TL-TwoWinsAway

Good. I've always felt that Stafford having a running game would be huge for this team. Finally Quinn went out and made it happen.

Oh my. Bob. Matt. Please! Please go get my Suh back!

If you could, please explain how they downgraded overall but it's considered an ok move. I disagree that they downgraded. Not only is Bennett still a very good player, but he can play both outside and inside, and is a perfect fit as a rotational player for the Eagles' extremely deep DLine. Even more, they'll move on from Curry and save cap space overall. I think they both upgraded and improved their cap standing, and all for a late round pick.

At what cost though?

Great trade for the Eagles. That defense is only getting better.

In what way?

This, then signing Jimmy Graham, would be a pretty outstanding shift on offense.

That money isn't needed. Its only use would be for overspending on free agents, and we don't need to do that. Hypothetical? The only DE at or near Ansah's level that could've potentially been a FA this year is DeMarcus Lawrence (tag). Vinny Curry (not yet released) and Adrian Clayborn are a step below, and will likely seek substantial contracts. This isn't blindly speculating as to if the organization pursued potential trades... these are actual possibilities. This "three games of production" rhetoric is insane. How a player can perform well over a five year span and have his contribution trimmed to only three games is ridiculous.

The transition tag is a joke. If another team decided to offer him a bad contract, we'd get nothing in return. You're also assuming that Quinn didn't work the phones, which I think is a bit presumptuous. (And we still could trade him.) So, let me clarify: there were two legitimate options, and one of them - losing him to get nothing in return - would have been foolish. And, sure, our cap hit this year for that FA DE would be less. But we're fine this year. Years from now, we'd be paying that player far more than he's worth. It's one of the reasons why teams that spend heavily in FA find themselves struggling financially. That, and there isn't a FA DE better than Ansah. Decisions like this reinforce my faith in Quinn. He's building a cap-conscious roster and giving his ability-based HC different skill sets to work with. I expect Ansah to thrive under Patricia.

But we all know that circumstances lead to a situation like this happening. Much like QB contracts, which make a player like Jimmy Garoppolo the top paid QB in the league. It's circumstance. And he should be getting paid significantly more than Avril, considering Avril's career is likely over. The lack of foresight here is alarming. They didn't tag him because he's a top 5 DE... that was never the mentality, and shouldn't be. There were only two options: 1) use a portion of your significant cap space to keep him, or 2) lose him for nothing. They chose to keep him. Considering his age, past performance, athletic ability and upside, it made the most sense. Losing Ansah would've forced us to pay a starting DE in FA a significant contract, and one with future cap consequence. From both a cap and roster standpoint, this decision was the best option. This reminds me of the Stafford contract. Some were against it because it made him the top paid QB in the NFL, but the only alternative to that contract was to lose him completely. Clearly the contract, despite not an accurate portrayal of his league ranking, was better than losing him.

Franchise money? I disagree completely. But that's probably where our different feelings on this originate. A franchise player gets locked up long term with a significant cap hit. A franchise player isn't kept around for one more season of evaluation. (I think you're assuming that the name of the tag dictates the player's value, and it's not true. It's not like the Bears view Kyle Fuller as a "transition player". It gives the franchise an option between a long-term deal and losing the player outright. I mean, you know this, so it's weird to me that you'd tie them together.) Lastly, we have few holes on offense and still plenty of cap space to sign two or three of those good defensive players (not to mention the cap fluidity that exists in the NFL). Ansah didn't prevent us from building this roster.

You would rather invest in a player who may not play football again due to a serious neck injury, over one who is three years younger, has arguably more upside, and doesn't carry the same injury concern? I don't understand that. And this isn't about "superstar money". Being paid $17 for one year with zero financial commitment after this season isn't "superstar money"... it's essentially a one year "prove it" deal to avoid losing him in FA. If we would have signed him to a huge deal this offseason, I would've been against it. This isn't that deal, and we have plenty of cap space.

Avril started 15 games during his first two years, playing in 28. He battled frequent injuries throughout his years in Detroit.

Our defense was pretty great during the last few Suh years, and would arguably be even better now, considering the improved personnel and Patricia's intent on using players to their strengths. Want to hear a funny story? You labeled Ansah "piece of glass", ignoring the fact that Ansah and Avril both played the same number of games (73) throughout their first five years in the league. That, and Avril was constantly battling injuries himself. Quite the narrative.

The coaching staff cannot be overlooked. I'd love to see how Patricia could deploy Suh with the rest of our talent.