LOVERRO: Daniels’ performance has process-minded Peters stepping on the gas

OPINION:

“Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun.

“But mama, that’s where the fun is.”

Adam Peters arrived a year ago as owner Josh Harris’ new Commanders general manager with every intention of not looking into the eyes of the sun.

At his introductory press conference, he said all the right things. He spoke of process and vision.

“We’re going to build this team the right way,” he said. “We’re going to build it with a great process and a clear vision.”

More process: “We’re going to build through the draft here and supplement through free agency. We’re going to be very process-driven and diligent in who we select in free agency. But we’re going to build through the draft here.”

Then Peters spent the 2024 season watching quarterback Jayden Daniels play — looking directly into the eyes of the sun. That most definitely was where the fun was.

Process? Vision?

Peters has become George Allen.

After seeing enough of Daniels, the vision changed to Super Bowl trophies arriving any day. Peters has gone all in to capitalize on the unprecedented success of Daniels on a rookie contract.

In other words, the future, baby, is now.

Since November, Peters has traded eight draft picks for three veterans well past the drinking age – cornerback Marshon Lattimore, receiver Deebo Samuel and the latest arrival, five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Someone better keep an eye on Peters. He may try to trade the same draft pick twice.

I’m sure some Commanders fans are upset with the notion of trading all those draft picks — invisible players who armchair GMs have studied while watching the combine and pouring over so-called scouting reports, dreaming of drafting the next Pro Bowl player.

You know, like Lattimore, Samuel or Tunsil.

Daniels changed everything. Expectations recalibrated with every game until the Commanders found themselves in the NFC championship for the first time since 1991.

Other than losing to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, it was fun.

Peters and Co., want more fun.

The Commanders are now viewed as Super Bowl contenders — this season, not three or four years from now. 

You could make the case that the team that went 12-5 this year could have gotten past the Eagles in the conference title game with the addition of a healthy Lattimore (for a full season), Samuel and Tunsil. 

A stretch, maybe, but at the very least a better showing than the 55-23 beating Washington took.

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who revitalized his career with Washington this season with 66 catches and seven touchdowns and became a favorite target of Daniels, is returning on a one-year deal.

“Obviously adding a guy like Deebo is going to make all of our jobs a lot easier,” Ertz said. “Arguably the best left tackle in the league (Tunsil) is going to make our job a lot easier.”

Did I mention Ertz is 34 years old?

It cost a lot to get arguably the best left tackle in the league — Houston gets in return a third and a seventh-round draft pick in April and then a second and a fourth selection in 2026. Washington gets a fourth-round pick for 2025 back in addition to Tunsil, whose job is to protect the franchise quarterback. He’s very good at that.

Tunsil has the fifth-lowest pressure rate (8%) and the second-lowest sack rate (0.6%) among left tackles over the last three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats.

To put it more simply, over those three seasons, Tunsil has given up 10 sacks and 65 pressures. That is four fewer sacks and just eight more pressures than Commanders left tackles allowed last season alone, according to Pro Football Focus.

So maybe you can understand why Peters was willing to trade players that don’t actually exist yet for one with a resume worthy of being Daniels’ protector.

When Peters was hired, he was asked about his time as vice president of player personnel with the San Francisco 49ers, when they were “building a team the right way” with a “great process” with a 10-22 record in his first two years.

“Those were dark days, but I think the thing that I could tell you is right away with the 49ers, maybe the results didn’t show, but you could see it on the field, and you could see what we were doing on the field, and the fans could feel it, and they knew it was turning and we were close,” he said. “So, you can’t put timetables on it.”

If the 49ers had been lucky enough to draft a Jayden Daniels, you likely could put a timetable on it — immediately. There would not have been any dark days.

They would have been blinded by the light.

Catch Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.