2020 Sign, Draft or Promote - Starting S

[Cearbhall]

1 hour ago, VikeManDan said:

If we draft a safety early is Zimmer even going to play him or will he trot Sendejo (I assume he'll be resigned for ~vet minimum) out there? We need early returns from our 1st and 2nd round picks at a minimum.

Early returns on our picks would be great but that doesn't mean any of them should be handed jobs. If Sendejo is resigned he should be the guy the team relies upon until a draft picks proves to be the better option. If a rookie ended up winning the job from Sendejo that would be fantastic as Sendejo at vet minimum would be great for depth.

If a draft pick beat out Anthony Harris for the starting job that would be less ideal as Harris at the salary he'll get would not be great for depth because the team can't afford depth that costs that much.

If the team can't get Harris or Sendejo back they ought to sign some other veteran they can rely on to start. They should not be relying on a rookie. Rookies have proven time and time again at all positions to be unreliable. That is even true of rookies picked in the first round. Counting on Bradbury last year cost the team dearly. We can only hope they won't make the same mistake two years in a row.

[Robb_K]

9 hours ago, Cearbhall said:

Early returns on our picks would be great but that doesn't mean any of them should be handed jobs. If Sendejo is resigned he should be the guy the team relies upon until a draft picks proves to be the better option. If a rookie ended up winning the job from Sendejo that would be fantastic as Sendejo at vet minimum would be great for depth.

If a draft pick beat out Anthony Harris for the starting job that would be less ideal as Harris at the salary he'll get would not be great for depth because the team can't afford depth that costs that much.

If the team can't get Harris or Sendejo back they ought to sign some other veteran they can rely on to start. They should not be relying on a rookie. Rookies have proven time and time again at all positions to be unreliable. That is even true of rookies picked in the first round. Counting on Bradbury last year cost the team dearly. We can only hope they won't make the same mistake two years in a row.

Harris wouldn't lose his job to a rookie because:  Unfortunately, eve if Winfield is still available at pick 25, The Blues probably couldn't pick a safety there, because they're likely to need to replace at least one cornerback with a rookie that can start for them.  That latter position is a lot more important than safety, especially with an all-star on the other side.  If Sendejo is the starter, being old, somewhat beat-up, and quite a bit slower than 2 years ago (when he had lower than average speed), he might lose his job to a rookie.  But Zimmer doesn't play rookies much on defence.  I don't think that's a reason for concern for The Vikings.  IF Harris costs $9 million a year, they should probably sign him.  If he costs $13 million a year, they should wave goodbye.  I hate to see a good, healthy, and skilled young player like him leave.  I hope the whole league devalues safeties this season, and he gives up a million per year to stay with The Vikings.  I think they will likely take a cornerback with pick #25.

[HeydudemanG]

We won't resign him unless the new agreement gives us the cap space. Sendejo is a solid veteran who i have never loved but proved to me that he can be a fill in starter in Zim's defense for cheap. I say we draft a guy late or get another undrafted guy to replace him. Zim is really good with Safety's and D-line. 

[SemperFeist]

Given Zimmer’s comment “but if you put up the positions most important on defense it's probably not going to be safety” not only would I not expect Harris to be re-signed, but I also wouldn’t bet on the Vikings using a high draft pick on a safety, either. 

[HeydudemanG]

23 minutes ago, SemperFeist said:

Given Zimmer’s comment “but if you put up the positions most important on defense it's probably not going to be safety” not only would I not expect Harris to be re-signed, but I also wouldn’t bet on the Vikings using a high draft pick on a safety, either. 

Exactly we've done more than fine with undrafted players there why make it a top priority this off-season when we have a guys who have been solid starters for us on the roster.

Edited February 28, 2020 by HeydudemanG

[swede700]

5 minutes ago, HeydudemanG said:

Exactly we've done more than fine with undrafted players there why make it a top priority this off-season when we have a guys who have been solid starters for us on the roster.

