- 8 minutes ago
Adam Peters will be joining The Sports Junkies every Friday morning at 8:25am during the NFL season! In his first segment with the guys, he broke down how he constructed Washington’s roster and his confidence in the Commanders moving forward. What are your expectations for Washington’s first matchup on Sunday afternoon?
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00:00What's up, Adam?
00:01What's up, guys? How's it going?
00:03What's up, man?
00:05This isn't going to go into the specifics of the game,
00:07but I was wondering this.
00:09What's your favorite part about being a GM?
00:12What's the best part of the job?
00:14Oh, man.
00:15That's a tough question.
00:18I think the winning locker room after games,
00:21that's the best part of probably anybody in any sport.
00:25Just being a part of that winning locker room after a win,
00:27and that's definitely the high point.
00:31So you guys have unbelievable success in your first season, right?
00:35Kind of blow everybody's expectations out of the water.
00:37Jaden's a revelation every bit as good as advertised.
00:40You get these older vets, they come in,
00:43they play out of their minds.
00:44You really set the bar high.
00:46Then last year, it gets crazy with injuries,
00:49and it just kind of spirals out of control.
00:52Was year three always going to be a get younger,
00:57bigger, faster, stronger type of deal?
00:58Was it always going to be that's going to be sort of the focus
01:01of the offseason going into year three?
01:04If they had been successful last year with the same group,
01:07would you still have sort of that same emphasis?
01:11Yeah, I think you want to assess it after every year
01:14and just see where you're at and see where you need to get better.
01:18You're always trying to get better no matter what
01:19and taking a hard look and being honest with yourself
01:24on where you really need to get.
01:26That was pretty apparent after watching us last year,
01:29and I think we all agreed on that.
01:31That was our goal to set out and do that.
01:33I think that's what we did.
01:35Yeah, for sure.
01:36What about, and I know a lot of these are sort of offseason questions
01:38that you've answered before, but just for our audience,
01:40it's just kind of like intro type thing.
01:42When DQ and you guys held together and you come up
01:45and you're like, okay, we're going to make some changes here,
01:48offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator,
01:49and I don't know if DQ comes up sort of with it on his own
01:53or you guys are sort of in together,
01:54but when you guys look at each other and you go,
01:56okay, we're going to go with first-year guys here
01:58in a critical third year, I mean, was that ever something
02:02that you were seriously concerned about
02:04or you just had so much faith in these guys
02:06that that was just part of the deal and that was okay?
02:09Yeah, I think, I mean, the first part of it,
02:11it's DQ's call and I'm supportive of him
02:15and I'm here to help him and really support him
02:17on everything that he does and we work together
02:20on just about everything, so, you know,
02:23but going through the process, you know,
02:25they were both first-time guys,
02:27but really we just wanted to get the best candidates
02:29and they were both the best candidates.
02:31They both really shown in their interviews,
02:34their body of work speaks for themselves
02:36in terms of with Blau just being here with him
02:40for two years, seeing him work every day.
02:42We understood what type of person he was,
02:44what type of leader he was, what type of coach he was,
02:46and then with Durante, he's got a, I mean,
02:49he's been around for a long time
02:51and been coaching at a high level for a long time,
02:54came from a really good system in Minnesota,
02:56which we really liked, and he just did a really nice job
02:59in the interview process, and, you know,
03:02both of those guys have been really, really good
03:04up to, really to this moment.
03:06Adam, obviously the first-round pick,
03:09especially when you have a down year,
03:10is always going to be a key focus for local media
03:13and the fans, and you guys take Sonny,
03:16athletic freak, I thought, you know,
03:18I watched him a few times last year,
03:20just thought, just an athletic freak who's,
03:22when he gets into the NFL, I think he's going to be
03:24really good depending on what position he plays,
03:26but, you know, and then, but,
03:29and you don't really see a lot from these guys
03:32in the preseason because, you know,
03:34your first-team guys don't play a lot
03:36in the actual game, so you have to base it on it,
03:39what the media is talking about in practice,
03:42and, you know, and then if the fans go,
03:45oh, Sonny didn't, he didn't flash in one series,
03:48you know, they kind of, they get down on him,
03:50but tell me what good, how good Sonny Styles can be
03:54and what you expect from him,
03:57especially in this first game in Philly.
