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Predict The Roster


SemperFeist

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12 minutes ago, SemperFeist said:

The Vikings learned the very hard way that you can never have too much cap space last year. So while the savings may appear to be nominal, now, in two months it may be needed.

Who were we going to sign last year that was a free agent through out the year that was going to make a large impact?

Most seem to forget players that are free agent's are players that could not make another team.

We really should be going into the season with around $10-15M this season. Should be more than enough to sign any free agent we want.

 

What trapped us last year was going after Bradford. This year if he goes down, we will not be going after another high priority contract like that. Not saying it wasn't a smart move with the roster we started the year out with. We could of signed every top free agent lineman and most likely still finished with the same record as we ended the year with.

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1 hour ago, SemperFeist said:

The Vikings learned the very hard way that you can never have too much cap space last year. So while the savings may appear to be nominal, now, in two months it may be needed.

That was a highly unique situation in which offensive linemen were dropping like flies, which isn't likely to be repeated.  And as gw pointed out, the Bradford situation complicated matters, as they weren't really anticipating having to take on another huge contract along with Adrian's.  Now his money is already accounted for in the budget, so the flexibility is already there.  So unless Bradford and Keenum both go down (and if they do, you're screwed anyway regardless of whether you have enough money), they'll be okay.   

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It's not just about preparing for injury, or signing a free agent. 

Clearing wasted cap space by cutting players like Wright, Lamar, etc. could also give the team more flexibility in extending a player like Barr, and handing out a great deal of a signing bonus on this year's books. 

Ultimately, it's not even about the money as the primary reason I'd cut Wright. It's his overall value. Wright is the 5th receiver on the depth chart, 4th with Floyd's suspension. He doesn't play special teams, and like last year, he's most likely going to be a healthy scratch each week. I'd much rather give that roster spot to a young, developing receiver instead of a 6th year veteran, who's pretty much peaked. 

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2 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

The Vikings learned the very hard way that you can never have too much cap space last year. So while the savings may appear to be nominal, now, in two months it may be needed.

Agreed. I don't like hanging onto veterans who have been passed in the lineup, even if the salary implications aren't much. Every bit matters, hopefully we aren't as cursed as last year in terms of salaries locked up in IR.

id like to see MN part ways with Wright, Tom Johnson and Lamur if guys like Adams, Coley, Sutton and Wilson show enough to be trusted as backups. This avoids wasting cap and allows younger players who may have a future to crack the lineup.

i don't think any one of Wright, Johnson or Lamur offer much to this team that can't be replicated by younger players.

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If the team can't use the extra million dollars this year they can carry it over to next year. An extra million a year may have been the difference between being able to get Kenechi Osemele last year instead of Oakland and needing to settle for the second option, Boone. The salary and relative value of Wright absolutely should be a factor in the decision of whether they keep him.

I will never understand the line of thinking that the team shouldn't worry about value in player contracts just because they can't use that money to sign someone else right now. NFL team's need to be very conscientious of how they use their cap resources.

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The above are fair arguments, I just don't happen to agree, as I personally would prefer keeping Wright over someone the likes of Fruechte, Jones, or MoBo.  I want someone that I can trust to be where they should be.  A year ago, I would have preferred to see Wright in the lineup before Cordarrelle or Charles, because, at least IMO, he was better than either one of them. 

And I'm not all that concerned about rolling money over to 2018, because Wright's definitely gone in 2018 even if he's around this year as his salary goes up and his dead money goes down, so his contract won't have any impact on Barr's extension nor will it have much impact on external free agency.  

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1 hour ago, disaacs said:

as I personally would prefer keeping Wright over someone the likes of Fruechte, Jones, or MoBo.  I want someone that I can trust to be where they should be. 

Wearing street clothes while wandering the sidelines, because he's inactive?

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2 hours ago, vikingsrule said:

id like to see MN part ways with Wright, Tom Johnson and Lamur if guys like Adams, Coley, Sutton and Wilson show enough to be trusted as backups. This avoids wasting cap and allows younger players who may have a future to crack the lineup.

Except Johnson isn't a backup, he's our starting 3-technique. Although, with another performance like he had against Buffalo, I could see that changing. 

Normally I'd agree with you about cutting Johnson, as I think Jaleel Johnson, Datone Jones, and Will Sutton all provide equal protection r greater talent with the potential and upside to get better. However, I can't see Zimmer cutting the only 3-technique that he has with experience in the system. 

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1 hour ago, SteelKing728 said:

I'm surprised Sutton is still on the team honestly

Shouldn't be.

