Pastor Dillon Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) Here is what I am expecting. We have some good, not great draft capital this year. We have the following picks: 23, 59, 86, 123, 127, 235, 244, 246 That's potentially 2 starters, and 5 guys who should easily make the roster.....plus 3 guys who will compete for the practice squad and who knows after that. Typically I like taking a flier late on a 3rd string QB, Kicker, or punter.....but idk if we will need any of those this year. I suspect we will end up with a vet QB back up, and resigning our K and P. So those late round picks will all be used to either move up into round 6 or possibly flip them into a future 6th or used with our other picks to move up a few spots or we just try and add some practice squad or special teams depth. Looking around, we have some options. I am going to say we can afford two decent players in FA, and then we will work to resign or sign 1 year deals to vet players. Where we spend that money will depend on what options we have inside our price range. First we must look at who we might cut to save money: Robert Woods is going to be gone. We save 5 million by cutting him, and he can easily be replaced or upgraded for that cost. Jimmy Ward is a tough call. We save nearly 4 million by cutting him, but hes another coach on the field, but he cant stay on the field. This one will be an interesting decision that we have to make. There are some low level guys like Kennum, MJ Stewart, and Andrew Beck that can add up to about 5 million in savings if we cut them. Assuming we cut wood, but keep everyone else, here is our depth chart heading into next season before FA & Draft QB: Stroud / Keenum / Mills RB: Pierce FB: Beck WR: Nico / Hutchinson WR: Dell / Methcie TE: Jordan / Quitoriano LT: Tunsil LG: Green / Green OC: Scruggs / Patterson RG: Mason RT: Howard DE: Anderson DT: Collins DT: Hinish DE: Sanders / Horton LB: Harris LB: To'oto'o LB: Hansen CB: Stingley CB: S: Pitre / Hill S: Ward / Stewart K: P: As you can see, we have a ton of open spots.....which brings us to our own free agents first, I have ranked them by tiers and not an order of importance: Tier 1 Guys we can replace, but probably not at the same value or skill: Dalton Schultz - You have to have a legit TE to win in the league, I am convinced of this now. He might price out of our range, but TE is a need. Shelton Rankins - We need help on the D-Line, and I think Rankins will be reasonably priced Jon Greenard - We will have to open up the bank, but having him opposite Anderson helps for so many reasons. Fairbairn - Hes a legit kicker, and we need to keep him on the roster. Steven Nelson - Another guy that we can replace, but at the price and fit level, he is just a smart investment for us. Blake Cashman - Very good season for him, we can't afford to lose him and have to go looking for a replacement Thats a lot of guys that we really need on the roster next year. Now move to Tier 2 guys, Guys that could be back if the price is right, but if they want real money, they will have to go elsewhere. Noah Brown - A very solid WR who could be a number 2 or 3 guy at times, but struggled with injury. I would like him back, but not if he prices out of our range George Fant - He was solid for us and would be a nice guy to have back, but with starter money already invested elsewhere, it just doesnt make sense to pay him very much money Devin Singletary - Turns out to be a better fit than Pierce, but hes a free agent and RBs are not worth the money. Id like to have him back but on a bargin deal Derek Barnett - Played well for us after we picked him up on the waiver, but hes a depth guy, cant pay him a lot of money Perryman - I wanted to put him in tier 1, but we do have To'oto'o and we need to sign Cashman way worse. Johnston - hes a good punter, but only at average punter pay. Tier 3 is basically guys who are bottom of the roster depth that could come or go without tipping any scales: Tart Hughes Amos Deiter Heck By the time we bring back some of our own core guys, I would say we have enough to spend on 2-3 guys and thats it, the rest will be 1 year deals that Caserio loves. So looking at whats out there: In the event we lose say Rankins and Greenard, we could possibly make a run at Jones, Allen, Madubuike or someone, but I suspect we will stay away from that. I am going to say our first big contact will be with: Jaylon Johnson - We desperately need another CB who can lock down his side. He is going to get paid, but with Stingley on a team friendly deal another 3 seasons, we can afford to spend on the CB positon. This might eliminate Nelson, but it would be worth it. If we could bring back Nelson and have him play our 3rd corner, we could have a lock down secondary that we will need to compete with Mahomes, Allen, and Burrow in the years to come. Kendal Fuller would be my next choice for a guy after Johnson. L'Jarius Sneed is another guy I would consider, if nothing else, just to make KC have to pay to keep him Here is a sleeper name: Barkley - Now I know I said they are a dime a dozen, and I believe that, but in the event that Barkley is forced to take a 1 year deal because the market is bare, he is one of about 3 guys in the league that can do what he does at the level he does it at. I have major concerns about him, but I feel like he could be that guy in the pass game that allows us to take pressure off CJ next year. There is a host of offensive linemen that could upgrade our roster, but I just dont see it happening with so much money invested in Tunsil, Howard, and Mason and high draft picks in Scruggs and Green. Plus we were able to patch a line together that got us by when those guys were hurt. I really think we will roll with what we have, potentially adding a rookie lineman. Tunsil, Howard, and Mason can be cut in 2025 for a cap savings of a combined 36 million dollars....so with that in mind, I would be really shocked if we look to the line with anything more than cheap depth deals. There are some linebackers like Lavonta Davis, Devin White, or Patrick Queen, but again I really think we try and keep what weve got in the linebacker room. Now lets get to the WR position. We know that NICO is getting paid soon. So what do we do? I am a true Aggie homer, so I would love Mike Evans, and if hes an option, I am signing him all day long. But I dont think that is going to happen. Best we can do is a Calvin Ridley or Marquise Brown, but Its an interesting position, because we have used a lot of draft capital on it the last couple years and we might be closer to set there than we realize. So this brings us to the draft. What do we do with those picks. here are my top needs: DT - If we can keep Collins and Rankins and add a stud DT rookie, that would be ideal Guys like Newton or Murphey in round 1 are possibilities. I really think this is where we could go in round 1 TE - I have come to believe a legit #1 TE is more important than a legit #2 WR. Just look at who was successful this season, all teams with TEs that could make big plays Honestly if we lose Schultz, I wouldnt mind trading up to get Bowers if he were to fall into the teens. an interesting prospect would be Cade Stover. He caught over 400 yards from Stroud during a year that Stroud was throwing to two 1,000 yard WRs, just something to think about. He could be a candidate even if we do sign Schultz CB - I want this addressed in free agency because its one of the hardest positions to play as a rookie S - We need someone to play when Ward is hurt IOL - this would be a potential move to replace Mason in 2025 and compete with Green at LG this year RB - A 4th round rookie can be a legit starter in the NFL, so lets get one. This can all change according to Free Agency, but this is where I am at. We have the chance to bring in an entirely new roster or we can largely resign, get 1 or 2 difference makers in FA and continue to add young guys in the draft. Edited January 30 by Pastor Dillon 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jch1911 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 *Complete guide or complete guy? (TWSS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Dillon Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 1 hour ago, jch1911 said: *Complete guide or complete guy? (TWSS) Both 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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