Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media ahead of the team's first training camp practice. Here are five takeaways from the press conference.
1. Updates on Terry McLaurin.
As fans are aware, the Commanders and McLaurin are in negotiations regarding a contract extension for the wide receiver. Peters said earlier in the offseason that the team wanted to get a deal worked out. As of now, however, nothing has been officially announced between the two sides.
Peters reiterated during his press conference that the team wants to get a deal done.
"Without a doubt, I think everybody in this building values Terry very much," Peters said. "We knew that coming in, and we knew that even more after spending a year with him. In terms of where we're at, we've had conversations recently, and we'll look to have some more conversations. And we're gonna do everything we can in order to get a deal done."
The Commanders' veteran players are scheduled to report to the facility today (July 22). Peters said, "We're expecting everybody to be here today."
2. Von Miller's career "speaks for itself."
The Commanders wanted to add more production to their pass rush heading into the 2025 season. They chose to bring in Miller, and it sounds like it was an easy decision for them.
"His play speaks for itself," Peters said.
Miller, 36, is "one of the best pass-rushers in history," as Peters put it. He is the active leader in sacks with 129.5, but Peters also said he was "shocked" to see how good Miller still was after watching film on the future Hall of Famer. He still shows quickness at the line of scrimmage (he had the quickest get-off in the NFL last season) and can be impactful when put in the right role. Miller recorded six sacks last season, pushing him to 16th in the all-time official rankings.
It also helped that Peters got what he referred to as "unsolicited calls" from the teams he has been on since his days with the Denver Broncos about how good of a teammate he was for them. After the team brought Miller in for a visit, Peters and his staff knew he was the right fit for them.
The Commanders did not say what role Miller would play or how many snaps he would get, but they have had success with finding spots for older players. Perhaps they can do so again with Miller.
3. Positive updates on Sam Cosmi.
There has not been much of an update on Cosmi's health since he suffered an ACL injury against the Detroit Lions in January. He was last seen jogging along the sideline during minicamp in June, and while it is expected that he will return at some point during the season, there is no indication of when that will be.
Quinn didn't provide any clarity on if Cosmi will practice at any point during training camp (the team is doing player physicals today), but there was a positive update on Cosmi's health.
"He's doing great," Quinn said. "He's had a really strong offseason. We're not gonna miss one step [of his recovery] along the way ... He's really hitting all the markers that we had set that we hoped to see."
The Commanders did extensive work on their offensive line over the summer with the drafting of Josh Conerly Jr. and trading for Laremy Tunsil. The moves help add more clarity and depth to the group, which was a bit of an issue later in the season. Thanks to Brandon Coleman bumping over to guard, it leaves the right guard spot as the only real question mark in camp.
Any player they find to fill the role will only be a temporary answer, though. Cosmi was one of the league's better guards when he was on the field last season, and he will reclaim the job once he returns.
4. Quinn is looking forward to more growth from Jayden Daniels.
Daniels surprised most of the league with how ready he was for the NFL last season. His next challenge is building on that success, and Quinn is looking forward to seeing how he accomplishes that.
"One thing I've learned over the year from Jayden, man, there's no limits on him," Quinn said. "This is somebody that absolutely is a savage from a work standpoint."
Quinn said Daniels had an exceptional offseason during OTAs and minicamp. "You can feel his energy," he added of Daniels, and expects everything from his technique to knowledge of the offense to be enhanced during camp.
Daniels set the bar high for himself in 2024, as he broke multiple records on his way to being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year and leading Washington to the playoffs. It's difficult to see how Daniels can be better than that, but Quinn isn't writing it off.
"I would never count him out or mistake him for not doing anything other than absolutely emptying the tank to go for it."
5. Peters believes he has a better roster.
Peters faced a difficult task in 2024. He inherited a roster that went 4-13 in 2023 and needed a quarterback as well as more talent at multiple positions. It took several savvy moves and a strong draft class to do so, but the Commanders fielded one of the biggest surprises last season and were one win away from a Super Bowl.
His next challenge was to improve upon that foundation, and he believes the team achieved that ahead of the 2025 campaign.
"I'd like to think we're better," Peters said. "But really, it was cool to see the players that we hadn't been with last year get so much better and get so much closer...and work together."
Although the Commanders still have questions to be answered on their roster, there is a strong case that they improved their personnel. They wanted to be better at stopping the run, so they signed several players with more size, physicality and experience in that area. They wanted to provide more protection and weapons for Daniels, so they traded for Tunsil and Deebo Samuel in addition to drafting Conerly. They also signed and drafted defensive backs with more coverage experience, which should allow them to hold their own against some of the league's better receiving corps.
All that leads Peters to believe the Commanders are in a better spot than they were in 2024. That doesn't mean they are guaranteed to win more games, but he's confident in what they can do in the upcoming season.
"Really excited about the group we have together," Peters said. "Not just the talent, but the people."