Don't remember what I was watching but someone within the Vikings had him highly graded coming out of college as a 3-tech. But when the Bears drafted him they beefed him up and moved him to nose, where he struggled.. We signed him as a 3-tech and slimmed him back down to his college weight.

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I think Tom Johnson could definitely be a surprise cut, as well. He's the incumbent and the guy who's been here in the system, but there's a reason we signed two 3-techs and drafted another who could play there. I know there needs to be a Floyd replacement, but you don't add three guys to the spot if you're completely comfortable with the guy already on the roster.

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(crazy glitch just now...) Anyway --

Will Sutton has played 3 years in the NFL: 18 starts, 36 games, over 1000 snaps. He has ZERO career sacks. However highly thought of he was coming out of college, he hasn't been able to produce in the pros. 

No reason to think he's suddenly going to be a valuable NFL player. He hasn't done much in camp, from what I've heard. He's 3rd on the depth chart. He did nothing in the preseason game in Buffalo. 

Meanwhile Tom Johnson has 14 sacks in 3 years under Zimmer. Put that into context -- DTs (some DE/DT) with 12+ sacks over the last 3 years:

  Games Sacks & Tackles
Rk Player From To Draft Tm Lg G GS Sk Tkl Ast
1 Aaron Donald 2014 2016 1-13 RAM NFL 48 44 28.0 116 47
2 Gerald McCoy 2014 2016 1-3 TAM NFL 43 43 24.0 79 24
3 Geno Atkins 2014 2016 4-120 CIN NFL 48 48 23.0 74 36
4 Muhammad Wilkerson 2014 2016 1-30 NYJ NFL 44 42 22.5 103 75
5 Michael Bennett 2014 2016   SEA NFL 43 43 22.0 88 45
6 Robert Ayers 2014 2016 1-18 TOT NFL 36 22 20.5 70 22
7 Kawann Short 2014 2016 2-44 CAR NFL 48 41 20.5 88 68
8 Calais Campbell 2014 2016 2-50 CRD NFL 46 46 20.0 128 48
9 Fletcher Cox 2014 2016 1-12 PHI NFL 48 48 20.0 125 50
10 Ndamukong Suh 2014 2016 1-2 TOT NFL 48 48 19.5 125 62
11 Jurrell Casey 2014 2016 3-77 OTI NFL 47 47 17.0 110 56
12 Brian Robison 2014 2016 4-102 MIN NFL 48 48 17.0 63 21
13 Marcell Dareus 2014 2016 1-3 BUF NFL 38 37 15.5 97 42
14 Malik Jackson 2014 2016 5-137 TOT NFL 48 35 15.0 96 29
15 Sheldon Richardson 2014 2016 1-13 NYJ NFL 42 40 14.5 100 63
16 Tom Johnson 2014 2016   MIN NFL 46 10 14.0 50 25
17 Mike Daniels 2014 2016 4-132 GNB NFL 48 48 13.5 82 47
18 Timmy Jernigan 2014 2016 2-48 RAV NFL 43 26 13.0 47 46
19 Jason Jones 2014 2016 2-54 TOT NFL 45 36 13.0 66 25
20 Tyrone Crawford 2014 2016 3-81 DAL NFL 45 44 12.5 64 35
Rk Player From To Draft Tm Lg G GS Sk Tkl Ast
21 Akiem Hicks 2014 2016 3-89 TOT NFL 47 33 12.0 72 47
22 Sen'Derrick Marks 2014 2016 2-62 JAX NFL 36 19 12.0 56 15
 
That's really good company. He's a liability in the run game, so I expect someone else (Datone Jones probably, but maybe Jaleel Johnson) to eventually take the starting 3T spot in base defense. But he will absolutely make the team, and he'll be the nickel pass rushing DT. 
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Johnson only had two sacks last year, his production has been on the decline in each of the last two years. Age isn't on his side. I'm not convinced Sutton is more deserving of a spot. but I don't think 5 DTs are needed either. 

Jones is going to have a similar role to Johnson, I don't expect either to hold up in the run game. 

I think Stephen will play some base at UT until Jaleel Johnson is ready to contribute.  

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1 hour ago, Krauser said:

Will Sutton has played 3 years in the NFL: 18 starts, 36 games, over 1000 snaps. He has ZERO career sacks. However highly thought of he was coming out of college, he hasn't been able to produce in the pros.

Playing out of position.

If you put Linval Joseph at DE and he struggles, it doesn't mean he'd still be a bad player when you switch him to his more natural NT position.

Speaking of Linval, he had 0.5 sacks one year here. If he was any good, you'd think he could get at least one sack, right?

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