The Washington Commanders could be one team looking to move down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to accumulate more picks.
With the possibility that division rivals could be among the clubs looking to move up for impact players, general manager Adam Peters was asked Thursday if having the No. 7 overall pick impacts how he'd approach a trade with an NFC East opponent.
"No, I don't think it impacts it at all," Peters replied, via the team's transcript. "Obviously, I think there's more scrutiny with that, but it certainly doesn't change. You know, the thought process is always, is this the right decision for our team? And if that's the case, then we'll do it. And it doesn't really matter what the team is, we got to beat them on Sundays and Mondays and Wednesdays and Thursdays and Fridays regardless. So, you know, to me, that doesn't make it a huge difference there. It's just whatever is best for our team."
The Cowboys have been rumored as one team looking to trade up, and the Eagles are always willing to make a move on draft day. Peters is correct that he must decide if a trade makes his team better, first and foremost, but potentially aiding a rival always comes with different optics.
Even with the trade chatter, Peters noted that, at this point, he expects the Commanders to stick at No. 7. That could obviously change depending on how things unravel Thursday night.
"Yeah, certainly have to be ready to do that. I would say more likely than not, that would happen," he said. "But you never know. You never know and it'll depend on who's on the board, if a team wants to move up, and then we have to decide if we want to do that. But I would say more likely than not, we'd stay and pick.
"I don't foresee us moving up, but moving back just depends on the circumstances. But we're not, like, I don't want to say we're not actively trying to move back, you know, we're always assessing our options and making sure we're ready, and then understanding who's going to be there at certain positions and certain spots towards the middle to the later part of the first round. But just being prepared for that, but not really actively trying to get out of that at all."
The Commanders currently have six draft selections next week, with just one in the first two rounds.
