ORLANDO, Fla. — Even if general manager Adam Peters was willing to answer what the Washington Commanders will do with the No. 2 pick in next month’s NFL draft, there’s no decision to share.

“We still have a lot of (time), a month till the draft (as of) today,” Peters said Monday at the annual league meetings. “It doesn’t sound like a long time, but you get a lot of information in that month. There are still some of the guys we haven’t seen in person. … We’re far from our answer.”

With less than three months on the job, Peters spent most of that time pondering the questions he and other members of Washington’s new regime must address after inheriting a team coming off a 4-13 season. Stabs at (mostly temporary) solutions came in free agency, with nearly two dozen transactions. The most recent announcement — center Michael Deiter — occurred while Peters held court with Washington-area reporters in attendance for the league meetings.

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Topics varied from some of the new bodies, including linebackers Frankie Luvu (“Frankie just jumps off the tape … he’s a playmaker) and future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner (“There hasn’t been a dropoff, really”) to the status of holdovers Jonathan Allen and Jamin Davis, and those secretive draft plans. The biggest wonder is what Peters and head coach Dan Quinn think of the quarterbacks, headlined by Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy.

Washington has nine selections, six of which are in the top 100. These picks represent longer-term building blocks, an opportunity for a significant trade haul should Peters and crew go that route.

“Yeah, it’s a big decision, obviously,” Peters said inside a conference room at the JW Marriott. “But I think just like anything we do, it’s about what’s best for us. So if the best thing for us is to stand pat, then we’ll stand pat, but you’re always going to listen to all the different possibilities. Trading up, trading back … weigh all the different possibilities and make the best decision you think for us at the time.”

The first-time GM is attending his first league meetings, but he’s a pro at revealing little about his or the organization’s positioning. Therefore, it’s a good time for another edition of “what they said, what I heard” as we try to turn the information provided into a logic train.

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On widespread assumptions that QB Caleb Williams goes No. 1 to the Bears

“I think you have to be prepared for anything. I can’t assume that (the Bears are) drafting a certain guy at No. 1. If you do that and they don’t, oh, shoot. … Regardless of how much information you have that says one thing leading up to (the draft), you don’t know until the card is turned in.”

What I heard: The Commanders have an answer if Williams is available because Chicago audibles to another quarterback or is open to trading the first overall pick. They won’t be caught flat-footed, having done the due diligence for such a weighty call.

It’s hard to see the Bears doing anything besides turning in the draft card with Williams’ name. Imagining the Commanders seeing such a wide gap between Williams and the other top quarterbacks that they would pay the likely exorbitant trade price (multiple first-round selections and other assets) to move up one spot seems questionable at best since they can stay put and grab a passer.

Beyond that, Chicago must be willing to trade out. Yeah, that seems the most unlikely of all.

Jerod Mayo says everyone knows what Chicago will do at No. 1, but not Washington

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) March 25, 2024

On if it matters to him how ready a QB is to come in and play

“You weigh that. How ready are they immediately, and how much work do they have to do? And then how can you get them there? And so, with the guys we have in the room right now, I don’t think we have to rush anybody. That’s a great thing whether, with Marcus (Mariota) in there, with Jake (Fromm) in there, we’re not going to have to rush whoever. If we draft a guy, we wouldn’t have to rush him into playing right away. And that’s not how we work anyway. And we’re going to play the person who’s going to give us the best chance to win.”

What I heard: Once we learn which rookie Washington drafts, the play-or-watch debate will be lively throughout the spring and summer. There might not be a blanket answer, seeing as Daniels had over 50 collegiate starts while Maye and McCarthy had under 30. How best to develop a young passer is a mystery on par with what happened with D.B. Cooper and the final season of “Game of Thrones.”

Going with a veteran, at least initially, has merit in the hypothetical sense. Noting that the veteran is Mariota, a capable backup/spot starter but a little more, won’t be appealing to the fan base or others excited for something new.

