2022 Free agency thread

[AZBearsFan]

5 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Bates would mean we do not have an obvious starting spot empty.

I think the discussion then would become about increasing the ceiling of the group. Whitehair isn't good anymore. Patrick is solid and likely nothing more. Bates is as big a wildcard as the OTs.

I think Whitehair’s anticipated 2023 replacement gets drafted somewhere in the back half of this draft. 

[AZBearsFan]

1 hour ago, beardown3231 said:

 

Spending way too much time refreshing my timeline looking for details on this offer sheet. Maybe I just don’t want to work very hard today… 

[AZBearsFan]

[StLunatic88]

41 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Bates would mean we do not have an obvious starting spot empty.

I think the discussion then would become about increasing the ceiling of the group. Whitehair isn't good anymore. Patrick is solid and likely nothing more. Bates is as big a wildcard as the OTs.

Oh come on. Whitehair is fine. He is just overpaid. If they didn’t believe he was Locked In as a starter on this OL, there would be no reason to keep him at his current cap hit. 

And yes, Patrick is solid, and that is plenty good enough for a lineman in this system. It’s becoming more and more apparent you think every player on the line needs to be top tier or something, and they just don’t. I would take a group of Solid to Solid+ guys who execute the system well and preform as a singular unit over a couple of overpaid “names” that play on their own. 

 

[WindyCity]

35 minutes ago, StLunatic88 said:

Oh come on. Whitehair is fine. He is just overpaid. If they didn’t believe he was Locked In as a starter on this OL, there would be no reason to keep him at his current cap hit. 

And yes, Patrick is solid, and that is plenty good enough for a lineman in this system. It’s becoming more and more apparent you think every player on the line needs to be top tier or something, and they just don’t. I would take a group of Solid to Solid+ guys who execute the system well and preform as a singular unit over a couple of overpaid “names” that play on their own. 

 

His cap hit is all guaranteed because Pace redid his deal so much. They lose money cutting him.

The only reason Whitehair is on the team is because his deal cannot be cut.

[WindyCity]

1 hour ago, AZBearsFan said:

I think Whitehair’s anticipated 2023 replacement gets drafted somewhere in the back half of this draft. 

I think round 3 would be the top end. Round 5 if they add an actual 2022 depth player... not Dozier.

[AZBearsFan]

22 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

I think round 3 would be the top end. Round 5 if they add an actual 2022 depth player... not Dozier.

I’m not opposed to a traits guy in R5/6 to be the backup, especially inside where they can be a little more protected by what’s around them than at tackle. Dylan Parham is one I like a lot who’s projected in that range. Both Poles and Getsy have history of early on-field success with IOL drafted later. The right vet backup can make a later round depth guard more reasonable too - someone like Billy Turner or Jesse Davis (just released today by MIA) with replacement-level starting experience at both T/G would make a lot of sense. 

Agree on not wanting to see Dozier play any offensive snaps for us. Ideally he doesn’t even make the 53.

[Nads786]

1 hour ago, StLunatic88 said:

Oh come on. Whitehair is fine. He is just overpaid. If they didn’t believe he was Locked In as a starter on this OL, there would be no reason to keep him at his current cap hit. 

And yes, Patrick is solid, and that is plenty good enough for a lineman in this system. It’s becoming more and more apparent you think every player on the line needs to be top tier or something, and they just don’t. I would take a group of Solid to Solid+ guys who execute the system well and preform as a singular unit over a couple of overpaid “names” that play on their own. 

 

Have you seen this OL play against above average defenses? They can't consistently block nor help the run game. Our OL has been a problem for a long time. 

[AZBearsFan]

1 hour ago, StLunatic88 said:

Oh come on. Whitehair is fine. He is just overpaid. If they didn’t believe he was Locked In as a starter on this OL, there would be no reason to keep him at his current cap hit. 

Whitehair could have been cut as a post-6/1 guy for a $4.6M 2022 cap savings and he wasn’t, despite an obvious house cleaning along the OL. Clearly Poles & Co. think he can still play at at least an adequate level. 

