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Article What I (hope) think the offseason will look like: Offense Edition.

Oldfaithful

Hall of Famer
What I (hope) think the offseason will look like: Offense Edition.

Anyone who is anyone knows that

First step to fixing this offense. Clear up the holes on the oline. Go get a real RT for the future. Or fix the shit LG situation. Resign Jensen. We have always been a run first team. Keep it that way. Whether you think that Collins is worthy of being a feature back or not is irrelevant. He looked the part last season despite an overachieving line and Dixon himself will be back and looked the part of a starter in 2016. Woodhead is a good compliment. With Roman I have little doubts that we'd have an elite rushing attack if we addressed the oline, which I hope to god we can fix.


Fix this oline and find a legit #1 option (notice how I didn't say WR. If we had a receiving TE who was our go to option with a few #2 WRs starting that would be good enough) in the passing game the offense is going to improve significantly if everyone is healthy.


While I have my doubts about it. A realistic offseason that I could see for us is something along the lines of this at the moment.


Cuts Candidates(nothing is certain): I would cut all of the following

Austin Howard(he was nothing more than a stopgap anyway)

Brandon Carr(Humphrey won't be suspended and Young should have started walking a few months ago anyway per typical ACL rehab. He'll be more than good to go for training camp and should be back to normal athletically when the regular season gets around. That gives us two good starters at corner. Canaday looks like a nice option. Jimmy should be good to go when the regular season rolls around and likely won't have to immediately assume #1 CB duties(might never have to again if Humphrey continues his development. I have a strong feeling we address corner in the draft at some point to. Carr was solid, but I could see us not picking up his option at all and going for someone in free agency who'd be more expensive, but also more reliable. Yes, I would personally cut him)

Jeremy Maclin(he's gone. Little doubt in my mind. Temper tantrums on the sideline, little effort given in games. He's the current Lee Evans)

Ladarius Webb(cheaper contract, I hope he isn't cut because as far as depth goes, he's very good)


Restructure/Paycut/Extension Candidates

Eric Weddle(paycut. Weddle LOVES it here. Even if he was cut somehow I could see him taking a paycut. He clearly cares more about the best interests of the team. At this point. This is realistic in my eyes. He's set to make a lot of money and he had a bit of a down year. I could see us extending him to drown out his cap hit. This is one of the most obvious moves in my eyes)

Jimmy Smith(extension. Smith has been doing this for awhile, and even if he were to take a $5 million paycut this season he would still be making considerably more this season than he has been making the past two.. This is an obvious move)

CJ Mosley(extension. Extending him should be one of the top priorities of the offseason. He's the brain of the defense. He's one of the most essential players in the front seven and had a bit of a down year playing through injury. Sure. He looked bad in coverage last year(because of the injury) but he's an underrated coverage backer based off of the 2016 season. He's set to make a lot of money next season and Ozzie will likely give him a backloaded extension. Again, an obvious move).

Joe Flacco(unlikely, but paycut. Flacco has called himself out in the past for shit play. I think he also knows he's been playing bad. he could take a miniscule paycut, but miniscule for him would be a lot for us)

Marshal Yanda(extension candidate. Yanda is older but guards have been effective into their late thirties before so this isn't a total impossibility. His cap hit is set to be pretty high next season. Deservedly so as he is a future hall of fame level player. But I do see him as the type to put the best interest of the team on his shoulders as he is a pretty unselfish guy off the field and makes millions anyway. Dark horse, but I could also see it not happening)


4 of these are actually pretty feasible.


Free Agent options. Whether I disagree with them or not here's how I got.

Key positions of need: WR, OL, TE


WR candidates:

Jarvis Landry: Eric Weddle called him out on twitter. Which means only one thing. We have him on our radar. Though I could also easily see this being a smokescreen. He’s likely out of our price range anyway. He’s actually an ideal fit with Joe but overpaying for him would be a mistake. I’d be surprised if he came to Baltimore. I’d welcome him for the right price.

Allen Robinson: Will likely be out of our price range but is honestly the perfect jumpball WR for Flacco. Dissapointing and I’d honestly focus a decent amount of resources his way. It is possible he comes for cheaper than expected because he is coming off of an injury.


Sammy Watkins: Highly doubtful he leaves LA. But would be a good fit here. When healthy the dude is a big play machine and Flacco would make the most out of him. I’d strongly consider the man if he wanted to come here. He also should not be way too expensive.

Terrell Pryor: Had a down season with the Redskins. Supremely talented. Good in contested situations but not much else. He should be cheap and he is an option we should strongly consider for that reason alone.

Marqise Lee: Not ideal and I do not see him being a #1 WR. He’s a good player but just not a world beater. I could see him having a solid impact here but not in a #1 way. I see him as a better version of Chris Moore for us. A good thing, but not the #1 we are looking for. Could be a good #2 WR for us though, which would honestly be an upgrade.

