Signings, Cuts, Trades

[rmcjacket23]

The Steelers I think are projected to have the most cap next year.

EDIT: A lot of cap space.

They also only have 25 players under contract, won't have a QB, and like a large quantity of their existing good players aren't under contract for next season currently. So that cap space will dwindle significantly and quickly.

 

[rossihunter2]

Probably won't be, but it certainly depends on if the Cowboys are willing to run with Smith again at left tackle or draft one. If they draft best player available they may end up with DB or LT in that spot.

cowboys are 100% keeping smith at LT - they may well draft his replacement but he's not going anywhere in 2021 which means Orlando's not going to the cowboys

my guess is they go BPA between one of the top tackles and one of the top corners - and if not then i'm guessing they are trading down and still getting one of the top corners

 

[JO_75]

I'm not even mad at losing TY because I would have been more upset we overpaid him. Clearly we are trying to get a guy for Lamar and want to improve the passing game but it's just hard for any WR to come here and be relegated to blocking or just watching Lamar take off.

It's more frustrating knowing the real reason they don't want to come here and Harbs is acting like he doesn't know why.

 

[Simba]

It's definitely time to start looking in the mirror. I'm not a panicked type by any means, but this quite simply is not a good look. We know of 2 that turned us down but how many others are there that haven't leaked? I understand not every guy is going to want to play here and that's fine. Some guys have different goals and a guy like JuJu clearly is trying to hit the open market again. But it's definitely not a good thing when you're offering more money and/or years to guys and they're still turning you down.

 

[rmcjacket23]

cowboys are 100% keeping smith at LT - they may well draft his replacement but he's not going anywhere in 2021 which means Orlando's not going to the cowboys

my guess is they go BPA between one of the top tackles and one of the top corners - and if not then i'm guessing they are trading down and still getting one of the top corners

I actually think Dallas won't prioritize Oline as much as the public thinks. I think they're going to attribute many of their Oline issues purely to injuries.
Like Tyron Smith and LaEl Collins are both pretty good Tackles, and obviously they have Zach Martin. I think they'd even be fine with Connor Williams as a starting Guard also (2nd round pick from 2018). I think they obviously need to upgrade at Center, but I think fans are pretending like they need to overhaul the whole Oline, which I'm not seeing. I think their Oline needs are pretty comparable to the Ravens, which is they could use basically 1-2 upgrades.

Dallas needs a TON of help on defense in my eyes. They're really not that good at any level of defense. Secondary certainly needs work, and they're not even a particularly good pass rush group either, which is comical when you think of the money they're committing there.

 

[rossihunter2]

Why did Proche not even get a shot? Like I can understand something like maybe he didn't look super good in practice, but like that's just not the end all be all. Look no further than Ben Powers last year. And when you're literally worst in the league, it might not be a bad idea to let explore what you have. Didn't make a lot of sense to me.

i mean it's probably because snead was getting the majority of the slot work but it does surprise me that they didn't put him in there

proche had 25 offensive snaps this season and a fair few of those were kneel downs iirc
devin duvernay had 347 offensive snaps this season

i'm pretty sure i saw more good routes from proche on the all-22 than i did from duvernay

that's why it surprises me that proche only had those few opportunities - i get it that lamar threw a pick in his direction but lamar just lost the linebacker in the zone - and we saw him get open on a 3rd and 7 against the titans for his only reception of the year (really great design btw - we went 10 personnel with an empty backfield and had him isolated in man with off coverage in the slot and boykin ran off the outside corner which gave him half the field to work with and he ran a nice clean whip route which he sold really well and got wide open for a 12 yd gain to move the chains)

and yet after that reception, he had 1 target in the covid game vs the steelers and then we never saw him again really...

 

[QuothTheRaven]

Feels like this board is on the brink of a full-blown meltdown lol. Chill out guys - I know receiver is dire, but two guys opting to stay home with their current teams rather than move for a little extra is not a sign that the sky is falling.

 

[rossihunter2]

I actually think Dallas won't prioritize Oline as much as the public thinks. I think they're going to attribute many of their Oline issues purely to injuries.
Like Tyron Smith and LaEl Collins are both pretty good Tackles, and obviously they have Zach Martin. I think they'd even be fine with Connor Williams as a starting Guard also (2nd round pick from 2018). I think they obviously need to upgrade at Center, but I think fans are pretending like they need to overhaul the whole Oline, which I'm not seeing. I think their Oline needs are pretty comparable to the Ravens, which is they could use basically 1-2 upgrades.

Dallas needs a TON of help on defense in my eyes. They're really not that good at any level of defense. Secondary certainly needs work, and they're not even a particularly good pass rush group either, which is comical when you think of the money they're committing there.

just to clarify: the only reason i say tackle is because there's some good ones at the top of the class who might be available at the 10th pick that they normally might not have a shot at - it's not because i think they particularly need a tackle but because it's likely a highly rated guy is going to be available when they pick

the obvious choice seems to be a corner - and there's 4 who i think could go fairly early - it's possible 1 of them might sneak into the top 10 too

so i was more looking a their roster and the strength of the draft and forecasting what their decision might be

 

[redrum52]

Feels like this board is on the brink of a full-blown meltdown lol. Chill out guys - I know receiver is dire, but two guys opting to stay home with their current teams rather than move for a little extra is not a sign that the sky is falling.

Reserving criticism until after the draft. Everyone here knows what we need, but we've never gone out and spent all our cap on FA guys, so not sure what many were expecting.