04:00Yeah, I'll say this, Sonny's been everything
04:03we've expected and really wanted so far.
04:06He's been outstanding.
04:07He's been a great student of the game.
04:09He learns really quickly.
04:11He's a sponge.
04:13He's very humble
04:15and does all the right things off the field.
04:18On the field, he's been getting better,
04:20you know, pretty much every week,
04:23and, you know, it's funny,
04:25like, he's a rookie,
04:26and all rookies are going to have,
04:28you know, they're not going to come out
04:29guns blazing on, you know,
04:31week one, week two, week three,
04:33but Sonny is going to be really good.
04:35I'm very confident of that.
04:37I think you're going to see him
04:38getting better and better each week,
04:41and the sky's the limit for him.
04:42Like you said, he's an athletic freak,
04:44but he also has everything else
04:46that you need to be a great player in this league.
04:48Right.
04:48Now, you mentioned he's a rookie.
04:49I'm wondering,
04:50what will you miss from Bobby Wagner,
04:53and what will you get from Sonny
04:54that's maybe different?
04:57Yeah, I mean,
04:57you really can't replace a guy like Bobby Wagner,
05:00who's a Hall of Famer,
05:01and all the things that he brings.
05:04Bobby's leadership was incredible,
05:06but he's also, you know, a great player.
05:07So, you know,
05:08you have to fill that, you know,
05:11leadership void with other people,
05:13and that doesn't necessarily need to be Sonny
05:15in his first year.
05:16We have great captains on that side of the ball
05:18with Frankie,
05:21and now Revo are a defensive captain.
05:23So those guys will fill that void,
05:24along with the,
05:25we have a bunch of other good leaders
05:26on that defense with Payne
05:27and Kinlaw,
05:28et cetera.
05:29And then,
05:30just on the field,
05:31you know,
05:32we have,
05:32you know,
05:33as our linebackers,
05:33we've signed Leo Chennault,
05:35we've drafted Sonny,
05:36we still have Frankie,
05:37we have a couple other guys behind them,
05:39and McGee and Medrano,
05:40and they'll have to fill that void,
05:42but we really like where we're at,
05:43that position.
05:44We have a good depth there,
05:45we have really good speed
05:46and athleticism now,
05:48and guys that can be interchangeable
05:50and line up in a lot of different places.
05:52So I want to give you a little background,
05:53AP.
05:54So I'm a diehard fan.
05:56I can't always pick us every week
05:57if I don't think we're going to win,
05:58but I'm a diehard fan.
06:00Come on.
06:01In my heart,
06:02I'm there,
06:02believe me.
06:04But when that schedule came out,
06:06it crushed me.
06:08I was like,
06:09oh my God,
06:09we only won five games.
06:10How is it so brutal?
06:11It just felt like it was brutal.
06:13But I loved everything that you guys did,
06:15but the schedule has been haunting me
06:16the whole offseason.
06:17I'm like,
06:17I don't know how we're going to get out
06:18of the gate strong.
06:19But then the narrative has been
06:21so negative against this team,
06:22it's kind of like I've mentioned before,
06:24I can criticize my own kids,
06:26but not others.
06:27And NFL.com had us 31st
06:31in the power rankings the other day.
06:32I mean,
06:33it just pissed me off the point where
06:34I'm picking us now
06:36against the Eagles on the road.
06:37I don't care that Nick Cerrone's 5-0
06:39in season openers
06:40and whatever,
06:42division rival.
06:42Who cares?
06:43Who cares?
06:44They turned so negative against this AP
06:48that I don't know.
06:49And I've watched you guys
06:50and everyone's nervous
06:52about the center position
06:53and they're nervous about
06:54maybe a guard here and there.
06:55And you guys are just quietly confident.
06:56You're just bringing the guys back.
06:57You're not going out there
06:58and signing a billion free agents
07:00and kicking tires
07:01on a million different guys.
07:01You're going with your guys.
07:03You made a point of saying
07:04in the press conference
07:05that you guys haven't seen
07:06what we see.
07:07You know,
07:08we like what we got
07:08and we can't wait to unveil it.
07:10And I'm buying in.
07:11You got me.
07:12I'm buying in AP.
07:14All right,
07:15AB.
07:15I love it,
07:15man.