1 hour ago, StLunatic88 said:

And yes, Patrick is solid, and that is plenty good enough for a lineman in this system. … I would take a group of Solid to Solid+ guys who execute the system well and preform as a singular unit over a couple of overpaid “names” that play on their own. 

Agreed, and that’s clearly the plan here. 

[AZBearsFan]

1 minute ago, Nads786 said:

Have you seen this OL play against above average defenses? They can't consistently block nor help the run game. Our OL has been a problem for a long time. 

2 of our 2021 starters are gone, and a 3rd demoted. The 2 that remain are Whitehair (an average-ish starter) and a 2nd year player (Borom) who showed potential last year despite being put in position to fail on the regular by the prior regime, and even he may be subject to draft upgrade. This isn’t the same OL.

Bates will take Daniels’ spot unless matched and seems to be a solid player. Patrick is unquestionably an upgrade over Mustipher even if he’s not a superstar center. Jenkins will in all likelihood take Peters’ spot. What he becomes will be one of the biggest questions our OL faces this season, but he’s almost certainly going to get a shot at being what many projected before last year’s draft.

I think it’s time we allow ourselves to turn the page on some of the stuff we saw last year. Different coaches. Different scheme. Different front office vision. We knew last year’s show was a circus while we were watching it. If we hired the right people, which we all hope we did, then we should probably afford them the opportunity to bring their vision into reality and see what comes of it. 

[Bigbear72]

10 minutes ago, Nads786 said:

Have you seen this OL play against above average defenses? They can't consistently block nor help the run game. Our OL has been a problem for a long time. 

Thus the reason Poles is retooling it?

[WindyCity]

26 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

I’m not opposed to a traits guy in R5/6 to be the backup, especially inside where they can be a little more protected by what’s around them than at tackle. Dylan Parham is one I like a lot who’s projected in that range. Both Poles and Getsy have history of early on-field success with IOL drafted later. The right vet backup can make a later round depth guard more reasonable too - someone like Billy Turner or Jesse Davis (just released today by MIA) with replacement-level starting experience at both T/G would make a lot of sense. 

Agree on not wanting to see Dozier play any offensive snaps for us. Ideally he doesn’t even make the 53.

I wonder if we see an OT drafted early who can compete and maybe get kicked inside in 2023 as a replacement for Whitehair if Borom and Jenkins are good.

Both the Chiefs and more so the Packers love moving college OTs inside to OG. Trey Smith, Royce Newman, Jon Runyan.

[WindyCity]

23 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

Whitehair could have been cut as a post-6/1 guy for a $4.6M 2022 cap savings and he wasn’t, despite an obvious house cleaning along the OL. Clearly Poles & Co. think he can still play at at least an adequate level. 

Agreed, and that’s clearly the plan here. 

I think Whitehair is worth 5 million. Even if you split the 11 million over 2 years it isn't worth cutting him. It isn't any savings it is just borrowing from the future.

Next year his cap hit is 14 and you save 6 million by cutting him. There is almost no chance he is here in 2023.

[AZBearsFan]

25 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Both the Chiefs and more so the Packers love moving college OTs inside to OG. Trey Smith, Royce Newman, Jon Runyan.

I LOOOOOOVE the idea of them drafting Tyler Smith and making him a LG. I think he would murder people in that role. That’s probably dead if Bates’ deal goes through, but I could see a similar move with a later round pick for sure. Rasheed Walker or Cade Mays are both guys I like that fit that bill that are probably around in that round 4-5 range. 

[dll2000]

32 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

I wonder if we see an OT drafted early who can compete and maybe get kicked inside in 2023 as a replacement for Whitehair if Borom and Jenkins are good.

Both the Chiefs and more so the Packers love moving college OTs inside to OG. Trey Smith, Royce Newman, Jon Runyan.

Because smart GMs know that college and HS coaches almost always put their best OL at T and C and the left overs at G when choosing their best 5.

People get caught up in height and arm measurements and say this guy is a G or T based on that.

The bottom line is the better athletes and overall football player pool is at T and C for above reason.

The exceptions typically come when there is already a returning starter stud OT in place or in addition to and another stud gets put at G because the OT spot is filled.