March 8, 2026, 5:31 a.m. ET

Ron Rivera did plenty of damage to the Washington Commanders‘ roster during his four years in charge from 2020-23. Rivera, despite doing nothing to earn it, had complete personnel control when Daniel Snyder hired him. Rivera had a solid track record as a head coach, but Snyder, so desperate to land a quality head coach, handed Rivera personnel control, essentially meaning he was the general manager, too.

The results were predictable. However, no one realized Rivera’s personnel department would be as bad as it was. Before the end of GM Adam Peters’ first year in charge in 2024, none of Washington’s first-round picks from 2020-23 were on the roster. Chase Young and Jahan Dotson were traded, while Jamin Davis and Emmanuel Forbes were released. Forbes and Dotson had particularly short tenures in Washington.

There were success stories, though. The most notable ones being Kamren Curl, Sam Cosmi, and John Bates. Cosmi and Bates are key starters for the Commanders on their second contracts, while Curl departed Washington after the 2023 season. Curl signed a modest two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams worth $9 million. It felt like a low number for the former seventh-round pick, and many wondered why Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn didn’t retain him.

After two years with the Rams, where he started 33 games and brought stability to their secondary, Curl was heading into free agency again. Los Angeles didn’t want to lose Curl and paid up, reaching a three-year agreement worth up to $39 million, with $24 million guaranteed.

This makes you wonder: Does Peters secretly regret not matching LA’s 2024 offer? The Commanders chose to sign Jeremy Chinn to replace Curl. That moved look good in 2024, as Chinn played well. However, the Commanders let him walk after one year, and he signed with the Raiders. Washington then turned to Will Harris.

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Nothing against Chinn or Harris, but why not just keep Curl? Curl isn’t a star, but he’s a proven quality NFL starter. If you watched the Commanders’ defense in 2025, they clearly lacked that at the safety position.