BDL Discussion Thread 2024

[SirA1]

3 Downing Geno Smith screams "making room for Dak" in my eyes.

[Scoundrel]

5 hours ago, MD4L said:

As for the edge position, Van Ness had 7 sacks last season.

He did?

[Blue]

5 hours ago, MD4L said:

As for the edge position, Van Ness had 7 sacks last season. Not saying I’m not open to improving the edge rush, but I could bypass until the tank.

Same applies with DT. I think you’re underestimating Karl Brooks. I’d like to see the Packers give him more run but he’ll be part of the rotation regardless. Sieler is a starter.

Yeah, why sign players in free agency when you could count on Green Bay's backups and give Von Miller a one-year deal.

[TedLavie]

Ivory Coast Black Rhinos

Offseason needs : QB, OT, OG, LB (X2), FS

Cap space remaining: $30,957

Roster spots remaining: 26

 

What they did so far:

1.    Get their QB

Ivory Coast started the year with a big question mark at QB but that disappeared quickly as they proceeded to trade for Brock Purdy as the year opened. Purdy might be on a low end of BDL starters at QB, but given how many big contracts Ivory Coast has on the books, getting a decent QB on a rookie deal - and the cheapest one there is at that - was certainly a welcomed addition for Ruskie.

 

2.    Resign pieces of their secondary

Ivory Coast didn't do much else this offseason but they had decisions to make for their 3ups as several players probably were considered: Aaron Rodgers, Damian Lewis, Patrick Queen. In the end, Ruskie opted to 3up Engram at TE, and Diggs and Dugger in the secondary. Diggs was an obvious one - whether Engram or Dugger deserve to be paid as much as they are here is up for debate, but with Purdy and his $500 contract at QB, IC can afford this kind of signings

 

What remains to be done:

1.    Find a right tackle

Trent Williams is, at least short term, the obvious guy at LT but Ruskie doesn't have a great option on the right side, unless Tyler Guyton balls out year one. Because of their need for depth (see assessment), I don't know if Ivory Cast can afford another big contract in Free Agency so it's more likely they get someone from the 2nd tier of free agents or someone from Shark Tank.

FA fit: Jack Conklin (in Shark Tank)

 

2.    Find another guard

Isaiah Wynn is current Zack Martin counterpart and that needs to be upgraded. Too bad Ivory Coast decided to trade away two BDL studs in Quinn Meinerz and Teven Jenkins 🤣. Again, it will likely have to wait Shark Tank, but G is definitely on IC shopping list this summer. Fortunately, given the depth of this G FA class, this shouldn't be a problem.

FA fit: Kevin Dotson

 

3.    Get a couple of linebackers

With both Queen and White out of the team, Ivory Coast has two glaring holes at LB. Edgerrin Cooper was drafted to compete there but you can't count on a rookie here I think. Fortunately, LBs aren't the most sought out players in free agency (and IRL I suppose) so maybe Ivory Coast can grab someone for cheap in Free Agency and not wait for Shark Tank for once.

FA fit: Demario Davis + Frankie Luvu (Shark Tank)

 

 

Final assessment:

Ivory Coast is very top heavy, which might be an issue down the road. With only 30K left in cap space and more than 25 roster spots open, there's a clear need for depth across the roster - basically everywhere aside from the defensive line. After seeing his 2023 year crushed by injuries, I'm sure Ruskie will be very aware of that. Therefore, I don't expect Ivory Coast to be much of player in Free Agency. Maybe opting out of it to focus on getting multiple cheap veterans in Shark Tank is the way to go here.

 

@RuskieTitan

Next up: the Lancaster defense (and a little offense, but not much I promise)

Edited May 22 by TedLavie

[EaglesPeteC]

17 hours ago, SirA1 said:

3 Downing Geno Smith screams "making room for Dak" in my eyes.

Hungary was the team that originally traded Dak to make room for Geno or am I mistaken? 

[Blue]

7 minutes ago, EaglesPeteC said:

Hungary was the team that originally traded Dak to make room for Geno or am I mistaken? 

That is correct.

[RedGold]

23 minutes ago, EaglesPeteC said:

Hungary was the team that originally traded Dak to make room for Geno or am I mistaken? 

Getting rid of a QB only to bring them back later,, is just poor management 

[SirA1]

26 minutes ago, RedGold said:

Getting rid of a QB only to bring them back later,, is just poor management 

I've had Brady Twice, Carr Twice, and may have Rodgers or Stafford for the 2nd time soon....

So you are accurate. 