Paul Richardson: See Marqise Lee. I don’t see a #1. Good #2 but a little too inconsistent for my taste. Can make some spectacular catches, but is a tad overrated when it comes to athleticism. Not as effective as Lee is after the catch and I think he’s a tad overrated as a deep threat. Nonetheless, would be a solid addition to the offense but wew better not overpay for him.

Jordan Matthews: This is an Ozzie Newsome move. Had a strong first three years in the league before injuries hindered him this previous season. Does not help that Buffalo did not have the most ideal QB situation either. He’s got some maddening drops but is more or less reliable and is a good route runner. More of a possession guy, but if there’s anyone who could become a #1 WR of the #2s. I see it being him. Unlikely, but he won’t be expensive and should be a good option.

Brice Butler: Don’t see a #1 option here either. But could be a talented bargain. Carries a bit of an ego but a little ego can go a long way. Should come for a bargain price and could be a #2 or a #3.

Donte Moncreif: Look at the Colts QB situation if you want someone to explain lack of production. He’s nothing but a possession WR but would be a reliable threat in the red zone. Not too expensive and he should want out of Indy.
Taylor Gabriel: He’s going to San Francisco imo. But he could be a fit here. He can take the top off of a defense, is a solid route runner. Not a #1 or #2. But a good slot option.


TEs:

Jimmy Graham: The biggest and best name on the market. Over the age of 30 but not a big concern for me. Tights ends who are as freakishly athletic as he is tend to age like fine wine and are still very athletic in their mid thirties. Besides, his game has a ton of skill to it. Graham in his prime was Flacco’s dream target. Tall, basketball skillset. He’d be an ideal fit here still. The question is how much is he going to cost? If he’s not too expensive he should be a high priority target for us as he is literally a perfect fit with Joe. If he’s anywhere more than reasonable we should cross him off the list and avoid the guy like the plague. He provides nothing in blocking, but that’s fine. We put up with Pitta for several years, we can do the same here.


Austin Sefrian-Jenkins: I think he’s going to hit the market and be an underrated addition. He has major talent and could develop into a #1 TE. He struggled until this year but did well with terrible QB play. He has very high upside and TEs are a notoriously slow position for development’s sake(part of the reason why I don’t think we really address it). If ASJ hits the market he should not be expensive at all and we should take a flier despite some of his character concerns.

Trey Burton: A name thrown a lot out there. He might be a solid edition. Very athletic and skilled, but stuck behind one of the better TEs in the game in Zach Ertz. He showed he could be a #1 option when Ertz went out with injury. =

Tyler Eifert: When healthy he’s a top 5 TE. The problem is, he is never healthy. Another player that would be an ideal fit with Joe but this go around he might be more on the affordable side because of his extensive injury history. For this reason I’d avoid him altogether. Besides, he’s unlikely to leave the Bengals anyway.

Ed Dickson: If he could catch he’d be a top TE with his athletic ability. No thanks


Offensive Line:

Cameron Fleming: A player who filled in as a solid spot starter for the Patriots who some team will overpay because the tackle market is terrible. Avoid him like the plague if you ask me.

Andrew Norwell: If there is any player I would sign and pay top dollar for this offseason it is Norwell over ANYONE. He would push the oline over the top if we found a way to retain Jensen. We would arguably have the best interior in football and we’d have one of the 3 best lines. That said, this is a mere pipe dream. The Panthers are unlikely to let him go and some team will pay more than we will be willing to despite the fact that he is an elite guard himself. Shame too, he’s literally perfect for our scheme.

Justin Pugh: Not a scheme fit at all, but is still a very good player. Since Roman does run his share of zone plays I do wonder if he is to be in play at all. If we do get him, he’s a very good guard and would EASILY be an upgrade over anyone we have at LG right now, especially Lewis. I would not object to adding him though he’s not really a fit. We do need a LG though.

Jack Mewhort: Mewhort on the other hand is a better fit and could come at a bargain. He has injury concerns but whenever he is on the field he tends to perform. Then again the Colts have just as many injury concerns as we do. If he comes at a reasonable price(which he very well might) I would STRONGLY consider bringing him on to help us solidify the line. Especially since Skura, Siragusa, and Lewis, while not good starters, are solid depth. So if he does get hurt if we make the playoffs he’d be back for that at least.


Potential Cap Casualties:

*****ALTHOUGH UNPOPULAR: This is likely the route the team takes per acquisitions. We all know how much Ozzie cares about his compensatory picks and they are likely to be cheaper anyway. We have a better success rate than failure rate with these type of players anyway************

WR:

Dez Bryant: Unlikely as it may be he’s a better fit here than some give him credit for. He was still the Cowboys best WR last year. He’s a diva so we are unlikely to sign the man anyway, but he could be the possession compliment we lacked. He’s more of a compliment than an elite WR at this stage of his career, but he still is a weapon defenses have to respect.

