First Mock Offseason

[e16bball]

Pre-FA Moves

▪️ Release CB Josh Norman ($12.5M savings)

▪️ Release/Retire TE Jordan Reed ($8.5M savings)

▪️ Franchise OG Brandon Scherff ($15M 2020 cost)

▪️ Re-sign OG Ereck Flowers (3 years; $6.5M AAV; $3.7M 2020 cost)

▪️ Extend OT Trent Williams (3 years; $14M AAV; $10.75M 2020 cost; $4M savings)

▪️ Extend CB Quinton Dunbar (4 years; $10M AAV; $6M 2020 cost ($1.6M increase))

▪️ Trade EDGE Ryan Kerrigan to Indianapolis for 3rd round (75th) pick ($11.2M savings)

▪️ Re-sign LB Jon Bostic (1 year; $1.2M 2020 cost)

Cap Space Entering FA: $58M

 

FA Moves

▪️ Sign TE Austin Hooper (5 years; $9.75M AAV; $7M 2020 cost)

▪️ Sign MLB Joe Schobert (4 years; $10.5M AAV; $7.5M 2020 cost)

▪️ Sign CB Kendall Fuller (2 years; $7M AAV; $5M 2020 cost)

▪️ Sign FS Tre Boston (3 years; $4M AAV; $3.5M 2020 cost)

▪️ Sign EDGE Bruce Irvin (1 year; $3.5M 2020 cost)

 

Draft

▪️ Round 1: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

▪️ Round 3: Michael Pittman, Jr., WR, USC

▪️ Round 3: Lucas Niang, OT, TCU

▪️ Round 4: Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, App State

▪️ Round 4: Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton

▪️ Round 5: Antoine Brooks, SS, Maryland

▪️ Round 6: Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State

▪️ Round 7: BPA

 

Depth Chart

QB:  Haskins  ||  Smith  ||  Gordon

RB:  Guice  ||  Peterson  ||  Love  ||  Smallwood

WR (Z):  McLaurin  ||  Richardson

WR (X):  Harmon  ||  Pittman

WR (Slot):  Sims  || Quinn

TE:  Hooper  ||  Sprinkle  ||  Trautman

LT:  Williams  ||  Christian

LG:  Flowers  ||  Martin

C:  Roullier  ||  Pierschbacher

RG:  Scherff  ||  Martin

RT:  Moses  ||  Niang

 

RE:  Young  ||  Anderson  ||  Irvin

NT:  Payne  ||  Settle

DT:  Allen  ||  Ioannidis

LE:  Sweat  ||  Allen

WLB:  Foster  ||  Holcomb  ||  Davis-Gaither

MLB:  Schobert  ||  Hamilton

SLB:  Bostic  ||  Anderson

CB:  Dunbar  ||  Moreau  ||  Moreland  ||  Stroman

CB (Slot):  Fuller  ||  Moreland

FS:  Boston  ||  Apke  ||  Nicholson

SS:  Collins  ||  Everett  ||  Brooks

Edited January 26, 2020 by e16bball

[e16bball]

Here’s the rationale behind some of the more noteworthy moves. 
 

▪️ I really have a serious urge to see us trade both Trent and Scherff; I don’t really want to pay either of them what they’ll be asking. However, I really do firmly believe that we need a high-quality OL to give Haskins the best chance to be successful, and to really unlock what I think/hope we may have in Guice/Love. 
 

▪️ I kept Paul Richardson on the roster, at least into training camp. Releasing him only saves us $2.5M on the cap, and it would be hard to find a decent veteran WR (better than him) for that price. 
 

▪️ One noteworthy thing about Carolina during Rivera’s tenure was that they were always strong in the middle of the field, with Kuechly and Olsen being consistently elite players at MLB and TE for him. I think he’ll look to replicate that by seeking quality veteran players at those positions — hence, the prioritizing of Hooper and Schobert in FA. 

▪️ I think Kendall Fuller’s stock is pretty down at this point, and I’d love to jump in there with a short-term deal to bring him “home” to man the slot. He could even kick outside in the base defense or play some FS for us in certain packages.

