Tag: Adam Peters Commanders GM

Why did Commanders’ GM Adam Peters select Johnny Newton?

Jason Peters explained why Johnny Newton was the right pick.

Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft had just concluded, and the Commanders were a bit surprised.

Washington Commanders new general manager Adam Peters sat down with the Commanders Brian Koba Jr to discuss his leading his initial Washington Commanders draft last week.

Illinois defensive tackle and Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year Johnny Newton had been mocked by most analysts for going somewhere in the 20s in the first round. Yet Newton had not been selected in the first round.

“We were ecstatic,” opened Peters. “After Thursday night, you look at your board, and Johnny was really an outlier on our board. We were looking at each other, and we talked about it Thursday night and again Friday morning.”

“We got a ton of calls Friday from teams wanting to trade up (to No. 36). In the end, we said, if Johnny’s there, we got to take him, even though maybe that wasn’t the biggest position of need. He was clearly the highest player on our board. He’s a game wrecker. He fits what we do perfectly, and he fits everything that a commander is really.”

Peters liked that Newton is tough, smart, and violent, a team captain, and everything the Commanders wanted. “So, we were happy to pull the trigger on that one.”

The former UCLA Bruin defensive end spoke of how his current defensive tackle starters, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, are both great examples for Newton to follow. “The way they work, the way they go about their business, anytime you can have that situation, it’s awesome.”

According to Peters, head coach Dan Quinn already has a vision of attempting to have all three (Allen, Payne and Newton) on the field at the same time. “It’s not like he is going to be a backup and not playing a whole lot. He’s going to get on the field, he’s going to play. We’re going to rotate those guys, keep those guys fresh, so they can get after it, too.”

What type of wide receiver will the Commanders get with Luke McCaffrey?

The future is bright for new Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey.

Luke McCaffrey’s dad has a funny draft story.

McCaffrey’s dad, Ed, told his sons that he thinks all the NFL teams contracted him prior to his draft day in 1991. However, one team did not contact Ed — the New York Giants — and they were the team that ended up selecting him in the draft.

Thus, Luke McCaffrey told “Grant and Danny” that he had absolutely no idea what might, could or would occur on draft night last Thursday.

Is Luke like his dad? Ed McCaffrey had the uncanny ability to get open and catch the ball when the pass was in his vicinity. After playing his college ball at Stanford, he was drafted in the third round by the Giants (83rd overall).

Logging 185 NFL games in his career, McCaffrey had 565 receptions for 7,422 yards, including 55 touchdowns. McCaffrey also averaged 13.1 yards per reception.

His son Christian followed in his footsteps, playing in the Pac-12 conference for Stanford. He has enjoyed an illustrious NFL career, already rushing for 6,185 yards and scoring 81 touchdowns in his 91 NFL games.

So, why did Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters draft younger brother Luke? Many will ask that, given Luke did not play for an NCAA powerhouse. After some time at Nebraska, Luke moved on to Rice and made a successful transition from quarterback to wide receiver.

Luke McCaffrey is still learning the position, and Peters most likely views him as someone who has a lot more room to grow through the experiences he has already gained.

Don’t overlook the fact that he can also continue to learn from his dad about the ins and outs of being an NFL receiver.

It’s very early in the process; no need to get carried away with praise for Peters’ selection or Luke McCaffrey’s future career with the Commanders. At this point, what we can do is expect lots of hard work and a good mentality from a member of the McCaffrey family.

McCaffrey is a logical choice for Peters. Peters knows what he is getting, as Luke will not be entitled, thinking the NFL owes him anything. He is young at the position and will grow consequently through years of experience.

Who knows what type of career Luke will enjoy? For now, we wait and see, trying our best to be realistic about the draft and not so giddy.

But isn’t it fun having a real general manager again in Washington?

Who are the Commanders getting in Luke McCaffrey?

What are the Commanders getting in Luke McCaffrey?

With the final draft pick of Friday night’s round three, the Washington Commanders selected Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey at No. 100 overall.

If you read that name and are wondering, yes, Luke is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey. By the way, both are sons of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey.