[TedLavie]

Lancaster Werewolves

Offseason needs : RB, WR (x2), TE, OT, OC, LB, CB, EDGE

Cap space remaining: $25,595

Roster spots remaining: 13

 

What they did so far:

1.    Sign and trade away a #1 WR

Of couse Lancaster big move this offseason was trading for JaMarr Chase. After being under fire last year for the lack of quality options they offered to Hurts (except for NFL Champion and BDL division winner Skyy Moore), they decided to go on the attack mode and trade for a top tier WR. But, instead of pairing him up with Michael Pittman, another quality option at the position, Lancaster traded Pittman away to Greenland on a 3 up&over, leaving Lancaster with another big hole at WR. Maybe the recently drafted Keon Coleman and Malachi Corley can fill those holes, that's certainly what rackcs and mike had in mind when they grabbed those two.

 

2.    Reinforce the offensive line

Losing three starters from last year line in Jawaan Taylor, Mitch Morse and Robert Hunt, Lancaster had to make some moves to replace them. At tackle they made two big moves - trading for Ikem Ekwonu and drafting Olu Fashanu. Ekwonu gives rackcs and Mike some insurance short term so they don't have to start Evan Neal, until Olu Fashanu becomes a starter in NY (if not week 1). The biggest move of all was, however, trading for Creed Humphrey to give Lancaster a stable presence at C for years to come.

 

3. Trade away some expensive veterans

With 40K allocated to Hurts and a bunch of expensive veteran contracts (Ramsey, Watt, Madubuike, Clark, Minkah), Lancaster had to make tough calls. That's why they traded away Michael Pittman and Jaire Alexander, two major players in recent years. That's also why they couldn't keep some veterans who briefely were on their roster in Wyatt Teller, Chris Godwin or Sam Hubbard.

What remains to be done:

1.    Find the right complement to Jahmyr Gibbs

Last year, Lancaster relied offensively on their Hurts/Gibbs/Montgommery trio to run the ball. This year shouldn't be too different as Lancaster has only one established wide receiver on roster currently and no one certain at tight end. But Montgommery left as a free agent and needs to be replaced. The RB market is probably going to be fairly affordable, even for a team like Lancaster, and they should find a way in Free Agency or in Shark Tank to find the right running back to complement Gibbs

FA fit: David Montgommery

 

2.    Get someone at the bookend of TJ Watt

Opposite of TJ Watt, Lancaster currently has a battle between Jared Verse and FAU. While both players have talent, and while the contribution of the EDGE2 isn't the most important for Lancaster given the quality of the 3 other starting defensive linemen, it's still necessary to get a more established player opponents have to respect, if not better. With limitations in cap space, this will likely have to wait Shark Tank, but Lancaster must certainly keep some cash for this priority signing.

FA fit: Bradley Chubb (Shark Tank)

 

3.    Get insurance for these rookies

Lancaster currently has between 5 and 6 rookies planned for important roles: Coleman, Corley, Verse, Kool-Aid, Colson and Fashanu. Banking on rookies to perform, at a BDL standard, year 1 is always risky and, to contend for a title, Lancaster must get some insurance at these positions. So, even though rackcs and mike are likely to sit out of most of the Free Agency, Shark Tank will be absolutely crucial to get cheap but impactful veteran deals at positions like WR, CB, LB and, as mentioned previously, EDGE.

 

 

Final assessment:

Lancaster is probably on the Tier 2 of the title contenders. With a solid QB and star players at each level of the defense, they have a solid crew in place to contend, but they have many holes, and not a lot of money to fill them. Lancaster capacity to find reasonable deals for players that will be able to start for them is the big challenge awaiting rackcs and mike for this Free Agency/Shark Tank period.

 

@rackcs @MikeT14

Next up: the Las Vegas Bangers

[Xmad]

John Ross has unretired and it's time I do the same, who wants a worse roster in 2024-28?

[Scoundrel]

25 minutes ago, Xmad said:

John Ross has unretired and it's time I do the same, who wants a worse roster in 2024-28?

Why just those seasons

[bcb1213]

"Next up: the Lancaster defense (and a little offense, but not much I promise)".  Broken promises @TedLavie

[TedLavie]

Las Vegas Bangers

Offseason needs : RB, WR (x3), OT, OG, INT, LB (x2), CB (x2), EDGE, TE

Cap space remaining: $25,477

Roster spots remaining: 29

 

What they did so far:

1.    Shore up the offensive line

IR came in BDL and made decisive moves to give Lamar a top notch offensive line. Trading for Joe Thuney and Quentin Nelson gives LV the best guard duo in BDL, which wasn't given for a team starting the year with only the horrific Alex Cappa as a natural G on roster. At center, IR traded Creed Humphrey away - a move I still don't necessarily agree - but proceeded to pick up Erik McCoy as a replacement which, salary excluded, is ok short term. To pair with Penei Sewell, IR then went away and signed Alaric Jackson in RFA, giving Las Vegas what is likely the best OL in the league, but also probably the most expensive one with 52K allocated to the group. 

