Why the 2-5-1 Commanders neither bought nor sold ahead of the trade deadline

The Washington Commanders fell to 2-5-1 on the season when they suffered a 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday. 

While the Commanders haven't yet fired often-criticized head coach Dan Quinn, it was nevertheless thought that Washington could conduct somewhat of a fire sale before the NFL trade deadline arrived on Tuesday afternoon. However, Washington ultimately stood pat at the deadline. 

For a piece published on Tuesday night, Commanders reporter Barry Svrluga of The Athletic explained why the franchise made no major move following its Week 9 defeat. 

Commanders "had conversations both about adding talent and trading away pieces"

"The Commanders, according to people with knowledge of their situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, had conversations both about adding talent and trading away pieces," Svrluga revealed. "Had the NFC East been in a more predictable position, perhaps general manager Adam Peters would have dealt away talent with an eye toward the future. In the end, Washington decided there was no deal that made sense."

The Commanders trail the 5-2-1 New York Giants and the 4-5 Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East standings. Washington and New York played to a 27-27 tie in Week 5, and those two sides will meet again at the Giants' MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the 2-7 Philadelphia Eagles are "doing a reset."

Commanders "received multiple calls on" this player

Tashan Reed of The Washington Post noted that the Commanders "have significant roster concerns along the offensive line and at running back, wide receiver and defensive tackle." The Commanders didn't address any of those concerns via a noteworthy trade, and it appears some teams thought that Washington could sell a player or two following the loss to the Rams.

"The Commanders received multiple calls on corner Mike Sainristil, a 2024 second-rounder who's out of the rotation in the Washington secondary," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared for an article posted on Wednesday morning. "The Commanders were only parting with Sainristil for a quality pick, though."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders as 2.5-point road underdogs against the Giants. One wonders whether Peters will regret not selling ahead of the trade deadline if his team falls to 2-6-1.