Who?  As of day 1 of the new league year, the only safety on the roster will be Harry.  

Edited February 28, 2020 by swede700

[HeydudemanG]

2 minutes ago, swede700 said:

Who?  As of day 1 of the new league year, the only safety on the roster will be Harry.  

we could resign Sendejo for pretty cheap if we wanted to... For one example.

[swede700]

4 minutes ago, HeydudemanG said:

we could resign Sendejo for pretty cheap if we wanted to... For one example.

OK...yes, they certainly could get by with Sendejo, if needed, as long as it's for the vet minimum.  But, they certainly do need to draft one somewhere...not early, of course.  

[Hyperborean]

Seems clear that Harris isn't as high a priority to the decision makers as it is to we fans.  I wish we could keep him but he's going to be way too steep for us given our cap situation.  

In a perfect world, we would resign Harris.  In a nearly perfect world, we would resign Kearse.  But that doesn't even appear to be an option to Zimmer and Co.  Obviously, there is some friction there or something, because his play makes him worth keeping around.  In reality, Harrison Smith is so good, he'll make his partner at safety better no matter who it is.  Heck, even Sendejo played well when he was back on the field with him last season.  

I'd guess we'll draft one late or sign a low tier free agent.  Maybe somebody we already have can pull it off.

[Guest]

20 hours ago, HeydudemanG said:

we could resign Sendejo for pretty cheap if we wanted to... For one example.

I really don't want Sendejo in the defensive backfield.  His style of play is to take more chances then his skill set and athleticism allow for.  He's going to make more bad decisions then good ones. 

[SemperFeist]

47 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said:

I really don't want Sendejo in the defensive backfield.  His style of play is to take more chances then his skill set and athleticism allow for.  He's going to make more bad decisions then good ones. 

Yet, he doesn’t. 

Sendejo has been a very good safety in Zimmer’s defense. 

[SteelKing728]

23 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

Yet, he doesn’t. 

Sendejo has been a very good safety in Zimmer’s defense. 

Yeah, he's been solid.

Maybe we can stick with him as the starter and get Winfield Jr in the middle rounds as a future starter for us.

[Guest]

On ‎2‎/‎29‎/‎2020 at 1:49 PM, SemperFeist said:

Yet, he doesn’t. 

Sendejo has been a very good safety in Zimmer’s defense. 

I beg to disagree.

[KeithVikings28]

I’d let him walk and focus on other positions of need. It’s not too difficult to find a safety.

[ArcticNorseman]

As much as I like Ant Harris, I think he's earned his payday.  He'd be a true Viking if he accepted the home-town discount (~3 yrs, $24M with $14M guaranteed).  I also love the way Kearse has developed and played the past two years; however, his antics and behavior haven't done him any favors.   I suspect his play was solid, not only because he's huge for a DB, but because he worked his tail off to make up for the spotlight he put himself in.  I think it was foregone that he's leaving, and he made the most of his opportunities so there's a market for him.  I'm sure NE will snap him right up and he'll be a pro-bowler . . .lol.

So, Sendejo would be the cheap insurance option, but the Vikes almost have to draft a good safety somewhere in the first 4 rounds.  Tanner Muse might just be that guy.  Antione Winfield Jr. might just be that guy.  After their combines though, they could sneak into high Rd 2.  Would 6 safeties go in the first 50 picks?  I think Delpit, McKinney, Chinn and Duggar are the first 4 selected.  

I think the Vikes might need to bundle a couple picks to move up from 89 to grab a safety (assuming they go DL/OL or CB in Rnds 1 and 2).  That would unfortunately, make me believe WR would wait until Rds 4 or 5.  The downside of Safety being drafted to start as a rookie is the defense.  I think we can all agree that Zimmer's D takes a couple years for a young DB to acclimate.  Do we have the patience for that window?  One thing I think offsets the learning curve is speed to recover from mistakes . . . ergo 4.45 or faster guys.