▪️ We all know that Rivera is going to bring in some Carolina players, especially on defense, and I think Boston and Irvin both fit needs. I expect that Boston would start for us over Nicholson/Apke (one or whom would likely end up cut), and Irvin is still a dangerous situational pass-rusher. 
 

▪️ It might be wishful thinking to have Pittman and Niang falling to the 3rd round, but they have the sort of profile (possession WR and likely RT) that tends to slide a bit. I think they’re both good players and potential starters. 
 

▪️ There are definitely some positions that still need work. Can’t deny that CB likely still has a hole across from Dunbar (although it would be nice to lock him up longer-term while we still can), that FS and SLB are almost certainly band-aids, that WLB hinges on Reuben Foster’s health, and that we may have more question marks than long-term answers on the OL. 

[Doc Draper]

 

seriously, I like the ideas you are presenting. We are in unknown territory- new coach who has never had control of personnel acquisition and no Bruce or before that Vinny. 
Should be interesting to see what takes place. I share your belief that Rivera will look to upgrade the middle of the defense ( MLB, S), TE and OL on offense. Will he go for old guys near the end or younger guys? Will he build through the draft or free agency or a 50-50 combination? 
 

I am glad it’s a new day and want all the injury prone guys and high cost/underperforming vets gone- Reed, Davis, Moses, Trent, Norman, Richardson, even Chris Thompson. You can’t win if you can’t suit up and we need tough durable guys that we can depend on. 
 

one thing about Flowers- did Caroline a use zone blocking? If so, that’s not a good match for him. 

[LoganF89]

I like it, only thing I would do different is that I would prob look at a different corner in FA, most likely bradberry to play opposite of Dunbar, I would stick Moreland in the slot to start. Or if we really wanted to upgrade the slot the I’m ok with Kendall Fuller. I like Moreau as primary depth on the outside. He played great when we put him there last year but I feel like he’s injured all the time.

I would still cut P. Rich, having Terry, Harmon, Pittman, Sims, and Quinn is good enough at WR for me, we still have Cam Sims too, and could find another diamond in the rough in UDFA with how good this receiving class is.

other than that I think it’s solid and would be alright with it

[ripsean21]

Love it E!!! I’m skeptical about paying them as well but I think Rivera is gonna focus on keeping the trenches together for atleast the short term. I’d pay Brandon I’m okay with extending Trent but only for a few years. My main concern is the talent we have is usually hurt. Investing in them doesn’t reap the standard as it seems too for other teams. But hopefully a respected training and coaching staff and our guys being in shape changes the narrative with our in house guys growing after signing their second contract

[aceinthehouse]

I think we sign/go after a vet WR that was once elite, but maybe aged a little. (Way better player than Paul Richardson ever was type WR).

And pair him up with McLaurin.

Maybe it's AJ Green? Maybe it's Julio Jones? But a player of that pedigree who maybe has slowed down a bit, but can still be affective #2 WR.

I think someone will get cut for cap savings & the Redskins will pounce on that opportunity.

Rivera wants to win now. Not in 3 years.

Do you sit around & hope Kelvin Harmon develops?

Do you draft Pittman and put your stock in him developing?

Do you draft Jeudy too 10 & pray he's not a bust?

Absolutely not....

You sign a WR that you know, will be good for you.

How do you know who will be good for you?

When he's guarantee to be wearing a gold jacket some day.

Is it Amari Cooper...nope

Is it Odell Beckham jr? Nope

Is it a player like A J. Green, or Julio Jones, or Larry Fitzgerald.

Yep...someone like that. Hopefully, it's not Antonio Brown but he would certainly qualify...

Maybe Lee Evans?

 

 

[e16bball]

9 hours ago, LoganF89 said:

I like it, only thing I would do different is that I would prob look at a different corner in FA, most likely bradberry to play opposite of Dunbar, I would stick Moreland in the slot to start. Or if we really wanted to upgrade the slot the I’m ok with Kendall Fuller. I like Moreau as primary depth on the outside. He played great when we put him there last year but I feel like he’s injured all the time.