Torrey Smith: The Familiar name here could be a good pick up option. He’s younger than Mike Wallace and is likely faster at this point. Teams have to give him safety attention by default because Flacco still has one of the best deep balls in the game. He’s not a weapon that can take over a game, but teams are too smart to ignore him. If we let Wallace walk, I’d be very much in favor of bringing him in. He can’t do much else, but his very presence does open up the middle of the field which Marty does seem in favor of using.

Emmanuel Sanders: The first of two potential Broncos cap casualties. They’ll cut one of their players, and I don’t know which receiver they will. Sanders is my top choice for a cap casualty acquisition. He has familiarity within the division, and I think he could still be a #1 WR for our team. His game has no weaknesses, he can still take the top off of a defense, he’s not bad in contested catches, and he’s a good route runner. I think his and Thomas’ main issues have been because of the lack of good quarterbacking play thus far. Sanders is my top choice and I think he’s cut due to lack of productivity last season.

Demaryius Thomas: The other Denver WR. He looks to have lost a step but he’s still not slow. His struggles can once again be attributed to lack of quality QB play. He could still be a strong as an Ox possession WR we could desperately use. Not my first or second choice but he is still a talented player.


Michael Crabtree: Probably won’t get along with Jimmy Smith, but he would be the ideal possession WR we could use. He isn’t good for much else, but when it comes to jump balls he’s good at it.

Randall Cobb: I don’t think Rodgers would like it if his counterpart Nelson was cut. My second choice among the potential cap casualties is Cobb. He’s exclusively a slot guy, but he’s a slot guy who can still take the top off of a defense and work the middle of the field. He’s fallen out of favor with Rodgers thanks to the emergence to Davante Adams as a #1 WR. He is still a threat after the catch and he could become a reliable third down option. He also shouldn’t be as expensive. And he’s still in his prime. Would be very much in favor of bringing Cobb in. He can still play.


What does MY ideal offseason look like?

Glad you asked. Here’s what I hope happens. I’ll keep it as realistic as possible.


In House:

Cuts:

Austin Howard: More of a stopgap. He was solid but his play faded down the stretch. We need cap room.

Jeremy Maclin: He is more or less this generation’s version of our Lee Evans. He’s as good as gone.

Brandon Carr: I would still cut him. When I make my article on the defense I will explain why.

Ladarius Webb: Sorry buddy. I love you but you got to go. We need all the cap room we can get when we go into free agency.


Restructure/PayCut/Extension

Eric Weddle

Marshal Yanda

CJ Mosley

Jimmy Smith



Resign:

Ryan Jensen: I don’t think he’s going to be nearly as expensive as some think due to a multitude of variables. Some teams need a center but they’re not going to overpay. I think he stays and still gets a nice paycheck. He’s the only guy I see us retaining that’s and unrestricted free agent.


Free Agency.

Emmanuel Sanders

Demario Davis

Ross Cockrell


Draft:

Round One: Mike McGlinchey, RT

Round Two: DJ Moore, WR

Round Three: Mike Gesicki, TE

Round Three(comp): Jaleel Scott, WR

Round Four: Kylie Fitts, DE

Round Five: Riley Ferguson, QB

Round Six: Phillip Lindsay, RB


I’ll stick to my mock from earlier. This seems a little too ideal. But I think with the right moves this is a doable offseason. Davis could have a bounce back due to a prove it deal. I think Sanders is going to be cut and he comes here and shows he can still be a high end #2/low end #1 option than meshes well with Flacco. Ross Cockrell is another former Steeler who is a very solid CB and should provide what Carr did but is younger. Given the other options on the market, I could see him getting overlooked. We don’t address OG, but some needs need to be overlooked. The mock is obvious. McGlinchey solidifies the oline. Moore provides some much needed YAC on offense whilst Gesicki help out in possession situations. Fitts adds some depth, Ferguson the backup QB, Lindsay being the inevitable replacement for Woodhead/potential return man.


This offseason is not totally unrealistic and improves the team immensely.

The oline vastly improves. Stanley-Lewis/Siragusa-Jensen-Yanda-McGlinchey is a much improved unit. Adding Sanders, Moore, and Scott help out the WR corps. Gesicki adds a nice red zone threat. And the rest of the draft adds good depth.


Overall, here’s to hoping for a good offseason.
 

Ravensnation5220

Ravens Ring of Honor
I dont think finding a true #1 target should shoild be the priority but finding multiple targets. The goal shouldnt be to just find one guy we can lean on but find the best GROUP of pass catchers possible.

Also Dante Pettis is rising up my rankings. I might actually like him better than DJ Moore even though I have Moore higher in my rankings lol......might have to chamge that
 

RavensMania

Staff Member
Administrator
I like the idea of drafting Wynn over McGlinchey and improving our interior.
 
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