Broncos LB Alexander Johnson tears pec; Out for season

[thebestever6]

that linebacker we traded for from the vikings is intriguing he's got size and measurables but so did the guy from Oregon years back. Vic can do nice things with linebackers I'm interested to see what he does.

[BroncoBruin]

8 minutes ago, thebestever6 said:

that linebacker we traded for from the vikings is intriguing he's got size and measurables but so did the guy from Oregon years back. Vic can do nice things with linebackers I'm interested to see what he does.

Not an off ball LB unfortunately. 

[Broncofan]

2 hours ago, BroncoBruin said:

Not an off ball LB unfortunately. 

Yeah that’s as much for pass rush and DL run support.   Only a depth move.     But sorely needed and at no real cost. 

[Broncofan]

Well we got more depth for the ILB position today.    Not a head-turner, but also pretty much at no cost, and he's almost certainly going to be a starter.   Can't argue the price, and he's 26, so there's a little upside.  No-risk move.   

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Broncofan

[broncos67]

Kenny Young is a good player. This is an excellent trade by Paton.

[BroncoBruin]

Yeah…hard to understand why the Rams would do this. 

I hope when Kiser is healthy, it’s Kiser and Young the rest of the way. Strnad is sooooo bad.

[broncos67]

1 hour ago, BroncoBruin said:

Yeah…hard to understand why the Rams would do this. 

I hope when Kiser is healthy, it’s Kiser and Young the rest of the way. Strnad is sooooo bad.

They drafted another LB in R3 this year I believe. Young is in the last year of his rookie deal, so it's probably a cap move + making room for the new guy. But I think I read he's 3rd on their D in tackles and has played a significant number of snaps, so it's not like we're getting a guy who hasn't contributed. He's played meaningful snaps this and last season at least.

[Joe_is_the_best]

Well he's an NFL caliber player at least. 

[Broncofan]

36 minutes ago, Joe_is_the_best said:

Well he's an NFL caliber player at least. 

Even if he doesn't work out, the price was literally nothing.   A 6th round pick for a 7th.

Even if this season is lost, it's still a strong move.   Gets us a chance to see him play, and he may choose to re-sign at an affordable price, banking on himself getting a chance to start.   Pretty clear Alexander Johnson is Todd Davis V2 (huge run stopped, great heart guy, absolute liability in space and in coverage). He's also 30 and in no way, shape or form should get a 2nd contract.    Don't make the Todd Davis mistake, DEN.    This gives us options to consider. 

I said it's a low-impact move now because our D has so many problems, but anything that makes it easier for us to part ways with Alexander Johnson and not commit a repeat mistake with Todd Davis V2 is a good thing.  I can totally support it from the no-cost angle, and from that future building perspective.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Broncofan

[BroncoBruin]

Was Davis really a mistake though? He was mostly a solid starter, I would say in the end the value for both sides was actually fair. It may not be ideal to run it back with AJ and Jewell but you also know you have a really good floor at the position with both in the lineup. If you’re going to move on from one of those guys, I want it to be a real investment. 

Strnad was someone the team was counting on as a future starter, and they couldn’t have whiffed harder there. Browning is a lottery ticket. Until now we’ve been fortunate our starting LBs have stayed healthy and we haven’t seen the depth exposed. The FO just didn’t value the position. 

[Broncofan]

8 hours ago, BroncoBruin said:

Was Davis really a mistake though? He was mostly a solid starter, I would say in the end the value for both sides was actually fair. It may not be ideal to run it back with AJ and Jewell but you also know you have a really good floor at the position with both in the lineup. If you’re going to move on from one of those guys, I want it to be a real investment. 

Strnad was someone the team was counting on as a future starter, and they couldn’t have whiffed harder there. Browning is a lottery ticket. Until now we’ve been fortunate our starting LBs have stayed healthy and we haven’t seen the depth exposed. The FO just didn’t value the position. 

The issue wasn't Davis per se - it's that we didn't seek to improve the position with meaningful assets once we brought Davis back.   In Johnson's case, it's even iffier - we're talking about a 30 year old with limited skills.   That's even worse than Davis, who at least was a lot younger.   Yes, AJ has less tread on the tires, but the track record of late bloomers being worth 2nd contracts when they're not complete players is virtually non-existent.  

You've hit on a key point - even though Fangio's system requires the ILB's to be dogs, the FO still doesn't value the position.   Since we're likely done with Fangio, maybe the new system will make that a moot point.   But in the year 1 debrief, when Paton & co. look back, perhaps that's a mistake they'll rectify.  Ironically, it's not necessarily a position you have to throw a ton of $ at - early Day 2 picks can yield a LOT of value.   JOK at 52 was a prime example (though I won't ever criticize going Javonte Williams Rd2 this year, just ILB's never get valued as much by us as with other teams). Jewell & Browning (who technically qualifies as Day 2, but last pick) are literally the top of the price point the FO's willing to pay.  Think that needs to change, at least if a similar system that requires ILB's who can pass cover as much as we do, is kept or a similar scheme is adopted.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Broncofan