I would still cut P. Rich, having Terry, Harmon, Pittman, Sims, and Quinn is good enough at WR for me, we still have Cam Sims too, and could find another diamond in the rough in UDFA with how good this receiving class is.

other than that I think it’s solid and would be alright with it

I think your suggestion is very possible. The connection/need with Bradberry is definitely there, and I could easily see it happening. 
 

I just don’t think that signing a top-of-the-market FA CB is likely Rivera’s style. In all the time he was in Carolina, they really never dipped into the FA pool for that position. They did sign a couple aging guys on short-term deals (Peanut Tillman, Drayton Florence, Antoine Cason), so maybe we should be considering guys like Chris Harris or Aqib Talib or Jonathan Joseph, but for the most part they just looked to the draft for CBs.
 

Plus, if he doesn’t get franchised, I think Bradberry is probably looking at a very hefty deal (in the $12M AAV range at least) — and given that we’d already be handing out a lot of $10M+ contracts (Trent, Hooper, Schobert, Scherff), I don’t know that they’d be in a position to make another major, top-of-the-market outlay.  And honestly, if they were looking to spend even more, I’d rather them pay Corey Littleton than Bradberry.

Honestly, I think a CB group of Dunbar, Fuller, Moreau, and Moreland would be perfectly fine in a good scheme and behind an elite front 7. Part of that is probably my bias against investing heavily in CBs — I think that unless you’re getting a player who is truly in the elite or at least Pro Bowl contender type tier, their play is inconsistent and unreliable and largely dependent on the quality of the players around them. But I also think that’s a pretty good group. 

Maybe Rivera would look at a CB there in the 4th round instead of Trautman or especially instead of Davis-Gaither, which I admit is a bit of a luxury pick? 
 

As for PRich, I have no issue with cutting him at the end of camp if he’s not in the top 4-5 WRs. But I think he would be. I think he’s better than Cam Sims; the guy was a 700 yard and 6 TD receiver in Seattle, he can play a little bit. And I think we could stash any UDFAs on the practice squad until injuries at the WR position inevitably set in (probably starting with PRich himself 😂). But mostly, I think he gives us an element of speed over the top that we only have in McLaurin at the moment. Harmon and Pittman (and Quinn for that matter) don’t have speed at all, and while Sims is fast, he’s not good at tracking the ball over the top. To me, cutting PRich makes total sense — except that the financial savings ($2.5M) of doing it this season aren’t really enough for us to be able to find another veteran receiver who can give us that deep speed element he can give us. 

[HTTRDynasty]

I like it overall, kudos for the work you put in. 
 

I’d rather spend on an elite player like Anthony Harris in FA rather than two serviceable players in Boston and Schobert (who has never really stood out to me and whose PFF grade is barely above Holcomb’s).  I would then play Landon Collins in the box on passing downs (where he’s at his best), similar to what JDR did with TJ Ward when he was in Denver.  I’d have Harris and Nicholson/Apke playing on the back end.  Given that use of Collins at LB on most downs, I’m fine with letting the young guys at LB develop, with a couple low-priced options in FA like Bostic and/or Danny Trevaithon if we go that route.

Also, I’m guessing you haven’t heard the news on Foster?  I’m doubting he plays this season. 
 

I like the moves on offense. I wish we could replace Moses at RT, but Alex Smith’s albatross of a contract prevents us from realistically doing that. I also think it’s going to take more than that to sign Hooper. There will be a lot of teams out there bidding for his services. 
 

Also, JFYI, I’m pretty sure we don’t have a 6th round pick this year. We swapped with Denver and now have two 7ths instead. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by HTTRDynasty

[MikeT14]

13 hours ago, e16bball said:

 

▪️ I really have a serious urge to see us trade both Trent and Scherff; I don’t really want to pay either of them what they’ll be asking. However, I really do firmly believe that we need a high-quality OL to give Haskins the best chance to be successful, and to really unlock what I think/hope we may have in Guice/Love. 
 