07:15I love the support
07:16and the great things
07:18about power rankings
07:19is they don't matter.
07:20Right.
07:21That's the best thing
07:21about power rankings.
07:22Are you offended by it?
07:25You know,
07:25I really don't pay attention to that.
07:27I really don't.
07:27And, you know,
07:28what we need to do
07:29is go out
07:29and play good football on Sunday.
07:31Yeah.
07:31And these guys
07:32have had a really good week
07:33of practice
07:34and I'm really confident
07:35that they're going to do that.
07:37Good.
07:37Joined by Adam Peters,
07:38GM of the Washington Commanders.
07:40So,
07:41I don't know if you know this, Adam,
07:42but the junks
07:43as a unit
07:44are officially big
07:45on Chig.
07:47Oh, yeah.
07:47You are too,
07:48obviously,
07:48bringing him in
07:49on a three-year,
07:50$30 million deal.
07:51How did you zero in on Chig
07:53and what are your expectations
07:54for him in this Blau offense?
07:57Yeah,
07:58Chig was a guy
07:59that caught our eye,
08:00you know,
08:00really,
08:01you know,
08:01going back to Maryland,
08:03you know,
08:03scouting him
08:04when I was with the Niners
08:05and then followed his career
08:06in Tennessee.
08:07And then,
08:08once we went through
08:09the free agent process,
08:10he was the guy
08:11that really stood out
08:12and a guy
08:12that we had targeted
08:14and thought
08:14who could really help us.
08:16He's a great catch-and-run guy.
08:17He's a really good athlete.
08:19You know,
08:20he's really,
08:21really fast for a tight end.
08:22So,
08:22if you get the ball
08:23in his hands
08:23while he's on the run,
08:24he can take it to the house.
08:26And then,
08:27you know,
08:27he's not the biggest tight end.
08:28You wouldn't call him
08:29a big blocking wide tight end
08:31like a John Bates,
08:32but he's a really good blocker,
08:33too.
08:33He's physical,
08:34he's tough.
08:36And so,
08:37I really like
08:38what we have in that room.
08:39Not just Chig,
08:40but everybody.
08:40We have a little bit
08:41of everything there,
08:42which,
08:43you know,
08:43you can use,
08:44you know,
08:44different personnel groupings
08:46and then,
08:46you know,
08:47getting Chig on the field
08:48with some receivers
08:49would be tough
08:49to defend everybody.
08:50And so,
08:51I think
08:52he's a guy
08:52that we're definitely
08:53going to utilize
08:54and he's got
08:55a vertical presence
08:56as well as
08:56a really good run-after-the-catch presence.
08:58So,
08:59we're excited about him.
09:00Talking to Adam Peters,
09:02Commander General Manners,
09:03he's going to join us
09:04every Friday.
09:05throughout the season,
09:06getting ready for the
09:06Philadelphia Eagles.
09:09I'm intrigued with
09:10what your job is like
09:11on a day-to-day basis.
09:12So,
09:12take me through
09:13the rest of your weekend
09:15leading up to the game.
09:16Like,
09:16what does a GM
09:17have to do?
09:19Oof,
09:20well,
09:20I get really nervous
09:22for about three days.
09:24Now,
09:25the GM,
09:25you know,
09:25for myself,
09:27you know,
09:27the coaches
09:27are working hard
09:28on the game plan
09:29and the players
09:30are working their tails off
09:31practicing
09:32and getting ready.
09:33So,
09:34you know,
09:34I meet with DQ
09:35every day.
09:35We watch the tape.
09:36We watch practice tape.
09:37We're also canvassing
09:39the rest of the league,
09:40see who's out there,
09:41you know,
09:41who's playing well,
09:42getting ready
09:43for the offseason,
09:44but also in-season
09:45in terms of
09:46is there any guys
09:46we can pick up,
09:47any guys we can trade for.
09:49And then,
09:50a lot of the times
09:51we're watching a lot
09:51of college tape too
09:52and I'll go out
09:53and see a couple
09:54of college games
09:55maybe every,
09:56like,
09:57not every weekend
09:57but maybe here and there
09:58to,
09:59you know,
10:00just see what's on
10:00the landscape
10:01for the draft.
