Signings, Cuts, Trades

[Simba]

Titans preparing to release Julio Jones.

Kinda wild how fast some guys fall from greatness. Still a good player but two straight years of injuries now and didn't look near as explosive as he used to be, and now cut.

 

[Davesta]

An adult?, god damn.

Media is burying him atm. I almost feel bad for the guy.

 

[D1City55]

I really want an edge, it doesn't have to be elite but someone like Justin Houston is a good idea, at the same time I really want us to keep Calais. Man this is difficult.

I would love to see Za'darius return, but I really hope he got over his back problem, they can be reoccurring and you need good bend to play the edge. He's a versatile rusher but you don't want to take bend away from any rusher.

 

[D1City55]

Media is burying him atm. I almost feel bad for the guy.

That statement he put out wasn't a good look for him. Tua dealt with trade rumors all year long and just kept his head up and went to work. Plenty of other QBs had to deal with similar circumstances.

 

[Willbacker]

Dude if we can nab a solid, durable, starting veteran RT and a top 5 safety, that would be amazing. I don’t think we have it in us though

I know you gotta be on dream street. We signing some serious free agents man.

 

[Adreme]

Fuck

The way this offseason has been going I find it unlikely only because the Cowboys are an NFC team and no one seems interested in taking the NFC team's money this year (which is getting really REALLY annoying).

 

[Adreme]

That statement he put out wasn't a good look for him. Tua dealt with trade rumors all year long and just kept his head up and went to work. Plenty of other QBs had to deal with similar circumstances.

In all honesty as bad as Baker has been Tua is the worst starting QB in the NFL by a healthy margin. Baker has had at least had some success, Tua I do not expect to have anything more than a backup job in 2 years.

 

[Grim]

I mean...ok, but several of the things I said in my last post weren't opinions. They actually were facts.
The fact that Stanley, Mekari and Moses have guaranteed roster spots isn't an opinion. It's a fact.
The fact that we have at least two interior lineman on the roster with guaranteed roster spots isn't an opinion either. It's a fact.
These things aren't up for debate or interpretation. The questionability of their impact or how well they play has a 0% impact on their roster status and how we allocate that.

I really don't care if people are talking about if Stanley returns. The entire concept of questioning whether he will isn't based on anything scientific or anything from a doctor, a team official, or literally anybody in a position to know those things. Its purely fanboy people suggesting that he might not because he's barely played in a year and a half. I work with the information I have until that information changes. Seems like a pretty straight forward thought process. Not sure why people are so fearful to adopt it.

In reality, it kind of doesn't matter at this point. They added one tackle like we all said they would, and they'll likely add another, like we will said they would. The difference is whether you add one in the draft early, who also probably won't be able to play LT (because historically, they won't) either, or you add a developmental player to play RT if needed, which is what I think they'll do. I think either Moses or Mekari can be the backup LT at this point, and I don't think we'll do any better now or in the future in that spot.

As for Tackles playing Guard, sure, it happens all the time. Much of that is a product of the best lineman in college playing Tackle in college, as opposed to them not being natural interior lineman. Oline play in college is already bad enough, so the idea of them putting their best Olineman on any given team on the interior isn't realistic. In any given years there's Tackles coming out of college who were great and that universally won't translate into anything other than a high-end interior lineman in the NFL. There's a reason for that.

Historically, we do draft Tackles and convert them into Guards. They just don't come from first round picks, or even rarely high picks. The closest thing to it was KO like a decade ago. For a third or fourth round pick, sure, makes perfect sense. That's historically where we've gotten high end interior and RT play from anyway, which is where I think they'll be at come late April.

As far as criticizing others opinions, THAT'S the modern internet. The modern internet has nothing to do with sifting through opinions. It has everything to do with people expressing those opinions, being able to defend them when challenged, and supporting those opinions with basis, evidence, facts, etc. There's a moral obligation there.

Yep, Stanley, Mekari, Moses aren’t going anywhere unless they decide (i.e., retire). I wouldn’t say anyone is guaranteed a spot besides Zeitler on the interior. Sure, TCC, Cleveland, Phillips are very likely to be here but we’ve cut guys before on the OL for not performing. Disagree with you here based on trends from the Ravens. We’re not afraid to let guys go but we do like to hold onto them; yes, kind of paradoxical. It really depends on who is still there. It’s gone both ways honestly.

As for this Ronnie Stanley talk and whether he’ll return or not, let me put that to rest. Eric said he misjudged his recovery and traded Brown. I’ll also be honest and say I did the same except others said to be cautious because you don’t know how Stanley will recover. I feel based on Eric’s comments that he will probably bring in Stanley insurance whether that comes in Round 1 or later. That’s because the team seems philosophically focused on flexible linemen who could play anywhere. This is based on Harbaugh constantly reminding us he will “play the best 5” guys. These are also facts, which are used to make my own assumptions

Anyway, don’t want to litter this topic anymore. I think we’ve both made our points. I have nothing else to say, so if you do I’ll say in advance thanks for the discussion. It was fun

 

[Grim]

I’d really like Smith back but man if it’s between him and Bozeman/Tretter that’s kind of tough. I guess the question is if he is a better player than either and I’m not sure he is. It’s close

 

[Simba]

I’d really like Smith back but man if it’s between him and Bozeman/Tretter that’s kind of tough. I guess the question is if he is a better player than either and I’m not sure he is. It’s close

The one thing about pass rusher is that there are still lots of guys out there. Sure, some are older and more rotational at this stage of their careers, but you have ways to get contributors there still. And then you have a draft class that's actually pretty full of options. At C, it's really one of those 2 or Mekari right now. Maybe a swing in the draft but there's not much there either.