Luke certainly knows what it takes to make it in the NFL. He has seen his older brother push himself to such limits that he is able to play in the NFL.

McCaffrey stands 6-foot-2 and is 23 years of age. While playing his high school football in Colorado, Luke played receiver for his first two years, while his older brother Dylan played quarterback.

A four-star recruit, Luke committed to and signed with Nebraska. Determining to depart after two seasons with the Cornhuskers, he committed to Louisville. After being at Louisville for a brief period, he departed for Houston to attend Rice.

In his last two seasons with Rice, McCaffrey caught 58 and 68 passes, averaging 12.5 and 14.2 yards per reception, including six and 12 touchdown receptions, respectively.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, McCaffrey ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and recorded a 36-inch vertical leap.

Who did the Commanders get in Ben Sinnott?

The Commanders got themselves a tight end.

With the 53rd overall selection, the Washington Commanders selected Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott.

Who is Ben Sinnott?

Watching his highlight film of catching and running with the football, he looks similar to former Washington tight end Chris Cooley, which will make avid Commanders fans eager with anticipation.

His tape also reveals he is an aggressive and physical blocker who likes physical contact in opening the way for running backs into the defensive secondary.

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Sinnott will bring a physical dimension to the tight end room that general manager Adam Peters will welcome to the Commanders offense.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sinnott ran a 4.68 40, and at 250 pounds, unveiled an explosiveness with his 40-inch vertical jump.

In his final season, the Kansas State Wildcat was a third-team Associated Press All-American. He was voted First-team All-Big 12 Conference (listed at fullback because of his blocking ability). Sinnott led the team with 676 receiving yards (49 receptions, 13.8 YPR), six receiving TDs. He started 12 games.

Who did the Commanders get in Jer’Zhan Newton?

What are the Commanders getting in Newton?

Jer’Zhan Newton was the name announced by the Hall of Fame former Redskins cornerback Darrell Green as the 36th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Who is Newton?

Well, first of all, I was surprised the big defensive tackle who played at the University of Illinois was not selected in the first round Thursday night.

You see, Newton was listed by most analysts as one of the top 30 players in this draft.

The Commanders already have Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. So why did Adam Peters select Newton? Perhaps it’s because Peters honestly felt he was the best player available. Newton is 6-foot-3, 304 pounds, and stood out during Illinois games this past season.

The Commanders desperately need an offensive tackle, but with the run on tackles last night in round one, it was expected they would not reach at No. 36 for an offensive tackle. Unlike the prior administration, this group led by Peters chose a good player they were most likely surprised was still available.

Preferring “Johnny,” Newton was an All-American during the 2023 season. For his stellar play, Newton was awarded the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and also the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year award. He was also First-Team All-Big Ten in both of his last two seasons for Illinois (2022, 2023).

Peters took Newton to get the best player despite the fact that he already possesses two fine defensive tackles. He is, after all, attempting to build the best roster possible, not reach and fill a position.

There is a huge difference.

Newton was born in St Petersburg, Florida and played his high school ball at Clearwater Central Catholic.

What are the Commanders getting in Jayden Daniels?

What are the Commanders getting in Jayden Daniels?

So, it is indeed, Jayden Daniels, who the Commanders selected with their first selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

What do the Commanders get in selecting Jayden Daniels?

“Washington is going to get everything out of me,” said Daniels on NFL Network, only two minutes after he was drafted.

They receive a very awarded player. Daniels has won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award, and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Daniels was also a finalist for the Maxwell Award, a First-team Associated Press All-American. SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First-team All-SEC.

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He was a captain at LSU, and in his last season (2023) Daniels threw 40 passing TDs (4 INTs), for 3,812 passing yards, including an impressive with 72.2 completion percentage. Running the ball Daniels accumulated 1,134 rushing yards (8.4 YPC) with 10 rushing TDs. Only player in FBS history to throw for 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a college career.

In fairness, they also get an underweight quarterback who declined to be weighed at the Combine until his camp could put enough weight on him to reach 210 pounds at the LSU Pro Day. Perhaps Daniels will immediately begin a program helping him to gain muscle and good body weight.

The Commanders also receive a quarterback who can really move on his feet. Daniels can extend plays, and can also make huge gains when a lane opens for him.