10:02You always got to
10:02keep one eye on that
10:03but really in the next
10:05couple days
10:05we have practice
10:06this afternoon,
10:08finalizing that,
10:09you know,
10:09seeing where our guys
10:09are at,
10:10seeing who's going
10:11to be active,
10:11inactive,
10:12and then really just
10:14tightening up
10:14the game plan
10:15and getting ready
10:16for the game.
10:17Just being there
10:18as a sounding board
10:19for DQ
10:19and,
10:20you know,
10:21anybody else
10:21that needs it
10:22and making sure
10:23we're ready to go
10:24for Sunday.
10:25All right,
10:25so you used the word
10:26canvassing.
10:26This was a big topic
10:27on this show
10:28and all the radio
10:29and you know this,
10:31for several weeks
10:32Nick Allegretti's health
10:35was a question mark
10:36and we know
10:37we took a bunch of calls.
10:38They need to go out
10:38and pick up this guy.
10:39They need to go
10:40and pick this guy.
10:40What do you feel
10:42about the center position
10:43in Nick Allegretti
10:44and how you've come
10:45to him being the starter?
10:48Yeah,
10:48we have a lot
10:49of confidence in Nick.
10:50We have a lot
10:51of confidence
10:51in Matt Goldman
10:52too,
10:52his backup
10:53and really
10:56with Nick,
10:57you know,
10:57obviously,
10:57yeah,
10:58I hear it,
10:59you know,
10:59because he was,
11:00he didn't practice
11:01for a long time
11:02but we had confidence
11:03that he'd be back
11:04for week one.
11:04He's been back
11:05the last couple of weeks.
11:06He's practiced
11:07really well.
11:08We got one more day,
11:09like I said,
11:09one more day
11:10of practice this week
11:11to see where he's at
11:12but Nick was a guy
11:14that when we extended
11:16him in the offseason,
11:17we thought he was
11:18a starting caliber center.
11:19We were confident
11:20in him
11:20and his ability
11:21to lead the front.
11:22You know,
11:23he's a really smart guy.
11:25He's a great communicator.
11:26The guys respect him a lot.
11:27The quarterbacks
11:28all trust him
11:30implicitly
11:30and so
11:32we felt really good
11:33going into the season
11:33with Nick.
11:34You know,
11:34we explored other
11:35opportunities
11:36but we always knew
11:37that with Nick,
11:38we would feel good
11:39about him starting
11:40and just our medical staff
11:42did a great job
11:43of keeping us
11:44apprised of where he's at
11:45and where he's going to be
11:46and when he's going to be back
11:47so we knew that,
11:49you know,
11:49obviously you'd want him
11:50to have a full camp.
11:51You'd want him to have
11:52all those reps
11:53and everything
11:53but, you know,
11:54it's just football.
11:55That's not how it works
11:56sometimes
11:56but he's had a good week
11:58and we're looking forward
11:59to seeing him on Sunday.
12:00Hey, Adam,
12:00how great has it been
12:01to see that Larry Mutunsell
12:02despite the injury
12:03and being sidelined
12:04for a big chunk
12:05of the season,
12:05he's still like
12:06there with his teammates.
12:08You know,
12:08he's ordering a food truck
12:09during training camp
12:10to feed his teammates
12:12and he's still helping out
12:13even though he can't be
12:14on the field.
12:15That's a good veteran presence
12:17to help some of the younger guys
12:18on that offensive line.
12:19Shows a lot of leadership
12:20from him.
12:22Yeah,
12:22that's one of the underrated
12:23parts of LT.
12:25You know,
12:25obviously he's
12:26one of the best tackles,
12:28arguably the best tackle
12:29in the league
12:31and you just think,
12:33you know,
12:34you don't see that part of him
12:36and I had heard that
12:38from people that I knew
12:39in Houston
12:40of what a great teammate he was
12:41but I hadn't seen him
12:42in person
12:42until he got here
12:44and what you said
12:45is it's all true.
12:46He takes guys
12:47under his wing,
12:48he mentors guys
12:49in the offseason,
12:50he does things like,
12:51little things like food trucks,
12:53he's got the respect
12:53of everybody
12:54on this team,
12:55he's an extremely hard worker
12:57so he's really
12:58the complete package
12:59and to have him around
13:00is a big deal.
