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Signings, Cuts, Trades

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Yeah difficult to say who the backup LT would be with Hurst not around. I used to think the Ravens would normally go with the "best 5" meaning they'd kick a Guard or RT out to LT, but recently they've opted to pull from the bench. So its entirely possible that Ehringer or whoever wins the "swing tackle" job is the first guy in at either spot.

Depth at Tackle has been a concern of mine for several years now, and we've been generally pretty lucky with injuries there. Acknowledging though that its hard enough to find even competent Tackle player at a starting level, and we have two exceptional one's, so wishing for solid depth also is a bit unreasonable somewhat.

i think the philosophy changed so that the best 5 win in the preseason and training camp but once we're into the season it's about preserving chemistry as much as possible so that guys get to stay in their spots where possible
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Is he an ace or is he just the option we went with for 2019? Which btw was one of our weaker seasons STs wise

he's got the speed and build for it - multiple reps as the gunner on the other side to chris moore - wasn't drawing the same attention as moore but has the tools to be valuable

but more importantly for him he's the only RB likely to play any/much special teams and he definitely showed something as a RB down the stretch last year
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
There goes the Mack truck



Surprised but also not surprised at the same time. Didn't think he had much of a shot at making the 53 this year but figured he'd at least make it through camp, so that's the surprise.

Based on his emergency snaps last year and immediately signing 2 other big bodies in the next 2 days, I'm not too surprised. That's usually the type of guy they let step up but clearly they didn't see much in him. Misstep on that pick unfortunately.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Surprised but also not surprised at the same time. Didn't think he had much of a shot at making the 53 this year but figured he'd at least make it through camp, so that's the surprise.

Based on his emergency snaps last year and immediately signing 2 other big bodies in the next 2 days, I'm not too surprised. That's usually the type of guy they let step up but clearly they didn't see much in him. Misstep on that pick unfortunately.
He was interesting on film because he was clearly a pure 0/1 tech, but he had a VERY impressive first step. Other than that I never saw much, I liked his teammate keke a lot better.
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
He was interesting on film because he was clearly a pure 0/1 tech, but he had a VERY impressive first step. Other than that I never saw much, I liked his teammate keke a lot better.

Agreed. The first step was one of the few shining moments in his tape. For that alone, he's worth taking a shot because guys at that size generally don't have that. Unfortunately, he clearly didn't develop any of those weak facets of his game and now he's out of a job temporarily. Didn't work out but oh well. Not every draft pick is going to hit and I like DeCosta's continued stance that draft status doesn't matter if you can't play.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Surprised but also not surprised at the same time. Didn't think he had much of a shot at making the 53 this year but figured he'd at least make it through camp, so that's the surprise.

Based on his emergency snaps last year and immediately signing 2 other big bodies in the next 2 days, I'm not too surprised. That's usually the type of guy they let step up but clearly they didn't see much in him. Misstep on that pick unfortunately.

writing was on the wall before the draft and after drafting madubuike and broderick washington it seemed like it was a certainty

as you say the most surprising thing here is that he didnt even make it to camp
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Agreed. The first step was one of the few shining moments in his tape. For that alone, he's worth taking a shot because guys at that size generally don't have that. Unfortunately, he clearly didn't develop any of those weak facets of his game and now he's out of a job temporarily. Didn't work out but oh well. Not every draft pick is going to hit and I like DeCosta's continued stance that draft status doesn't matter if you can't play.

exactly - dont double down on a bad pick
i think decosta accepts the fact that as much as he loves the draft, he understands that it is still a lottery and that if you accept that you will make mistakes and you dont hold onto them too long there's little damage (as long as you still hit enough of the other ones - hence him trying to maximise picks each year so far)
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
writing was on the wall before the draft and after drafting madubuike and broderick washington it seemed like it was a certainty

as you say the most surprising thing here is that he didnt even make it to camp

You could even argue it was before that... re-signing Ellis was the nail in the coffin for me. Felt it was better to re-sign a vet that didn't play much down the stretch over a young guy on a rookie deal. Not that Ellis got above the minimum but that's typically a spot where you lean toward the younger players and they didn't.

