daniels and when he will start.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters began this 2024 training camp with a press conference, and sure enough, the first question was about Jayden Daniels starting at quarterback.

Quinn’s response was fresh, authentic, and true. There was no need to try to fool everyone into thinking this was a dead-even competition.

“It’s not a secret, but it is a journey and a process,” began Quinn. “So, as we are going, when he is ready, we’ll know. When he’s ready, he’ll also know.”

Translation: What we saw in the offseason trends toward Jayden starting this year. But there are some things we need him to learn and experience at a faster level. Sure, it will be clear to all involved when Jayden is ready to start.

“But as far as the reps go with he and Marcus (Mariota) there will be certain days that will feature more of one than the other,” Quinn said. “Through practices, scrimmages and preseason games, that is where the journey will take us.”

Translation: Both guys need to take some No. 1 reps. We also realize we haven’t yet had any contact, scrimmaging, or preseason games. So, let’s permit Jayden to get some of that under his belt, shall we?

“Not trying to hold back the info, but when we know, we will say it,” Quinn said honestly.

Translation: There is no even competition at this point. Bear with us; we just need to see him in action against other teams first. Then, we will announce Jayden as the starter later in the preseason.

On day one, Quinn was clear there was not going to be a quarterback controversy. Quinn and OC Kliff Kingsbury simply find it wiser to permit Daniels to experience more and learn more. In time, the receivers, offensive line and skill position players will all come to the same conclusion during this preseason.

Peters simply chose to echo Quinn: “My experience with young quarterbacks is like DQ said, ‘Not one size fits all.’ I think everybody can see when that is happening, when they know, the team knows, the coaches know. You don’t want to fast-track it, you don’t want to slow it down. Let it happen naturally.”

 

Joe Theismann: Jayden Daniels shouldn’t play in the preseason

The Washington legend spoke about Jayden Daniels and the preseason. He had some interesting thoughts.

How many snaps should Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels get in his first preseason?

Joe Theismann knows quite a bit about playing in preseason games. In fact, when Theismann entered the NFL with Washington in 1974, NFL teams played six of them.

On Thursday on “The Craig Hoffman Show,” Theismann said the team has so many new faces and “Jayden Daniels isn’t and shouldn’t play in the preseason.”

The former Redskins quarterback (1974-85) continued that he understands Daniels was the Heisman Trophy winner and had a great final season at LSU; however, the NFL is much more advanced than even the SEC.

“I’ve watched him work; I’ve been at practice. I’ve sat and visited with him. I like him a lot. But our business is a tough business to learn,” said Theismann.

Theismann knows Daniels will have his struggles when the regular season begins. He recalls his own struggles with inconsistency, which resulted in his losing the job to Billy Kilmer for two seasons before being named the starter in the 1978 season.

When Theismann said Daniels “isn’t” playing in the preseason, was he revealing that he knows something that coach Dan Quinn or GM Adam Peters may have told him?

This was probably nothing more than Theismann’s way of saying Daniels would see very little action. In fact, Theismann later stated he thinks Daniels might play only a couple of series in the first two preseason games.

The Commanders will face the Jets (Aug. 10), Dolphins (Aug. 17) and Patriots (Aug. 25) in the preseason before opening the regular season in Tampa against the Buccaneers on Sept. 6.

Former Washington cap analyst praises Harris ownership group, Peters and other Commanders

Lots of praise for Washington’s offseason moves — on and off the field.

Former Washington Redskins salary cap analyst J.I. Halsell joined Al Galdi on his podcast Thursday, and Halsell had some direct comments regarding some current Commanders’ players and staff.

Josh Harris ownership group: “They have been willing to think outside the box in how they have gone about their process. To bring in Bob Myers was outside the box, but leadership is leadership, whether we are talking basketball or football. When you have a leadership group that is willing to think outside of the box, I think that is great.”

Jayden Daniels: “He is not much bigger than he was back then (Arizona State) and I know that is a concern around his NFL game, his stature, his frame. Look, the kid has a high ceiling. He has put up high numbers in the SEC, and it’s impressive…You take the guy with the high ceiling, potential (when drafting).”

Kliff Kingsbury: “That guy is a great OC (offensive coordinator). He’s proven he can orchestrate an offense. Now, if you want him to lead the entire team, he’s just shown mediocre results. But he’s shown he can orchestrate a high-powered offense. So, when you combine that with the upside of Jayden Daniels, you got to be excited as a Commanders fan.”

