4. The depth at wide receiver.
The Commanders’ depth at wide receiver was an issue throughout the season, thanks to both Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown missing extended time with injuries. Those kinds of losses “hurts your depth regardless of how much depth you have,” Peters said, and it made it more difficult for Daniels to be without a full complement of receivers around him.
Peters said that the 2025 season had “a good lesson” when it came to acquiring depth at wide receiver. They did explore several options, one of which resulted in the acquisition of 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks. But there were other options that the Commanders didn’t pursue due to a mixture of opportunity and cost.
“We just didn’t always pull the trigger just depending on what that cost [would be] or whether it’s draft capital, whether it’s contract, whatever it is, and I think it’s certainly something we’ll have to look at down the road,” Peters said.
Fortunately, the Commanders should have multiple options in the offseason. They could re-sign Deebo Samuel, who was the Commanders’ leading receiver with 727 yards and five touchdowns, or possibly go in another direction with other players set to hit the open market. They could also use the No. 7 overall pick on one of the multiple receivers with a first-round grade heading into the draft process.
The Commanders have made it clear that the 2025 season was not up to their standards. They lost eight straight games as part of a 5-12 season with many of their defeats including double-digit deficits. While they acknowledge that injuries did play a role in the result, they were not the only factor at play in a disappointing season.
“Everything needs to be and is being thoroughly examined and discussed,” Quinn said. “And really our work is answering the question, what went wrong and what do we need to do to fix it and make sure we never go through this again and a season like this.”
Quinn added that it will be he and Peters’ “sole focus” in the coming weeks to identify and address the team’s issues. That includes talking with players during their exit interviews and getting their perspectives on what changes to make in the coming months.
