Grading the Roster - WR

[Tugboat]

I'd give the group a C+ i guess.  I'd like to see Keelan brought back on a reasonable deal as a part of that.  He's a good solid homegrown fill out the depth chart guy, and we have the cap space we can afford to "splurge" a bit on a #3/4 guy like that.  Seems like a decent fit with a Bevel offense, though i could also very easily see Urban preferring to staff that part of the depth chart with guys boasting more raw "athletic ability" or niche skillsets, etc.  Wouldn't be too offended by that route either.

 

The other depth guys on the roster are nothing.  If Collin Johnson is around as the last receiver on the bubble, that's fine, but that's about it.

It essentially boils down to grading a Chark + Shenault combo.  Which for me, just doesn't quite hack in today's passing league, as your 1-2 punch.

Chark is a great #2 with a skillset that could make him an absolute menace behind a true "#1 WR" threat, just feasting.  But he's a bit too feast or famine, in both the attitude/effort...and the role he seems to be best suited to in general really.  I just don't see it in him, to be the linchpin, #1 receiving weapon on a top flight NFL offense.

Shenault, i have high hopes for, and i do expect him to take another step forward with a year under his belt, and a coaching staff who will hopefully let him carve even more of a role out of his unique skillset.

 

A bit of a tricky situation, in that it's not an easy position to really "upgrade" meaningfully from where we are though.  What we really need, isn't just "more quantity", so much as that "top quality" piece as the capstone of a great receiver corps.  Just adding more #2/3/4 types to the collection is fine in terms of depth and insurance, and you can potentially continue to add some different skillsets to a rotation.  But it's not a really fundamental upgrade, it'd be more of a "tweaking" and "optimizing" to maybe get you into a B territory.  Whereas adding a true #1WR somehow, to Chark and Shenault...kinda rockets you into A+ territory.  But that's the sort of piece you're realistically only adding via the draft.  Exceptions come along, but i don't see a lot of realistic or likely options out there beyond the draft this year.

And the draft is somewhere that, even if we're not adding a "top pick" guy at WR, i think they need to be delving into guys to fill out the depth chart at least.  And hopefully guys with some significant upside/potential.

 

As to "outside vs slot receiver" being a bigger priority...it probably has to be a guy who can play outside and thrive.  But i don't think that's as important as just...the caliber of player we're talking about adding.  If they're a good enough receiving threat, i don't think it really matters if they thrive more out of the slot.  But most of the "slot receivers" of that caliber...also happen to be guys with the talent to get by just fine on the boundaries when called upon too.  Just really need to add the sort of "go to guy" that Lawrence can build a rapport with, to depend on and throw the ball at in critical situations...even in less favourable matchups.  Chark and Shenault can both be really dynamic, but neither is really that dependable go-to option.

[Uncle Buck]

On 3/3/2021 at 1:29 AM, Tugboat said:

I'd give the group a C+ i guess.  I'd like to see Keelan brought back on a reasonable deal as a part of that.  He's a good solid homegrown fill out the depth chart guy, and we have the cap space we can afford to "splurge" a bit on a #3/4 guy like that.  Seems like a decent fit with a Bevel offense, though i could also very easily see Urban preferring to staff that part of the depth chart with guys boasting more raw "athletic ability" or niche skillsets, etc.  Wouldn't be too offended by that route either.

 

The other depth guys on the roster are nothing.  If Collin Johnson is around as the last receiver on the bubble, that's fine, but that's about it.

It essentially boils down to grading a Chark + Shenault combo.  Which for me, just doesn't quite hack in today's passing league, as your 1-2 punch.

Chark is a great #2 with a skillset that could make him an absolute menace behind a true "#1 WR" threat, just feasting.  But he's a bit too feast or famine, in both the attitude/effort...and the role he seems to be best suited to in general really.  I just don't see it in him, to be the linchpin, #1 receiving weapon on a top flight NFL offense.

Shenault, i have high hopes for, and i do expect him to take another step forward with a year under his belt, and a coaching staff who will hopefully let him carve even more of a role out of his unique skillset.

 

A bit of a tricky situation, in that it's not an easy position to really "upgrade" meaningfully from where we are though.  What we really need, isn't just "more quantity", so much as that "top quality" piece as the capstone of a great receiver corps.  Just adding more #2/3/4 types to the collection is fine in terms of depth and insurance, and you can potentially continue to add some different skillsets to a rotation.  But it's not a really fundamental upgrade, it'd be more of a "tweaking" and "optimizing" to maybe get you into a B territory.  Whereas adding a true #1WR somehow, to Chark and Shenault...kinda rockets you into A+ territory.  But that's the sort of piece you're realistically only adding via the draft.  Exceptions come along, but i don't see a lot of realistic or likely options out there beyond the draft this year.

And the draft is somewhere that, even if we're not adding a "top pick" guy at WR, i think they need to be delving into guys to fill out the depth chart at least.  And hopefully guys with some significant upside/potential.

 

As to "outside vs slot receiver" being a bigger priority...it probably has to be a guy who can play outside and thrive.  But i don't think that's as important as just...the caliber of player we're talking about adding.  If they're a good enough receiving threat, i don't think it really matters if they thrive more out of the slot.  But most of the "slot receivers" of that caliber...also happen to be guys with the talent to get by just fine on the boundaries when called upon too.  Just really need to add the sort of "go to guy" that Lawrence can build a rapport with, to depend on and throw the ball at in critical situations...even in less favourable matchups.  Chark and Shenault can both be really dynamic, but neither is really that dependable go-to option.

That was a great write-up on Chark and Shenault.  I agree that both of them are very high caliber #2 receivers, but it would be great to get a true #1.  A guy like Megatron, Andre Johnson, or Julio Jones would be perfect, but those types don't grow on trees.  It may take a year or two before we can draft one.

[Tugboat]

On 3/19/2021 at 8:50 PM, Uncle Buck said:

That was a great write-up on Chark and Shenault.  I agree that both of them are very high caliber #2 receivers, but it would be great to get a true #1.  A guy like Megatron, Andre Johnson, or Julio Jones would be perfect, but those types don't grow on trees.  It may take a year or two before we can draft one.

Yeah.  That's pretty much what it comes down to.  I mean, who couldn't use one of those types.  Or even if it's some sort of unique "weapon" like Tyreek Hill who certainly doesn't fit the "archetype" like those others, but absolutely fits the bill as a true #1 threat in a multiplicity of ways.  But ultimately...these are guys you have to draft.  So yeah...it very possibly could be a while before we're in the right position to address that.  Or it could be in this draft, who knows.  But i wouldn't count on it or factor it into what we have now, by any means.