Speaking of the draft picks, really curious to see what they do with Washington. Assuming health, he could be another 5th round pick on the outside looking in. With us routinely playing 2 true DL (although I think you might see 3 a little more often this year), it's a crowded spot. Campbell, Williams, Wolfe, Madubuike, and seemingly Ellis are the top 5. You also have Ward, McPhee, and Ricard who can all play DLin various roles. Do you need a 6th true DL? On the same token, DL across the league are opting out so can you afford to risk a young guy? It'll be interesting to see how they construct the roster this year, especially with us being able to surmise basically none of those decisions without a preseason.
 
exactly - dont double down on a bad pick
i think decosta accepts the fact that as much as he loves the draft, he understands that it is still a lottery and that if you accept that you will make mistakes and you dont hold onto them too long there's little damage (as long as you still hit enough of the other ones - hence him trying to maximise picks each year so far)

He understands the sunk cost fallacy
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
You could even argue it was before that... re-signing Ellis was the nail in the coffin for me. Felt it was better to re-sign a vet that didn't play much down the stretch over a young guy on a rookie deal. Not that Ellis got above the minimum but that's typically a spot where you lean toward the younger players and they didn't.

Speaking of the draft picks, really curious to see what they do with Washington. Assuming health, he could be another 5th round pick on the outside looking in. With us routinely playing 2 true DL (although I think you might see 3 a little more often this year), it's a crowded spot. Campbell, Williams, Wolfe, Madubuike, and seemingly Ellis are the top 5. You also have Ward, McPhee, and Ricard who can all play DLin various roles. Do you need a 6th true DL? On the same token, DL across the league are opting out so can you afford to risk a young guy? It'll be interesting to see how they construct the roster this year, especially with us being able to surmise basically none of those decisions without a preseason.

it could be that broderick ends up on the PS player list that's untouchable by other ball clubs (that's been set up for this year)
but i also think that while we clearly liked ellis more than mack, he's by no means safe and that he'll be fighting with washington for the 6th DL spot (or 7th if you include jihad ward in that position group)

preseason games arent the biggest loss but no joint practices is huge - i think we were gonna run as many of those joint practices as we feasibly could each year at this point based on how useful we've found them so far
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
it could be that broderick ends up on the PS player list that's untouchable by other ball clubs (that's been set up for this year)
but i also think that while we clearly liked ellis more than mack, he's by no means safe and that he'll be fighting with washington for the 6th DL spot (or 7th if you include jihad ward in that position group)

preseason games arent the biggest loss but no joint practices is huge - i think we were gonna run as many of those joint practices as we feasibly could each year at this point based on how useful we've found them so far

For sure - Ellis is by no means safe, but I do think he's in a better position than Washington currently. Had a period where Williams, Pierce, Peko, and Ellis were all on the active game day roster at a point last year... all huge bodies. If you get rid of Ellis, you have Williams left. I'm not sure I see them making that big of a change in what they want out of their DL.

Of course, Calais is filling some of that run stopping role but for a team that uses a true NT, it would be kind of surprising to me if they went with only 1 on the roster. Meanwhile, Washington would be battling Wolfe, Madubuike, Campbell, and McPhee (nickel situations) for a role on gamedays.

Obviously far too early to say one guy is definitely in the running and the other isn't. Just curious to see how it plays out because on paper, you can make arguments in either direction.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
For sure - Ellis is by no means safe, but I do think he's in a better position than Washington currently. Had a period where Williams, Pierce, Peko, and Ellis were all on the active game day roster at a point last year... all huge bodies. If you get rid of Ellis, you have Williams left. I'm not sure I see them making that big of a change in what they want out of their DL.

Of course, Calais is filling some of that run stopping role but for a team that uses a true NT, it would be kind of surprising to me if they went with only 1 on the roster. Meanwhile, Washington would be battling Wolfe, Madubuike, Campbell, and McPhee (nickel situations) for a role on gamedays.

Obviously far too early to say one guy is definitely in the running and the other isn't. Just curious to see how it plays out because on paper, you can make arguments in either direction.

positional value certainly gives him a chance at the roster for sure - but its also noteworthy that while he was often active he also didnt play a huge amount until the week 17 game - peko played far higher snap counts
 

Simba

Staff Member
Moderator
positional value certainly gives him a chance at the roster for sure - but its also noteworthy that while he was often active he also didnt play a huge amount until the week 17 game - peko played far higher snap counts

He could also be a PS candidate since there are no service time limits for 6 guys this year. Just going to be tough with DL this with so many opting out. Have to assume teams are going to have open spots which could mean it’s difficult to cut either of them.
 
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