Perhaps the biggest positive of the night is the reminder that five years ago, the previous owner entered the Redskins draft room and basically discarded all the thousands of hours of scouting and player evaluations by his paid staff so that he, the owner, could select a quarterback because he went to high school with the owner’s son.

It is a new era in Washington. No more Daniel Snyder, no more Bruce Allen. Adam Peters, the new GM, has made his first draft choice for the Commanders. That in itself may be a cause to celebrate.

Tonight was the fourth time Washington selected second in the NFL draft this century: LaVar Arrington (2000), Robert Griffin (2012), and Chase Young (2020).

 

PFT says Commanders treated QB prospects like ‘lab rats’ during interviews

More nonsense from from Washington’s favorite critic.

Pro Football Talk blasted the Commanders on Friday.

The Commanders had entertained multiple players, including four quarterbacks, earlier in the week. It was a job interview, and apparently, Josh Harris and the Commanders were really out of line, according to Mike Florio and Myles Simmons.

“I think it is imperative to bring in these guys (quarterbacks) one at a time, know everything you can about them, get them all in with you. And that is where this has kind of gone off the rails for the Commanders. Because I’m hearing belief that maybe Jayden Daniels is not all that interested now in going to the Commanders,” Florio said during Friday’s installment of “PFT Live.”

Simmons replied: “You can pick up another asset (not picking Daniels and trading down), but is that going to be worth it if you are playing games and you don’t get the exact quarterback that you sensibly have fallen in love with throughout this draft process? To me, that would not make much sense. But, there are a lot of things about the way the Commanders have gone about, let’s call it, the last week that have not made much sense to me.”

Added Florio: “Here is the other thing I’ve picked up from somebody that I trust immensely, who is very plugged into the ownership scene. Josh Harris? A lot more involved than they thought he would be. … They brought them all in on the same day because that’s the day Mr. Harris was available to see them. That’s the only plausible explanation for having them there.

“Here is the danger, the David Tepper danger. This is when the owner is involved in any way. … At the end of the day, if you get it wrong, you better get it wrong with the guy the boss wanted. Your worst-case scenario is, the boss wanted this guy, and you went with that (other) guy, and that guy stinks. … Your long-term job prospects are best suited by giving the boss what you think the boss wants, and it all comes down to how vocal the boss is.

“You are the No. 2  guy. The people who know what they are doing, have Jayden Daniels as the clear No. 2 guy. So, when you have your visit to this team, that wants you supposedly, and the day is diluted by the three other quarterbacks being there. At some level you are going to be pissed. … There’s red flags there, and it all flows back to how the Commanders have handled it. It’s not anything about Jayden Daniels. It’s how the Commanders have handled Jayden Daniels.”

Wow, has it not yet occurred to Florio that comparing Harris to Tepper is extremely unfair to Harris? If Harris proves himself to be a Tepper, then yes. But for now, doesn’t that seem like attacking Harris prematurely?

Second, do Florio and Simmons fail to comprehend the Commanders have not presented any signs whatsoever that Daniels is obviously their guy?

Third, they are flat-out wrong because several analysts also think Drake Maye should be the second selection. The situation is not as simple as Florio and Simmons erroneously believe it to be.

Fourth, are any of the other quarterbacks who visited complaining about the process? So how can Florio and Simmons logically conclude it has to be the Commanders at fault in how they handled Daniels this week?

Simmons then proceeded to say twice the Commanders’ process was “disrespectful” to the prospective quarterbacks, expressing, “I am confused by this approach.”

Though Adam Peters and Lance Newmark stated there were both individual meetings and group time, this simply does not satisfy Florio and Simmons. Florio then called it “the strategy the Commanders concocted; I know people and am a student of the human condition. It’s disrespectful, it’s disrespectful to all of them.”

Florio then said the Commanders were treating the quarterbacks “like lab rats in a weird sort of way. … Let’s just put them in a room together and see how they act. Maybe one will kill the other three, and that will clearly be the right choice for us. … There is an element of evil scientist that comes through this, that is just offputting to me as an outsider.”