▪️ I kept Paul Richardson on the roster, at least into training camp. Releasing him only saves us $2.5M on the cap, and it would be hard to find a decent veteran WR (better than him) for that price. 
 

▪️ I think Kendall Fuller’s stock is pretty down at this point, and I’d love to jump in there with a short-term deal to bring him “home” to man the slot. He could even kick outside in the base defense or play some FS for us in certain packages.

1. Would love to have Kendall back. 
 

2. We can still cut Paul and bring in someone to do equal production. That’d be easy. 
 

3. I hear you on trading both, but we can’t. Gotta keep one of them. 

[e16bball]

13 hours ago, Doc Draper said:

one thing about Flowers- did Caroline a use zone blocking? If so, that’s not a good match for him. 

This is a good/interesting question, and one that honestly I’m not finding a lot of good answers for. 

The Athletic has done some great pieces on how Scott Turner’s offense will look, but I’m concerned that they’re basically drawing a lot of conclusions from 4 games at the end of the season with a very different roster. And it was a very unorthodox roster, at that — the star RB is better (or just as good at least) at catching the ball than running with it, and the starting WRs are better at running with the ball than catching it. McCaffrey, Moore, and Samuel are all basically the same type of player, great athletes who excel in space and with the ability to make big plays with the ball in their hands. So it sorta stands to reason that they’d do a lot of jet motion and zone stretch run stuff, with a lot of screens thrown in, to use their skill players’ ability to outflank defenses with speed horizontally. 
 

But I don’t remember Norv being traditionally a zone scheme guy. I remember us being at our best with Stephen Davis pounding it behind guys like big Tre Johnson. And Emmitt behind that enormous Nate Newton and Larry Allen fueled Monstar OL. And LT behind Kris a Dielman and company, and AD and Ricky Williams behind basically no one but still running a power scheme I thought. 
 

If they are looking to transition to a zone scheme, I agree with you — Flowers probably isn’t a great fit. I really hope they decide to go in a direction that keeps him around though, the guy was the most enthusiastic teammate we had on the entire roster last year. 

[lavar703]

I really like it E. You and I would have very similar off-seasons with the exception of Hooper and Schobert. I think Foster will be ready before the start of the season and I’d like to see him line up weak side with SDH in the middle and Holcomb strong side.
 

As far as TE goes, Ebron would be my first choice due to price. If we can scoop Brycen Hopkins in the third that would be ideal. Hooper I just don’t think will be available honestly. I’d love to have him here but I can’t see Atlanta letting him walk. 
 

Id prefer to move on from PRich and I think they will. 

[offbyone]

Like it for the most part. 

Can't imagine fuller coming back.  

It would bug me if we resign Trent Williams to a big money contract and toss Kerrigan.  

[naptownskinsfan]

I think this is pretty reasonable except for a few things.  I think Hooper is going to cost a lot more, but this is a possible destination.  I can't see Fuller coming back.  I also think the money is going to be too much, yes, even for a down year.  Nickel corners are getting big money on the FA market, and it's one down year as opposed to three really good ones.  I only see one of Williams or Scherff coming back, and I think that one of our veteran QBs may be retained.  But if we got Pittman with our third round pick, I'll be happy.  It's a really good year for receivers and I think we get a pretty good one at that spot.  

[MikeT14]

15 hours ago, naptownskinsfan said:

I think this is pretty reasonable except for a few things.  I think Hooper is going to cost a lot more, but this is a possible destination.  I can't see Fuller coming back.  I also think the money is going to be too much, yes, even for a down year.  Nickel corners are getting big money on the FA market, and it's one down year as opposed to three really good ones.  I only see one of Williams or Scherff coming back, and I think that one of our veteran QBs may be retained.  But if we got Pittman with our third round pick, I'll be happy.  It's a really good year for receivers and I think we get a pretty good one at that spot.  

I think Hooper is also going to get PAIIIIID.

[HTTRDynasty]

15 hours ago, naptownskinsfan said:

  I only see one of Williams or Scherff coming back, 

Why?