2018 Free Agency

[redrum52]

This guy is a straight bitch. Man the fuck up and admit you took the money and checked out and robbed us.

Don't fault him. When he was somewhat healthy the offense was a steaming pile of shit and then he gets hurt towards the end when people finally decide to start carrying their weight. It's a business, never forget that. And I hated the signing, but will never get mad at a player trying to protect their self.

 

[RavensMania]

And? Sucking in pass pro on the edge is still sucking. Elite pass rushers line up on the right.

I’d say keeping him would be settling for mediocrity but Hurst isn’t mediocre. He sucks.

Decosta’s first order as GM next year better be to release him. If he’s the RT Flacco is gonna get killed

Maybe they want a new QB in 2019

 

[redrum52]

I hope he makes the right choice and goes to Indy. Get that bread Jensen.

 

[Oldfaithful]

Peter Schrager:

"Ravens Center and UFA Ryan Jensen has plans to make two different free agent visits this week: Tampa Bay and Indianapolis."

Hmmmm.. Both in which are set at the C position with Marpet and Kelly. That's interesting. Hopefully he sees that the Colts are an even bigger shit show than we are and that Tampa Bay always stumbles into bullshit....

This might be good for us
*knock on wood*

Please come back Ryan, the oline really needs you

 

[RavensMania]

***IMPORTANT RAVENS CONTRACT NUMBERS ALERT***

James Hurst cap numbers from Brian Mcfarland:

James Hurst's $17.5M, 4-yr deal includes a $5M signing bonus & base salaries of $1M ('18), $3.5M ('19), $4M ('20) & $4M ('21). His 2018 Cap number is $2.25M. The deal contains $6M in full guarantees & $2M of his 2019 base salary of $3.5M is guaranteed for injury only.

(anyone who thinks that's not backup money is kidding themselves) - his highest cap numbers are in years 3 and 4 at which point he can be cut
his cap number in year 2 is 4.75m - this is essentially a 2 year deal...

_______________________________________

now for Ryan Grant (based off Mcfarland's predicted numbers but it's my own maths so this could well be more wrong):

29 mill with 14.5 mill guaranteed probably means something like this: that likely means 10 million signing bonus with the other 4.5 million covering the first 2 years' base salaries (the 2nd one likely only being guaranteed through injury)

that would mean his signing bonus cap hit each year is 2.5 mill and his base salary would be 1 mill in year 1, 3.5 mill in year 2 - which would make his cap hits look like this:

year 1: 3.5m
year 2: 6m
year 3: 10m
year 4: 9.5m

importantly though we could cut him in year 3 and save 5m or cut him in year 4 and save 7m so yet again this is essentially a 2 year deal

_______________________________________

to me those contracts both look like reasonable 2 year deals with expensive non-guaranteed base salaries in years 3 and 4 that agents probably argued for to make the contract look bigger but ultimately we wont be paying either player in year 3 or 4 (unless ryan grant knocks it out of the park)

THAT IS WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY

 

[BloodRaven]

And? Sucking in pass pro on the edge is still sucking. Elite pass rushers line up on the right.

I’d say keeping him would be settling for mediocrity but Hurst isn’t mediocre. He sucks.

Decosta’s first order as GM next year better be to release him. If he’s the RT Flacco is gonna get killed

Hurst sucks balls, hes already cost us two seasons by crippling Flacco

 

[jboy19]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Grant contract had an option after year 1 or 2 with the value increasing every year. That would make more sense with the numbers we've seen so far.

Something along the lines of
2018: 6.5 mil
2019: 7 mil
-option-
2020: 8 mil
2021: 8 mil

 

[redrum52]

While the fantasy guys may not like the way the Ravens are navigating free agency it would seem they are going about their business in a methodical and intelligent manner. At this point I just hope they find a way to keep Jensen as I hate to think about starting over(again) at center.

They're starting over at center...

 

[rossihunter2]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Grant contract had an option after year 1 or 2 with the value increasing every year. That would make more sense with the numbers we've seen so far.

Something along the lines of
2018: 6.5 mil
2019: 7 mil
-option-
2020: 8 mil
2021: 8 mil

that year 1 cap hit is too high - i imagine it'll be around half of that figure

 

[RavensMania]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Grant contract had an option after year 1 or 2 with the value increasing every year. That would make more sense with the numbers we've seen so far.

Something along the lines of
2018: 6.5 mil
2019: 7 mil
-option-
2020: 8 mil
2021: 8 mil

Guess is his salary is 1m in yr 1 with another 2.5 million coming from prorated signing bonus money for a max cap hit of 3.5m

 

[rossihunter2]

THAT IS WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY

i feel like no one's reading the numbers... the more i see the contract numbers come out and the more i see the film, the more it seems that we got fairly good value for some fairly methodical signings - now they aren't the splash that steve promised but they seem like fine moves

 

[jboy19]

Jensen is on a plane. But he's been in Colorado probably so that doesn't tell us much.