 

[Simba]

Feels like this board is on the brink of a full-blown meltdown lol. Chill out guys - I know receiver is dire, but two guys opting to stay home with their current teams rather than move for a little extra is not a sign that the sky is falling.

I don't think meltdown is the right word, but I think people have a right to be a little off put by what has transpired so far. I love DeCosta but think he messed up this WR FA market quite a bit. A couple of value guys (e.g. Marvin Jones) slipped through because EDC wanted to be patient and let the market drop. But the market picked up quick and now he's had to go for just about anyone that's left instead of just ponying up from the beginning and securing someone. Patience is a good thing most of the time, but it definitely backfired here. We pretty much have 1 option on the FA market left.

 

[rossihunter2]

It's definitely time to start looking in the mirror. I'm not a panicked type by any means, but this quite simply is not a good look. We know of 2 that turned us down but how many others are there that haven't leaked? I understand not every guy is going to want to play here and that's fine. Some guys have different goals and a guy like JuJu clearly is trying to hit the open market again. But it's definitely not a good thing when you're offering more money and/or years to guys and they're still turning you down.

the fact we offered TY 3 years reminds me of offering Dez that 3 or 4 year deal a few years ago that he turned down - older guys who want a chance to increase their value/find more money - but that's conjecture

i think the only thing that stops this from necessarily looking completely damning (rather than a bit worrying) is that both guys who turned us down stayed with their original teams

 

[rossihunter2]

I don't think meltdown is the right word, but I think people have a right to be a little off put by what has transpired so far. I love DeCosta but think he messed up this WR FA market quite a bit. A couple of value guys (e.g. Marvin Jones) slipped through because EDC wanted to be patient and let the market drop. But the market picked up quick and now he's had to go for just about anyone that's left instead of just ponying up from the beginning and securing someone. Patience is a good thing most of the time, but it definitely backfired here. We pretty much have 1 option on the FA market left.

which is odd because one of the hallmarks of decosta's early tenure has been a tendency to be aggressive

id find it surprising if we werent but there's no actual confirmation that we were ever interested in davis or jones despite them being the 2 the fanbase fixated on since before the market opened

 

[rmcjacket23]

just to clarify: the only reason i say tackle is because there's some good ones at the top of the class who might be available at the 10th pick that they normally might not have a shot at - it's not because i think they particularly need a tackle but because it's likely a highly rated guy is going to be available when they pick

the obvious choice seems to be a corner - and there's 4 who i think could go fairly early - it's possible 1 of them might sneak into the top 10 too

so i was more looking a their roster and the strength of the draft and forecasting what their decision might be

Agreed. If I were running that team, I'm just simply selecting like the best defensive player on the board in the first like round or two, regardless of position. There's virtually nothing they don't need.

I think they can look to acquire depth at Oline in the middle rounds.

 

[QuothTheRaven]

I don't think meltdown is the right word, but I think people have a right to be a little off put by what has transpired so far. I love DeCosta but think he messed up this WR FA market quite a bit. A couple of value guys (e.g. Marvin Jones) slipped through because EDC wanted to be patient and let the market drop. But the market picked up quick and now he's had to go for just about anyone that's left instead of just ponying up from the beginning and securing someone. Patience is a good thing most of the time, but it definitely backfired here. We pretty much have 1 option on the FA market left.

I meant specifically the reaction to JuJu and TY really.

It does seem like the Ravens front office need to re-evaluate what "value" looks like at receiver. At this stage, an overpay for a stud is a better idea than a move for some JAG where the contract is nice a raises a little golf clap for what a bargain it is. If we consistently think the league overpay for a position then our evaluation might just be getting a little dated.

However, it's still only March and we all agree that we don't need stars, we just need NFL calibre players. Some of those will be cut in the coming months.

 

[QuothTheRaven]

both guys who turned us down stayed with their original teams

This is important! Like c'mon guys, are we so surprised that TY likes Indy?

 

[Simba]

which is odd because one of the hallmarks of decosta's early tenure has been a tendency to be aggressive

id find it surprising if we werent but there's no actual confirmation that we were ever interested in davis or jones despite them being the 2 the fanbase fixated on since before the market opened

I think the thing about a guy like Jones in particular is even if we weren’t interested then, we almost surely would be now if he was still available. I’d guess we probably weren’t interested in Hilton much last Monday, but because he was one of just a few still available today, we went after him. Just screams a misjudged market.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I don't think meltdown is the right word, but I think people have a right to be a little off put by what has transpired so far. I love DeCosta but think he messed up this WR FA market quite a bit. A couple of value guys (e.g. Marvin Jones) slipped through because EDC wanted to be patient and let the market drop. But the market picked up quick and now he's had to go for just about anyone that's left instead of just ponying up from the beginning and securing someone. Patience is a good thing most of the time, but it definitely backfired here. We pretty much have 1 option on the FA market left.

Lesson learned, hopefully.

 

[ndub]

Egads!! Hilton even passed up more money from us? I see a trend!

 

[ndub]

I’m seeing a lot of purple shaded glasses... perhaps players in that position are just passing us up because they, I don’t know, don’t like the system here??

 

[rossihunter2]

I think the thing about a guy like Jones in particular is even if we weren’t interested then, we almost surely would be now if he was still available. I’d guess we probably weren’t interested in Hilton much last Monday, but because he was one of just a few still available today, we went after him. Just screams a misjudged market.

definitely - we'll see what happens with watkins though - definitely a good sign (for us) that the colts brought back TY - would suggest they're not that interested in watkins anymore

we've got to survive his trip to tennessee now lol