Florio then called it “this weird power-trip [expletive].”

Here is the video of their entire discussion:

 

 

Commanders re-sign Jeremy Reaves to 2-year deal

Jeremy Reaves is the first Commander that Adam Peters has re-signed this offseason.

The first two days of the 2024 NFL free agency cycle saw no current Commanders re-sign with Washington. But news broke Wednesday that safety Jeremy Reaves is the first of the Commanders’ current free agents to return.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it’s a two-year deal for Reaves, who’s coming off of a torn ACL in Week 5 last season.

Reaves wasn’t drafted, and he has been released numerous times. But he keeps battling and will again be part of the Commanders in 2024.

Reaves was excited to be the first of the current Commanders to return, and gladly broke the news (twice) on Twitter, Wednesday afternoon.

In 2022, Reaves was a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro selection on special teams. However, nothing has come easy for Reaves in the NFL. He is an illustration of hard work and perseverance.

Having played his college ball at South Alabama, Reaves went undrafted in 2018, and was signed by the Eagles in May. He was released by the Eagles in September.

Washington signed Reaves 10 days later, placing him on the practice squad but released him six days later. In October, they again brought him back to the practice squad and again released him in December.

The 2019 season saw Washington release Reaves during cutdowns in August, bring him back to the practice squad, and then activate Reaves to the active roster, where he went on to play nine games.

Reaves was released twice in 2020 before finally breaking through, seeing action on 262 defensive snaps and 147 special teams snaps.

Injuries limited Reaves to five games in 2021 before he excelled on special teams in the 2022 season, playing in all 17 games and being named All-Pro Special Teams performer by The Associated Press, Pro Football Focus, NFL Players Association, and Pro Football Writers Association.

How involved is Commanders new owner Josh Harris?

What do you make of Josh Harris being present in the QB meetings at the NFL combine?

Josh Harris certainly grabbed the attention Thursday of those who follow the Washington Commanders.

We learned that the Commanders new owner was present at the 2024 NFL Combine and took part in the interviews of six quarterbacks.

A bit of historical context is that Harris last August was understandably viewed as the savior from the Dan Snyder ownership era. He was applauded, praised, and given the red carpet.

However, the 2023 Commanders’ season frankly fell apart and stunk. I don’t like to be overly negative, but isn’t true that they earned the second selection in next April’s NFL draft?

All Commanders fans understood the need for Harris to act swiftly, fire Rivera, clean house and start afresh. Harris wisely and successfully hired Adam Peters as his new general manager. He, along with help from his hiring committee, then hired Dan Quinn as head coach, and thus far, Quinn has brought in what appears to be a very experienced, capable NFL coaching staff.

Harris is off to a tremendous start in this 2024 offseason. Then came the word Harris was involved in the interviews at the annual Combine. Instant concern was raised by the media and Commanders’ fans.

Why? Because no Washington football fan/media enters this season with a blank slate. We all possess knowledge of the past. Memories have instructed us and, yes, haunted us.

We can’t easily forget the former owner instructing scouts, coaches and front office that he was drafting Dwayne Haskins in the first round of 2019.

We can’t easily forget his trading three first-round draft picks for a college quarterback who never developed into a capable NFL quarterback from the pocket.

We can’t easily forget trades for a declining Donovan McNabb, signing aging free agent veterans like Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, Jeff George, and dumping Marty Schottenheimer after only one season.

We can’t easily forget he hired an offensive coordinator (Jim Zorn) before he hired a head coach, then wondered why no capable coach would take the job, so he promoted Zorn to head coach though Zorn had yet to be an NFL or college coordinator.

So, alarm bells are ringing loudly. Red flags are being raised.

But there is also the history of Josh Harris to be considered. Has he shown himself previously to be a meddlesome owner who is foolish and delusional,  thinking he is knowledgeable enough about athletic skills to play team general manager?

So, for now, Harris gets the benefit of the doubt from Commanders Wire. 

Might Harris clarify he is simply learning about the NFL combine process and that Peters will have total freedom in making all player personnel decisions?

If Harris does, he will calm a lot of nerves right now from fans who understandably can’t simply ignore what the past has taught them.