 

[Ravensnation5220]

THAT IS WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY

Me too....

 

[Oldfaithful]

So when Hurst inevitably ends up starting and Flacco gets massacred you can thank Ozzie for this crap.

Jesus we need to learn to quit on players. Hurst has provided no tangible benefit since his arrival, he's cost Flacco two seasons of his career. That deal isn't bad... But make no mistake. I don't want the guy here. He sucks, he's a liability on the field, and for whatever reason Harbaugh loves him. "But he's durable". Yeah, he stays healthy. Means nothing to me when you suck as much as he does. He was NOT a reason for our oline turnaround, he was still a bad guard. You can attribute that to the fact that Collins is good at creating his own crap, and that Roman is a goddamned offensive genius who we should probably make HC when Harbaugh is fired. He was even worse at T, rag dolled around the field. Sorry. No thanks. That money could've been put to better use no way to spin it. Alex Lewis is a MUCH better version of Hurst and he's also cheaper. We should've let the guy walk, made Lewis into a backup because he's not starter material either(and is so much better than Hurst was), and used that $1 million(and yes, that's not a lot in NFL cap terms) to possibly pony up some more money for a Paul Richardson type.

Or better yet, ACTUALLY UPGRADE THE DAMN LINE. Stanley and Yanda are fantastic pieces. Those are our only 2 players under contract worth a damn right now. There are 5 oline starters and we are going to play tough defenses next season. This is fucking unacceptable. Football is won in the fucking trenches and a repeat surprise performance by Skura and Hurst is incredibly unlikely. I'm pretty damn sure that Hurst will end up starting, he always does somehow. If we think Skura is the future at C, we are sorely fucking mistaken. He's bad too.

At this point I'm hoping we pull a trade for Ju'Wan James, draft Frank Ragnow in round three, and that Nico Siragusa comes back from injury at 100%. Lewis, Hurst, and Skura starting is a recipie for failure on this team even if we somehow were to get two elite receiving talents in the next few days.

It doesn't even have to be a dominant line. That's a lot to ask. Just get me one that won't fold at the worst moments where none of the players outright suck and none of the players are burdens. That shouldn't be too much to ask, but oline has been a top need on this team for three years now, and all we've fucking done is drafted Stanley. A big move sure, but that shouldn't be our only move smh.

 

[Simba]

So when Hurst inevitably ends up starting and Flacco gets massacred you can thank Ozzie for this crap.

Jesus we need to learn to quit on players. Hurst has provided no tangible benefit since his arrival, he's cost Flacco two seasons of his career. That deal isn't bad... But make no mistake. I don't want the guy here. He sucks, he's a liability on the field, and for whatever reason Harbaugh loves him. "But he's durable". Yeah, he stays healthy. Means nothing to me when you suck as much as he does. He was NOT a reason for our oline turnaround, he was still a bad guard. You can attribute that to the fact that Collins is good at creating his own crap, and that Roman is a goddamned offensive genius who we should probably make HC when Harbaugh is fired. He was even worse at T, rag dolled around the field. Sorry. No thanks. That money could've been put to better use no way to spin it. Alex Lewis is a MUCH better version of Hurst and he's also cheaper. We should've let the guy walk, made Lewis into a backup because he's not starter material either(and is so much better than Hurst was), and used that $1 million(and yes, that's not a lot in NFL cap terms) to possibly pony up some more money for a Paul Richardson type.

Or better yet, ACTUALLY UPGRADE THE DAMN LINE. Stanley and Yanda are fantastic pieces. Those are our only 2 players under contract worth a damn right now. There are 5 oline starters and we are going to play tough defenses next season. This is fucking unacceptable. Football is won in the fucking trenches and a repeat surprise performance by Skura and Hurst is incredibly unlikely. I'm pretty damn sure that Hurst will end up starting, he always does somehow. If we think Skura is the future at C, we are sorely fucking mistaken. He's bad too.

At this point I'm hoping we pull a trade for Ju'Wan James, draft Frank Ragnow in round three, and that Nico Siragusa comes back from injury at 100%. Lewis, Hurst, and Skura starting is a recipie for failure on this team even if we somehow were to get two elite receiving talents in the next few days.

It doesn't even have to be a dominant line. That's a lot to ask. Just get me one that won't fold at the worst moments where none of the players outright suck and none of the players are burdens. That shouldn't be too much to ask, but oline has been a top need on this team for three years now, and all we've fucking done is drafted Stanley. A big move sure, but that shouldn't be our only move smh.

I know I'm poking the bear here with your insistence on the OL, but why do you believe that Hurst and Skura simply overachieved? Why is it a surprise performance that can't be repeated? I don't think either of them are great players by any means, but to you, why isn't last year indicative of what they can do moving forward?

