braveht

Reiss also mentioned paying him full salary on PS as a third option. Other than the very small (to team)impact on CAP what's the difference? Would he not play on PS at that base salary?

AndyJohnson

we go through this every year. Almost ZERO rookie players have ever been signed by another team after final cutdown before getting to the practice squad.
All the other teams will cut down to 53 as well. If they want Cobbs,they must cut a player who made their 53, who has spent their entire camp and preseason with them, and who knows the system, in order to sign a guy they know absolutely nothing about.
For those reasons it almost never happens. Why would you set yuor team back by cutting a guy ready to play and bringing in a guy who has to start all over in your system, when that guy was just cut by another team?
NFL teams simply do not operate under the principle that there is such a wide difference between the worst guy we kept and the best guy someone else cut that it makes up for those issues.
There will certainly be competition for Cobbs for a practice squad spot---we have no rights to him for the ps, anyone can sign him to the ps. He certainly would be a guy teams look at to sign off of our ps (or who evers he ends up on) as an injury replacement, but there is very little chance that he will be picked up by another team in the day or 2 between cutdown and ps signings.

I think it was last year, when someone questioned this and we actually researched and found something like 1 or 2 rookies in 5 years that were cut at final cutdown and signed by another team before the opener.

PatsFan37

OTOH, the non-rookie cuts get signed. There's a much better chance that another team will sign Hank Poteat (disparage him at your peril) than some camp-highlight rookie.

With all the rookies getting dumped, there are also experienced vets with serious NFL playing time that are falling into the same pool. If another team is going to blow a roster spot on a discard, it'll more likely be an experienced discard who can fit in quickly.

Displaced - Fan

I don't agree with this 100%. It is mostly true, but there are always a few teams with needs greater than what they already have on the roster. For example the Pats have need at WR. If a particular Vet was let go, N.E may pick him up and drop a player to PS. It seems every year N.E.picks up some Vet just before the start of the season.

Now granted Cobbs is not a Vet, but the Broncos love grabbing other teams PS RB's. The Jets have some major health issue's at RB. I'm not saying they will grab Cobbs, but there is a chance it will happen. The kid has show some nice skill not only in the preseason games, but also in practice with the starters.

dryheat44

That was me, two years ago. Maybe three. Time flies. I forget which player we were discussing (and I think he ended up making the 53), but you're right about the numbers. It just doesn't happen.

__________________
When it's third and 10, you can have the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time. -- R.I.P. Max McGee

old 55

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but last year didn't Eckels get signed directly from our cuts to the Fins who did make a roster spot for one day and then Military Reserved him?

I still think this was a mistake in the final cuts and that he could have helped with the Dillon, Faulk and Pass injuries last season.

patsox23

while I agree that the pats can better afford to let a RB go this year - Corey healthy, MARONEY here - I'd disagree with this. Putting Chapman on the ps was a dumb move - I said so at the time - and our running game was AWFUL last year. We needed Chapman and he was gone.

I think Cobbs is our Faulk of the future and we need to find a spot for him, in place of or in addition to Heath Evans.

dryheat44

Yeah. That was a scumbag move by Saban, because Belichick and the Navy reportedly had a deal worked out where Eckel would be stationed in Connecticut and made available for some practices. Saban signs him and basically stashes him long term, ending all football for Mr. Eckel for a few years.

As far as it being a mistake, as smart as Belichick is, he can't predict the future and foresee three RBs getting hurt. I thought Chapman was the better player myself.

__________________
When it's third and 10, you can have the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time. -- R.I.P. Max McGee

jaychamp

I like Cobbs, but if the Pats were serious about him making the roster, why has he never played with the 1st team? I've seen Evans play with the first, who is his competition to make the roster, but never Cobbs.

I'm pretty convinced now that he won't make the roster and is PS bound. I do hope they sign him though because he does appear to be a Faulk replacement who's getting up there in age

Oswlek

It wasn't a cut and sign, Miami put in a waiver claim. It was one of the all-time shadiest moves in football. It was pretty well-known that Eckel had to make the team or he would need to put in his time with the Navy (four years I think). I don't know it the practice squad would have counted towards "making the team," but Saban didn't want to even give that a chance. He put in a waiver claim knowing that the guy would not be able to go down to Miami, and subsequently put him on some sort of "reserve" list that deals with that situation. Since he was on the reserve list, he was Miami's property and may still even be today.

Basically, Saban crushed this guys hopes of ever making the NFL because he wanted to weaken NE's practice squad.

Edited to add that it was the Patriots, and the Patriots only that Eckel could make, due to their close proximity to the Rhode Island (I think) base he was due to report to. I don't think I made that clear before.