How the Commanders reached the crossroads and what comes next

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ASHBURN, Virginia -- The moment of truth for the 2023 Washington Commanders arrived at the OrthoVirginia Training Center on Oct. 30.

It was the day after the Commanders had rallied but fallen short to the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles 38-31, dropping to 3-5 and into a purgatory their league competitors understood well. The NFL trade deadline was coming Tuesday and, with postseason contention not a reasonable scenario, Washington was viewed as a team that might trade away veteran contributors.

And so the trade calls flooded the office lines and personal phones of general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of player…