 

[Sami84]

I know I'm poking the bear here with your insistence on the OL, but why do you believe that Hurst and Skura simply overachieved? Why is it a surprise performance that can't be repeated? I don't think either of them are great players by any means, but to you, why isn't last year indicative of what they can do moving forward?

James Hurst isnt going to suddenly become a good player. he's below average at best and that is at LG.
as much as PFF isnt a bible skura was ranked at the near bottom of guards.

Alex Lewis is awful option at RT too. He's too slow footed. At LG he's ok.

I don't trust this FO with anything TBH

 

[rossihunter2]

Oh mama...
Per Rapsheet:

The Giants are signing LT Nate Solder to a 4-year deal worth $62M, source said, with $35M guaranteed. The highest paid OL in the NFL.

 

[Oldfaithful]

I know I'm poking the bear here with your insistence on the OL, but why do you believe that Hurst and Skura simply overachieved? Why is it a surprise performance that can't be repeated? I don't think either of them are great players by any means, but to you, why isn't last year indicative of what they can do moving forward?

We don't have a cakewalk defensive schedule next season and even with the one we had last year there were significant times where both just struggled mightily. Hurst namely in the run game where so many of you guys give him credit. New flash: HE WAS TERRIBLE IN THIS FACET. He was a mediocre pass protector, I'll give him credit there. He was "meh". He didn't excel, he did not struggle. He was adaquate at best. Not... starting.. caliber. As for Skura, he was actually worse individually in both facets and both struggled to anchor at times. We got lucky that Jensen was in this middle there to help plow things along and that Austin Howard was a damn good run blocker. Both are now likely gone and we have Lewis, Skura, and Hurst. All three in which are horrible run blockers, and no, Yanda coming back DOES NOT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. HE IS ONE MAN. He's a future hall of famer and is a boost, but he's not going to even offset losing both Howard and Jensen in the run game.

If our oline next year is
Stanley-Hurst-Skura-Yanda-Lewis.

It's going to fail miserably.

1. Only Stanley and Yanda are good run blockers.
2. Although Lewis and Hurst are adaquate in pass protection, Skura calling the protections scares the hell out of me.
3. Remember Gino Gradkowski. Skura isn't THAT BAD but he is proof that a bad center who cannot fucking anchor on a consistent basis can destroy an entire oline. Even in 2013 when Yanda started to call the protections, that line still struggled FFS.

So we get screwed in two ways. The running game probably takes a massive hit. Considering that the entire offense goes through it, that's not good. This makes us far more predictable(especially given that Marty is OC) and when teams stack the box I'm not sure the oline as a whole is gonna hold up.

Sorry. Unless we make upgrades, these WR acquisitions aren't going to matter as much as you think. Football is won in the trenches and we cannot have 3 below average players starting. We need at 2 more real offensive linemen, and one of those needs to be a C to call protections.

 

[Ice Bowl]

I hope you guys sign Jordy.

 

[Ice Bowl]

We don't have a cakewalk defensive schedule next season and even with the one we had last year there were significant times where both just struggled mightily. Hurst namely in the run game where so many of you guys give him credit. New flash: HE WAS TERRIBLE IN THIS FACET. He was a mediocre pass protector, I'll give him credit there. He was "meh". He didn't excel, he did not struggle. He was adaquate at best. Not... starting.. caliber. As for Skura, he was actually worse individually in both facets and both struggled to anchor at times. We got lucky that Jensen was in this middle there to help plow things along and that Austin Howard was a damn good run blocker. Both are now likely gone and we have Lewis, Skura, and Hurst. All three in which are horrible run blockers, and no, Yanda coming back DOES NOT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. HE IS ONE MAN. He's a future hall of famer and is a boost, but he's not going to even offset losing both Howard and Jensen in the run game.

If our oline next year is
Stanley-Hurst-Skura-Yanda-Lewis.

It's going to fail miserably.

1. Only Stanley and Yanda are good run blockers.
2. Although Lewis and Hurst are adaquate in pass protection, Skura calling the protections scares the hell out of me.
3. Remember Gino Gradkowski. Skura isn't THAT BAD but he is proof that a bad center who cannot fucking anchor on a consistent basis can destroy an entire oline. Even in 2013 when Yanda started to call the protections, that line still struggled FFS.

So we get screwed in two ways. The running game probably takes a massive hit. Considering that the entire offense goes through it, that's not good. This makes us far more predictable(especially given that Marty is OC) and when teams stack the box I'm not sure the oline as a whole is gonna hold up.

Sorry. Unless we make upgrades, these WR acquisitions aren't going to matter as much as you think. Football is won in the trenches and we cannot have 3 below average players starting. We need at 2 more real offensive linemen, and one of those needs to be a C to call protections.

Are you still lost in Translation lol?