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On whether DT Jonathan Allen is part of Washington’s future plans

“We’ve had some great talks with Jonathan and can’t wait to work with him. He’s awesome. He’s a great, great young man, and he’s a great player, so really excited to work with him. So, we are not interested in trading him.”

What I heard: Let’s put aside the fact that Peters kept the trade door ajar — “not interested” in trading Allen isn’t the same as saying they won’t move him. The real question is whether contract extension talks are or will happen. The 2017 first-round pick’s remaining two years do not include any guaranteed money. After a surge over the past two years, Allen’s annual average value of the four-year contract signed, $18 million, is outside the top 10 at his position.

The interior combination of Allen and Daron Payne remains the defensive strength. Quinn is unlikely to break that duo up. Whether the money matter becomes a wedge issue in this election year is something to track in the nation’s capital.

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How Washington plans to address its ‘hole’ at LT

“I think you (another reporter) said it’s a hole. I think we have Cornelius (Lucas) there now and Trent Scott, who’s played well, too. So, I don’t know if it’s a hole in our view, but those guys have played and started and have done pretty well. But just like the quarterback question … if we get a chance and we’re in a position to add a really good player there or anywhere, we’ll do that.”

What I heard: Peters answered “yeah” to a follow-up question about whether he would be comfortable with Scott and Lucas starting. Is Lucas a fixture at left tackle? Based on prior usage and the one-year contract, it seems unlikely.

Lucas made 31 starts over the last four seasons as part of former head coach Ron Rivera’s 2020 inaugural free-agent class. Last week, Washington re-signed Lucas, putting a legitimate swing tackle on the roster. This allows the Commanders to slow play a rookie drafted on Day 2 if needed.

They might need to trade up from 36 or 40 to secure one of the better prospects. Still, it would be surprising if they skipped the position altogether in the second or third round, regardless of Lucas’ capabilities. Scott, a six-year veteran, has 22 career starts, including two late in the 2023 campaign.

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How signing Luvu and Wagner impacts plans for Jamin Davis

“(Dan and I) still haven’t talked through the fifth-year option yet. … You play with three linebackers, right? I think Jamin has a great skill set and I think learning from a guy like Bobby is going to be invaluable to any linebacker. We’re going to try to get the best 11 on the field at all times. That’s DQ’s job and he’s a master at that … finding different personnel groupings. However we can get a really good defense on the field, that’s what he’s going to do.”

What I heard: Let’s start with the three linebackers. Yes, in terms of substitutions. No, in terms of three together under Quinn. In 2023, with Quinn as defensive coordinator, the Dallas Cowboys played nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six) coverage on 94.5 percent of the defensive snaps, per TruMedia. Luvu and Wagner are the starters, barring the unforeseen.

The Athletic reported that the staff is eyeing the athletic linebacker in more pass-rushing packages. That’s a robust approach, considering Davis’ poor instincts in coverage and the roster’s unsexy defensive end options.

Then there’s Peters saying he and Quinn have yet to discuss. If that’s true, that doesn’t sound like a player considered part of plans beyond 2024. Davis has not established himself as a viable presence worthy of every-down work. Washington has until May 2 to exercise the linebacker’s first-round contract option.

On whether the offseason moves were made to create flexibility for Peters during the draft

“I think that’s a really good question. And yeah, you always want to do that. You never want to get in a situation where you’re drafting for need, and we don’t ever want to do that. So a lot of that was the moves that we made … (were about) you feel ready to play, and then you can draft the best player available.”

What I heard: The Commanders have been the most active team in free agency. The moves were mainly about improving the roster following a 4-13 season that ended with eight consecutive losses. Covering up enough holes at the defensive end, interior offensive line and secondary allows Peters to attack the draft with ample freedom. Beyond the difference makers at edge rusher, tight end and cornerback, the remaining needs are left tackle, size at wide receiver and overall depth.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)