13:01You know,
13:01he's going to be
13:02on the sideline on Sunday
13:03so he's going to be
13:04helping out.
13:04It's like having
13:05a third O-line coach
13:06really with him
13:08and Shane
13:08and now LT
13:10helping out
13:11on the sideline.
13:12What did you see?
13:13What are you looking at?
13:14You know,
13:14going through the,
13:15you know,
13:15going through the,
13:16you know,
13:17the surfaces
13:18or whatever.
13:18I don't want to mess that up
13:19but the NFL,
13:21you know,
13:23whatever partner
13:23but yeah,
13:24the iPad surface things
13:25and then,
13:26but he's,
13:27you know,
13:28he's going to be
13:28a big help for us
13:29even when he's not
13:30when he's not suiting up.
13:31AP,
13:32you guys have
13:33three new receivers
13:34on the team
13:35from last year.
13:36Last year's passing offense
13:37obviously was affected
13:39because Jayden was out
13:41so I'm not even going to
13:42compare it to last year
13:43but now you got
13:45McLaurin
13:45and McLaurin obviously
13:46was going through
13:47some stuff last year
13:48with the contract negotiation
13:49to hold out.
13:51So you got McLaurin
13:52and now you bring in Diggs
13:53so you've got
13:53two big brothers
13:54right there
13:55and then you bring in
13:55Diami,
13:56you draft Williams
13:58so it looks a lot different.
13:59That room looks
14:00a lot different.
14:01How excited
14:02should Commanders fans
14:03be about the passing offense
14:05especially since you've got
14:06a new offensive coordinator
14:07and a healthy Jayden
14:09at least now
14:10so talk about Diggs
14:12and what you expect
14:12from him in that room.
14:15Yeah,
14:15really that was one thing
14:16we set out to do
14:17is really get better
14:18in that room
14:19and you know,
14:20Terry is the number one receiver
14:22and he's had
14:23probably the best camp
14:24you know,
14:24since I've been here.
14:26Certainly,
14:26he's been awesome
14:27on and off the field
14:28great leadership.
14:29His performance
14:30on the field
14:31has been fantastic
14:32and then getting Steph
14:34through camp
14:35that was a big deal.
14:36Steph's a real
14:37another guy
14:38who's a real leader
14:39on the field.
14:40He's a hard worker
14:40and he's a guy
14:41who just has a great
14:42feel for getting open
14:44and him and him
14:44and Jayden connected
14:46pretty quickly
14:47and then
14:48as you get
14:49like you mentioned
14:49Diami,
14:50Diami came back to us
14:51and Diami's been fantastic
14:52really,
14:53really good
14:53can play all three positions.
14:56He's
14:57really
14:58become a complete receiver
15:00been really like
15:00excited
15:01and impressed
15:02by the work
15:03he's put in
15:04and then
15:05in Antonio
15:05who's had a really good camp
15:07you got Jalen Lane
15:08you got Luke
15:08you got Trey Burks
15:09you know,
15:10even Van Jefferson
15:11is on our practice squad
15:12so we wanted to get deeper
15:14we wanted to get
15:15more competitive there
15:16and those guys
15:17are all
15:17really,
15:18really good NFL players
15:19so we feel
15:20we have a really
15:21that's one of our
15:21stronger rooms really
15:22and so
15:23I'm excited
15:24to see those guys
15:25I think
15:27you know
15:27I think
15:28we have
15:29we're built
15:29with a lot more depth now
15:30so if something does happen
15:32we have guys
15:33that can step up
15:34and
15:34you know
15:35Blau and
15:36Coach Bobby Ingram
15:37have done a great job
15:38coaching those guys up
15:39so
15:40you know
15:41it's definitely
15:42you know
15:43it's easy to say
15:44it's much better
15:44than last year
15:45right
15:45wouldn't you say
15:46on the whole
15:47and this is probably
15:47a softball for you
15:48but
15:49you know
15:49people debate it
15:50how good is this roster
15:52relative to 2024
15:53and even with Tunsell out
15:55you know
15:56remind people
15:57they you know
15:57with Brandon Coleman
15:58left tackle for
16:00I don't know
16:0011-12 of those games
16:01they won 14 games
16:02right
16:02in 24
16:04but still
16:05I think
16:06on paper
16:06pretty easily
16:08this is a much more
16:09talented team
16:10do you feel that way
16:11that you
16:11where you are right now
16:12in 2026
16:13for your talent upgrade