Brandon Sosna: “It’s been a very fast rise for him…his rise to this role has happened very quickly, over five years. Rob Rogers is going to be a tremendous resource for Brandon on the nuances of the negotiations and managing the (salary) cap.”

Adam Peters: “The end goal of cap management is to create enough flexibility so that you are not hamstrung in how you build the roster…It tells me they are thinking, ‘Let’s try to build this thing through the draft, cheap(er) rookie contracts and marginal to not expensive veteran free agent contracts’. Yes, I do like how they have gone about it, this first offseason.”

Jonathan Allen: “Roster construction, roster management is really an exercise in succession plan and risk mitigation…It’s not by chance that they drafted in the second round a defensive tackle out of Illinois…If we decide to move on from Jon Allen, then we already have his successor in place. We drafted him in the second round, so we think he can play.”

Samuel Cosmi: “If he is proven in the offseason weight program and as we go into training camp that he is going to be a scheme fit, then you do want to reward your young guy…but it is always cheaper to do the extension sooner, rather than later. ”

 

Commanders Ben Sinnott ‘super excited’ to play for Kingsbury, Quinn

Ben Sinnott is excited about the opportunity to play in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.

Commanders rookie Ben Sinnott says he was just showing up and had no idea what number they were going to give him.

I wanted the player to make the number, so it didn’t matter what they were going to give me, “said Sinnott to Bryan Colbert Jr.

The former Kansas State tight end, drafted 53 overall by Washington, was a guest with Colbert Jr. on another episode of “Raising Hail with the Rookies.”

Here are Ben Sinnott’s Kansas State highlights:

The Commanders issued No. 82 to Sinnott. Many will recall TE Logan Thomas wore No. 82 for his four seasons in Washington (2020-23). Logan Paulsen, another Washington tight end, also wore 82 (2010-14).

GM Adam Peters called Sinnott to inform him the Commanders were selecting him and immediately compared him to 49ers TE George Kittle. Sinnott, born and raised in Iowa, says he has watched and admired Kittle for years, who played at Iowa.

Sinnott actually started ice skating and playing hockey as young as three. Sinnott said the hockey “definitely brought that toughness, attitude, physicality.”

The rookie said in the early workouts he has noticed the coaches and players already “revolving around Dan Quinn. He’s such a natural leader, bringing the guys together and bringing the energy. He challenges us to compete in everything.”

How about his new OC, Kliff Kingsbury? “I’m pumped; I mean, look at all the guys he has developed, getting tight end touches. I’m super-excited to fine-tune my craft and see what he has planned for me.”

Why are the Commanders and Eugene Shen parting ways?

A closer look at why the Commanders and Shen amicably parted ways.

Last week, Commanders general manager Adam Peters continued his overhaul of the front office. It was surprising to read Eugene Shen was leaving the Commanders.

If Dan Snyder still owned the franchise and had hired Eugene Shen only eight months ago, only to announce now that he is leaving, wouldn’t you say this was simply another example of the franchise’s dysfunction and brokenness?

Josh Harris surprisingly hired Shen in October during the then-current Ron Rivera administration. The graduate of Harvard, who also earned an MBA from MIT, was hired, and a few days later, Montez Sweat and Chase Young were traded.

Shen had been announced as the overseer of all analytics and software development for the football operations. Why, after only eight months, is Shen now gone?

Didn’t you raise your eyebrows a bit when Shen was hired in October, prior to Harris hiring his new general manager (Adam Peters)? Since Peters was hired he has brought on Lance Newmark from the Detroit Lions as his new assistant general manager. Brandon Sosna, also of Detroit, was recently hired by Peters as the new senior vice president of football operations, who will lead the analytics department.

Shen was brought on to help Harris make some important decisions for the future of the team, which frankly reveals that Harris needed leadership he would not receive from Rivera’s administration.

In April, Harris made a very significant hire, bringing in Dave Gardi as Washington’s new senior vice president of football initiatives. Gardi came from the NFL league office after 21 years of experience. This was seen universally in the NFL circles as a very keen, sharp move by Harris, as Gardi is highly respected.

Shen was probably feeling pushed out because his role was being reduced, and his ability to influence was greatly reduced, so the Commanders and Shen parted ways.

However, it does appear that Harris and Shen have remained on good terms, as he is said to be taking on another role for Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment.

Thus, this is much more than a negative headline announcing a front office employee is out after only eight months. Might this be more about Harris being really impressed with Peters and providing Peters with increasing levels of power and influence over the football operations?