 

2.    Get Lamar some weapons

The other position group Las Vegas came in the offseason thinking about reinforcing was the WR group. Mike Evans was too often alone last year and he was a free agent anyways. He got 3upped, in a very logical move, but Las Vegas traded for Deebo Samuel and Josh Downs to team up with him. While both players are health concerns, when they play they provide immediate upgrades over what Baltimore had on roster. To afford all these major salaries, something had to give however and George Kittle was traded away. Las Vegas will bank on Isaiah Likely, freshly traded from Anchorage and who yours truly is a big fan of, to replace him.

 

3. Made interesting choices on defense

They paid handily for that, but I think it's hard to doubt LV upgraded its offense this offseason. On defense however, it's a little harder to judge. They started by trading away Odafe Oweh and Carlton Davis but got Jaycee Horn in return (among plenty of other things). Horn is another injury waiting to happen, but on the field he's better and cheaper than Carlton Davis. Losing Oweh s**** however. With both Hargrave and Burns free agents, and with the possibility to 3up only one, LV chose to extend Brian Burns and let Hargrave walk. I've admittedly been lower on Burns than consensus for the entirety of his career, but I certainly don't think I would have given him 20K+ a year, so we'll see if this pans out.

 

4. Invest heavily on the defensive line in the draft

I usually limit myself to 3 points on these, but Las Vegas offseason was busy enough to warrant a 4th. When you focus that many resources on offense, that's going to leave some holes on defense. Las Vegas chose to tackle its defensive needs in the draft, with 7 out of 9 picks dedicated to the defense, including 5 on the defensive line. They will hope someone out of Newton or Fiske can provide an adequate replacement for Hargrave. And they will wish for someone out of Kneeland/Isaac/Braswell group to emerge to become a reliable pass rusher for them.

 

What remains to be done:

1.    Build a CB room

The main issue in Vegas roster is quite clearly its CB room. They have a #1 guy in Jaycee Horn, but below that it's a rookie, an IRL backup and nothing else. So IR and BB will have a lot of work to do there, with limited resources to do so. This is probably going to be the make or break decisions for Vegas. Do they wait for cheap veteran deals in Shark Tank like Darious Williams last year? Do they take a chance on someone on a multiyear deal? Both? 

FA fit: Darious Williams + Mike Hilton (Shark Tank)

 

2.    Beef up the defensive line

At edge, Las Vegas has a lot of bodies and, even though I don't know if they have a great starting option opposite to Burns, I think they will have to live with that. But the more critical hole is inside. I've said in many reviews that trusting rookies year 1 is risky, and that's especially true for DTs which are slower to develop. Las Vegas will have to find someone to pair up with Leonard Williams in Free Agency or in Shark Tank.

FA fit: Dalvin Tomlinson

 

3.    Get someone to run behind this awesome OL

I really like Jaylen Warren but I think of him as a more complementary back than a bellcow, at least for a BDL offense. I would like to see him pair up with someone else to give Las Vegas a triple threat with Lamar and Warren. Behind that OL, and with the right running back behind it, pounding the rock will be hard to stop.

FA fit: Raheem Mostert

 

4.    Get help at LB

Another big hole on Las Vegas roster is probably the LB position. I have doubts in Chenal or Barton holding the position, Collins is an EDGE. Can Payton Wilson have a positive impact year 1? I think Vegas needs two guys there, and will probably have to wait for the Shark Tank to sign guys at a decent salary.

FA fit: De'Vondre Campbell + Tremaine Edmunds (Shark Tank)

 

 

Final assessment:

Las Vegas did a lot of good work to revamp its offense, and as long as they stay healthy (which is a big if for their WR corps), could have one of the most dynamic offense of the league. But taking over Baltimore was never going to be a one year task and a lot of efforts still have to be made on defense. With a lot of money allocated to the offense (probably a tad too much to my taste), IR and BB will have their hands full in the Shark Tank to get cheap and productive players to fill out their defense, especially their CB room which is probably what worries me the most.

 

@InjuredReserve @BodyBurner

 

Next up: Well after the Bangers, now come the Jizz

[Scoundrel]

11 minutes ago, TedLavie said:

Next up: Well after the Bangers, now come the Jizz

Makes too much sense 

[TedLavie]

Quebec is excited to share that @vikes635 will take on co-ownership of the franchise.

Cheers to the many successes we will have together.