16:15across the board
16:16you're a better
16:17football team
16:18talent wise
16:18than you were in 24
16:19when you guys won
16:2014 games
16:21when it was all said and done
16:23yeah I think
16:24I mean
16:24you're always trying to do that
16:25you're always trying to get better
16:26every single year
16:27and that's the goal
16:28and every single off season
16:29and building your foundation
16:31while adding
16:31other pieces in
16:33and so
16:34you know
16:35this is our third year in it
16:36you know
16:36we
16:36we
16:37started with the foundation
16:39with that first draft
16:40and keep adding pieces to it
16:41so
16:42that really is the goal
16:43and I do believe
16:44that's the case
16:45but that's what you're always
16:47trying to do
16:47is get better every year
16:48and either getting better
16:49or getting worse
16:50you're not staying the same
16:51I think
16:51this team is definitely
16:53a more talented team
16:54than we have
16:56Adam
16:56we only have so much time
16:57with you
16:58I want to preview next week
16:59okay
17:00you have something in common
17:02with cakes
17:02I don't know if you're aware
17:04of this
17:04handsome
17:05well
17:06that too
17:06good look
17:07that too
17:08okay
17:08I agree
17:09and I want to hear about
17:10get to know Adam
17:11in the coming weeks
17:13and months
17:13he
17:14he was playing college football
17:16at UCLA
17:17and at some point
17:18during the season
17:18he decided to call it quits
17:20you played football
17:21okay
17:22and you called it quits
17:23in the middle of season two
17:25he played at UCLA
17:25okay
17:26I lasted two and a half days
17:27I'm just saying
17:28I want to explore that
17:29I know Jason wants to get you
17:31a walk-up song
17:32oh yeah
17:32you gotta pick a walk-up song
17:34somebody get that
17:35but last thing
17:36by the way
17:37I predicted he would be
17:39like a Pearl Jam guy
17:40remember that
17:40we'll find out next week
17:42we'll find out next week
17:44give him a week
17:44to marinate
17:46we'll let you marinate
17:47for next week
17:48and then
17:51I'm gonna give you 30 seconds
17:52because we gotta go to break
17:53give me a 30 second
17:55scouting report
17:55on the Eagles
17:56and the keys to the win
17:57because we did that
17:57with our callers earlier
18:00yeah
18:00I think the
18:01first of all
18:02this is a really good team
18:03it's been a really good team
18:04for a long time
18:05and they're
18:06they're
18:07the leaders in this division
18:08and they will be
18:09until they're not
18:10and so
18:12you know
18:12it starts up front
18:13they have a great
18:13offensive line
18:14they have one of the best
18:15running backs in the game
18:16so you gotta stop the run
18:17on offense
18:19it'll be interesting
18:20to see what their
18:21offense looks like
18:22you know
18:22it's a new offense
18:23and they have a really good
18:24quarterback
18:24and good receivers
18:25so
18:26how does that come together
18:27but I think
18:28you know
18:28first and foremost
18:29you gotta stop the run
18:30against them
18:30and then
18:31their defense
18:32Vic Fangio
18:33is one of the best
18:33coordinators in the league
18:34and their defense
18:35is really sound
18:36so
18:36they're gonna make you
18:38they're gonna bend
18:38but not break
18:39and you gotta extend drives
18:40and try to get big plays
18:42when you can
18:43but the biggest thing
18:44in this game
18:45and you've seen
18:46the first two games
18:47of the season
18:47is
18:48you know
18:49play good clean football
18:50and take care of the ball
18:51don't turn it over
18:52don't make mistakes
18:53don't beat yourself
18:54if you can do that
18:55you can stay in most
18:56any games in this league
18:57it's Adam Peters
18:58man
18:58pleasure talking to you today
18:59we look forward to
19:00having you on all season long
19:01alright get that walk up
19:02ready for us next week
19:03thanks Adam
19:04thank you buddy
19:04I'm Paul Brainstorm
19:05thanks guys
19:06alright
19:06appreciate it
19:07good luck in Philly
19:07that's Adam Peters
19:08Commander GM
19:09here on the Junkies
19:10thanks for having me on the Junkies
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