The Washington Commanders’ rebuild under Adam Peters has stalled out, and his draft-day trade with the Philadelphia Eagles remains a painful decision. By trading with a division rival, Peters essentially gift-wrapped a future star cornerback while receiving little in return. The trade looks worse with every snap Cooper DeJean takes.
DeJean was a legitimate blue-chip prospect ranked 14th on Mel Kiper’s big board. Instead of selecting the Iowa standout, Peters traded the pick and allowed Philadelphia to scoop him up. Washington ended up with Mike Sainristil, who was the 56th ranked player in that draft. This 42-spot evaluation gap has only widened since both players entered the league.
On-field results have been brutal. DeJean finished this season as PFF’s 7th-ranked cornerback in the NFL. Meanwhile, Sainristil ranked 98th out of 114 qualifying corners. DeJean’s dominance earned him the 60th spot on the NFL Top 100 list as voted by his peers and first team All Pro honors, while Sainristil went unranked. The Eagles gained a legitimate star who will torment Washington twice a year, and the sad part is this was really an unforced error.