Commanders' season is over and Adam Peters must act like it before the deadline

The Washington Commanders' season was spiraling even before their Week 9 prime-time game against the Seattle Seahawks. It's gone completely off the rails now.

Washington suffered another blowout loss on the night legendary wide receiver Art Monk had his No. 81 jersey retired. If that wasn't enough, there were yet more injury problems for the Commanders to contend with.

Second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey broke his collarbone on the opening kickoff. Veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore tore his ACL, putting him out for the rest of 2025 and a lot longer. Superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow, and there is just no telling when (or if) he'll be able to return this season.

Commanders should seriously consider selling at the trade deadline

A campaign that promised much has delivered almost nothing but misery for the Commanders. They were expected to go deep into the postseason again, but there is virtually no chance of them even making the playoffs right now. In fact, they've probably got more chance of earning a top-five draft pick if the same trend continues.

This shouldn't be going unnoticed by general manager Adam Peters, especially with the trade deadline looming large on November 4.

Peters was ultra-aggressive during the offseason. The front-office leader recognized the need to make bold moves to maximize Daniels' rookie contract. Now that things have clearly not gone according to plan, he should adapt his strategy accordingly.

If the Commanders aren't working the phones, they should be. And it should be for nothing more than outgoings.

Washington only has six selections in the 2026 NFL Draft — two of which are in the first four rounds. In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles have seven, even after all their frantic trade activity. It's a terrible spot for Peters and the franchise — a problem they created themselves by pushing all their chips into the middle for another fleeting moment of magic that didn't arrive.

There aren't many players who should be entirely off the table in trade talks. Peters should be open for business to restock before going again in 2026. That might be his approach, but finding willing suitors for any deadwood represents the trickier proposition.

The Commanders don't have many valuable assets that they'd be willing to move. Any aging veterans, either down on their luck or out of contract next spring, would bring minimal compensation. Peters might be stuck with what he has, and bringing in someone else via trade is not an option.

It was a risk worth taking from Peters' perspective. But injuries, regression, and running it back with those who achieved so much during the previous campaign have blown up in his face.

And it's time to reassess which direction Peters wants to take the Commanders moving forward.