Skip the 4-3! You cats are over-thinking this.
3-4 starters in preseason: Adalius and Woods outside, Mayo and Guyton inside. These are the guys returning from last season who were playing those assignments over the course of the season. They can get the job done.
-- Guyton and Mayo have bulked up, they look bigger and they both have looked promising against OL trying to block them.
-- Both need to get better at shedding once they stack (that's a practice at game speeds issue), but I'm seeing holes plugged or narrowed, correct shoulder usage, and Guards 100 lbs heavier need a running start to move them back a step.
-- Woods is picking up where he left off, I expect him to get better with more playing time.
-- Adalius is who he is.
-- Worst case scenario: Mayo goes down. Thomas puts on the green dot and moves inside. Woods flips to LOLB and TBC takes his place.
-- Burgess "has" been training for OLB.
4-2 Nickel: Mayo and Thomas inside, Burgess and TBC at DE.
-- Worst case scenario: Mayo goes down, Guyton comes in, Thomas takes the green dot. Woods backs up at DE.
4-3: Thomas, Mayo, and Guyton.
-- Woods has been training for OLB.
-- Worst case scenario: Mayo goes down, Thomas picks up the green dot and Guyton slides inside while Woods takes his slot.
-- Burgess was working at OLB in the 4-3 during garbage time in Philly.
If pats1 is correct, Ninkovich has PSquad eligibility and can continue to work on OLB/DE.
Alexander still looks to be ahead of Lenon or Ciurciu.
-- he got more playing time at LB in preseason by a significant margin and he looks to be as big as Mayo's reported 250.
-- Eric is looking much stronger at taking on OL in this camp, he used him time on IR wisely I'd say.
-- As a #4 ILB/4-3 OLB he's looked much better than all the people complaining about him credit.
The key is Thomas, he allows the flexibility. Woods and TBC have both been cross-training behind him, as has Guyton to some extent.
Depth chart:
3-4
LOLB - Thomas, Woods, Burgess, TBC, Guyton
SILB - Guyton, Thomas, Alexander
WILB - Mayo, Guyton, Alexander
ROLB - Woods, TBC, Thomas, Guyton
4-3
SLB - Thomas, Woods, TBC, Burgess, Alexander
MLB - Mayo, Guyton, Thomas, Alexander
WLB - Guyton, Woods, TBC, Alexander
It's not mid-season yet, the second year starters are going to be very solid if not scary good by then.