Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters took over in 2024 and made a statement in his first season as GM. The Commanders, under a new head coach and behind a rookie quarterback, ended up in the NFC Championship and achieved their best season since 1991. The goal in 2025 is to continue to improve the team so that this year they can get to the Super Bowl.
One of the ways Peters does this is by keeping things consistent. Jayden Daniels needed more weapons, but keeping the guys he played with in 2024 was important, too. The tight ends room in particular remains intact, something Peters was asked about on Monday.
The #washingtoncommanders kept their TE room together. I asked GM Adam Peters about that today as well. Check it out. pic.twitter.com/PGTFGpA1Gr
— CWallSports (@cwallse) March 31, 2025
"I think just starting with Zach [Ertz], bringing him in last year, we were really pleased with how he not only played but what a leader he was, becoming a captain voted on by his teammates at the end of the year was just really, really cool to see just how his leadership grew throughout the year, much like Terry's [McLaurin]," Peters said. "That was a priority for us, to bring him back, and people can say he's lost a step but he still gets open all the time. And his blocking got better as the year went on, too. So everybody had that mindset to get better and Zach fit right in with that and he's a great weapon to have in the pass game especially."
Tight ends aren't just weapons another weapon for the quarterback to target, though, they also do a ton of blocking, which is why Peters wanted to make sure John Bates remained on the roster. "We think he's if not the best then one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. His mentality, his tenacity, his physicality fit right in with what we want to do and he brings an edge to our offensive line. He's almost an extension of that."
Peters said they plan to continue developing Bates' role in the pass game, something Bates was receptive to.
"That room's a really good room," Peters finished. "It's a really deep room, and that's what we want to create. With every room, really, is competition and that's the theme with our program."
Competition within the team only serves to make it better, and with the group of players that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn are putting together, this team will continue to get better.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' Adam Peters ishappy Zach Ertz and John Bates are back