 

[redrum52]

I’d really like Smith back but man if it’s between him and Bozeman/Tretter that’s kind of tough. I guess the question is if he is a better player than either and I’m not sure he is. It’s close

I'd take the center and have absolutely no problem trying to address the rest in the draft.

 

[Simba]

Z's back!

 

[Grim]

The one thing about pass rusher is that there are still lots of guys out there. Sure, some are older and more rotational at this stage of their careers, but you have ways to get contributors there still. And then you have a draft class that's actually pretty full of options. At C, it's really one of those 2 or Mekari right now. Maybe a swing in the draft but there's not much there either.

Absolutely how I feel too. I mean I suppose we could hope we get some dude in the draft to play C or maybe we love TCC but I’m not buying the latter and the former isn’t our MO. I feel like Smith won’t be back and that we will focus on interior DL and maybe a veteran edge guy and go with the draft to solve it. Honestly, I feel pretty strongly we’ll draft either Ojabo or Stingley with our pick. I just feel like C is a huge issue. I would love to get Linderbaum but outside of his size he has those short arms man. I just don’t know if he will translate well to the pros.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Yep, Stanley, Mekari, Moses aren’t going anywhere unless they decide (i.e., retire). I wouldn’t say anyone is guaranteed a spot besides Zeitler on the interior. Sure, TCC, Cleveland, Phillips are very likely to be here but we’ve cut guys before on the OL for not performing. Disagree with you here based on trends from the Ravens. We’re not afraid to let guys go but we do like to hold onto them; yes, kind of paradoxical. It really depends on who is still there. It’s gone both ways honestly.

As for this Ronnie Stanley talk and whether he’ll return or not, let me put that to rest. Eric said he misjudged his recovery and traded Brown. I’ll also be honest and say I did the same except others said to be cautious because you don’t know how Stanley will recover. I feel based on Eric’s comments that he will probably bring in Stanley insurance whether that comes in Round 1 or later. That’s because the team seems philosophically focused on flexible linemen who could play anywhere. This is based on Harbaugh constantly reminding us he will “play the best 5” guys. These are also facts, which are used to make my own assumptions

Anyway, don’t want to litter this topic anymore. I think we’ve both made our points. I have nothing else to say, so if you do I’ll say in advance thanks for the discussion. It was fun

1. I think Moses/Mekari is the Stanley insurance. The only way you can come close to guaranteeing anybody in the draft is Stanley insurance is by using the 14th pick on somebody, and even then, its debatable. No guarantees a good player will be there at that spot, and no guarantees they'll even be good enough to play LT. It took us over a decade to find a competent LT in the draft, and we needed a top 10 pick to do it.

There's no way Eric would think a day 2 draft pick is legitimate insurance for Stanley.

2. I've not seen us cut a second or third year Olineman, picked on day 2, for bad performance. These guys are not 6th or 7th round picks. If Cleveland falls flat on his face in camp he's still going to be like the 3rd or 4th interior lineman. Go back and look at our mid-round Oline selections in the Harbaugh era. Practically none of them ever get shown the door before year 4.
The trends you see are coming from other position groups, not this one.

3. The Ravens moved off the "play the best 5" Oline routine several years ago. We refused to kick Yanda out to Tackle a few years back (which we did before) when we were weak there and our interior line play was better. We could have easily kicked Bozeman to LG and played TCC at Center this past year, and we didn't.
They've shifted to a "we don't want to downgrade two positions model". Whoever the backup LT will be is likely to stay that way. If Stanley gets injured mid game, Mekari probably plays left, and Moses stays on the right. I don't think they'll flip them.
Just because they like diverse lineman, which all teams do, doesn't mean they'll shift 2-3 guys up and down the line for a single injury. They just like guys who are versatile because it means we don't have to carry 11-12 Olineman on the roster.

 

[Grim]

I'd take the center and have absolutely no problem trying to address the rest in the draft.

Yeah, same, but not sure the Ravens agree lol see below

Z's back!

Damn looks like Eric said “hold my drink”

 

[rmcjacket23]

Z's back!

Guaranteed money is important, but I'm a little disappointed in this one. I really would have preferred us to go draft heavy with pass rushers. At $5-6M per year, I'd have liked it a little more. Just feels a bit rich to me.

Also feels to me that, at least for the next few days, it may take us out of the FA Center market (or at least out of the Tretter/Bozeman) market.

 

[Dom McRaven]

Z's back!

#SIIE BITCH! MOTHERFUCKING #SIIE! DON'T FUCK WITH US!!!!!

 

[Simba]

Guaranteed money is important, but I'm a little disappointed in this one. I really would have preferred us to go draft heavy with pass rushers. At $5-6M per year, I'd have liked it a little more. Just feels a bit rich to me.

Also feels to me that, at least for the next few days, it may take us out of the FA Center market (or at least out of the Tretter/Bozeman) market.

I think you're still drafting 1 or 2. Oweh, ZDS, and Bowser coming off of injury are the only locks right now.

 

[Michael M.]

ZDS to Ravens!!!!!!

 

[Michael M.]

What an FA coup!