Who is most irreplaceable player on each team? (non QB)

[dll2000]

Who is most irreplaceable player on each team in 2021? (non QB)

Might not be best or most talented non-QB player.   May just be a player at a key position on which there is no quality depth.

This is player, you think, if he went down it would hurt the team the most.  

Maybe it would cause a leadership vacuum..   Make your case.  

 

 

[TitanSlim]

Toss up between Derrick Henry and AJ Brown. Not just because of their talent and importance to our offense but also our depth is questionable behind them, to put it kindly.

Either one of them goes down we’re relying on Darrynton Evans and Jeremy McNichols at RB and Josh Reynolds, Dez Fitzpatrick and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine at WR. Yikes....

[Soko]

I think it’s Stephon Gilmore. 

NE defenses has worked, for years now, by putting it’s best corner on the opposing team’s top threat and letting the rest of the defense do the rest. It was harder to do last year when Gilmore missed time. As great as JC Jackson has looked at times, he’s not the shutdown-guy at this point. Losing Gilmore completely changes what the defense likes to do, which I’m not sure any other single player does for New England for now.

[Turnobili]

Darren Waller

[vikingsrule]

Probably Danielle Hunter. MN really doesn’t have a proven pass rush threat without him and the defense needs an impact edge rusher to do what Zimmer wants to do with the defense as we saw last year. 

[HolmesPriest]

For the Chiefs I will go with Dustin Colquitt.... oh wait.... nevermind. I will go with Travis Kelce.

[Mr Raider]

1 hour ago, Turnobili said:

Darren Waller

Agree with this 100%. An elite TE changes everything for an offense. But particularly an offense like the Raiders where the running game is so important and said RB isn't a game breaker home run threat or a nightmare catching passes. Add on the fact that Waller is not only our best TE but our best receiver period and #1 pass option by a wide margin over anyone else and the offense would have an extremely tough time creating any breathing room for the run game with Waller keeping LBs honest due to his threat to run the seem. The offense would also have a lot more trouble converting 3rd and mediums. 

Waller is the #2 TE in the entire NFL and one of the best overall players period IMO, Kelce is better overall but Waller does do some things at a higher level than Kelce and I think may be viewed higher than Kelce if he were playing in that Chiefs offense (though Waller isn't going to give them the blocking level Kelce does). Not only that, the Raiders lack any sort of dominant receiving threat besides him. Even losing the versatility he offers the offense in doing a lot of different things in all different formations due to Wallers ability to play in line, dominate as a big slot, and line up out wide and take over there too. TE is one of the most shallow positions in the entire NFL in terms of guys capable of dominating teams catching the ball. There is a huge gap after Kelce, Waller, Kittle, and Ertz of previous seasons and the rest of the proven players at TE in the NFL. I'd argue probably a bigger gap after the top 4-5 guys than any other position in the NFL besides maybe QB. 

There are at most 3-4 other guys comparable to his talent level in all the NFL IMO and their teams aren't trading them. And Pitts is an elite prospect that I think compares a lot to Waller, but most draft classes don't have a Pitts. TE is also regularly one of the most shallow positions in the draft.

Waller would be incredibly difficult to replace in house (and I like Moreau and his potential to be a really good second TE), virtually impossible through trade or free agency, and only slightly more doable in the draft. 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Mr Raider

[Turnobili]

6 minutes ago, Mr Raider said:

Agree with this 100%. An elite TE changes everything for an offense. But particularly an offense like the Raiders where the running game is so important and said RB isn't a game breaker home run threat or a nightmare catching passes. Add on the fact that Waller is not only our best TE but our best receiver period and #1 pass option by a wide margin over anyone else and the offense would have an extremely tough time creating any breathing room for the run game with Waller keeping LBs honest due to his threat to run the seem. The offense would also have a lot more trouble converting 3rd and mediums. 

Waller is the #2 TE in the entire NFL and one of the best overall players period IMO, Kelce is better overall but Waller does do some things at a higher level than Kelce and I think may be viewed higher than Kelce if he were playing in that Chiefs offense (though Waller isn't going to give them the blocking level Kelce does). Not only that, the Raiders lack any sort of dominant receiving threat besides him. Even losing the versatility he offers the offense in doing a lot of different things in all different formations due to Wallers ability to play in line, dominate as a big slot, and line up out wide and take over there too. TE is one of the most shallow positions in the entire NFL in terms of guys capable of dominating teams catching the ball. There is a huge gap after Kelce, Waller, Kittle, and Ertz of previous seasons and the rest of the proven players at TE in the NFL. I'd argue probably a bigger gap after the top 4-5 guys than any other position in the NFL besides maybe QB. 

There are at most 3-4 other guys comparable to his talent level in all the NFL IMO and their teams aren't trading them. And Pitts is an elite prospect that I think compares a lot to Waller, but most draft classes don't have a Pitts. TE is also regularly one of the most shallow positions in the draft.

Waller would be incredibly difficult to replace in house (and I like Moreau and his potential to be a really good second TE), virtually impossible through trade or free agency, and only slightly more doable in the draft. 

I think Waller is squarely #3 behind Kelce/Kittle, but yeah. Waller is particularly vital because of the lack of other viable receiving weapons. The Raiders offense isn't diverse at all, so Waller is really holding everything together right now. I like Moreau a lot, but yeah, he's not remotely a #1 option type, though he'd be a fine #1 TE on a team that had solid receivers around him.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Turnobili

[DoleINGout]

1 hour ago, Yin-Yang said:

I think it’s Stephon Gilmore. 

NE defenses has worked, for years now, by putting it’s best corner on the opposing team’s top threat and letting the rest of the defense do the rest. It was harder to do last year when Gilmore missed time. As great as JC Jackson has looked at times, he’s not the shutdown-guy at this point. Losing Gilmore completely changes what the defense likes to do, which I’m not sure any other single player does for New England for now.

I would say the more indispensable player on defense is Donta Hightower. Gilmore continued to regress last season and expectations of that stopping or reversing are are unfounded I believe. Still a very solid starter, but not the most important player like his role was at one time.

Offensively, Onwenu is the most indispensable followed by David Andrews. Special teams it is Jake Bailey but one could argue that a team has the option of going for it every time theoretically.

Overall I'd go with Hightower.

[sammymvpknight]

Saints- 1) A Kamara, 2) CGM, 3) R Ramczyk, 4) C Jordan, 5) D Davis

 

Jags- Let me get back to you in a year lol

[Soko]

1 hour ago, DoleINGout said:

I would say the more indispensable player on defense is Donta Hightower. Gilmore continued to regress last season and expectations of that stopping or reversing are are unfounded I believe. Still a very solid starter, but not the most important player like his role was at one time.

He hurt his quad and also dealt with covid. Obviously he’d come down from his DPOY peak, but acting like 2020 was a “continued regression” is false. Gilmore wasn’t regressing before that (beside from the natural regression from a DPOY season) and dealt with nagging injuries/the pandemic.

The team has more players that can approximate Hightower in his roles than it does CBs that can approximate Gilmore.

[Blackstar12]

[SDotNova]

For the Jets, I would say Becton.

[Chiefer]

Chiefs have a few

Tyreek, Chris Jones, Kelce

those guys cant be replaced with just anybody 

[ET80]

...Tunsil, I guess. Simply because you paid about 11 1st round picks for him.