Tebucky signed a two year deal worth $2 million

[RayClay]

I hate to say it, but Tebucky's deal almost guarantee's him being on the team come September, unless BB is willing to kiss $300K goodbye, which I doubt.

I think that the signings of Mitchell and Jones does not bode well for Guss Scott OR James Sanders. I just don't see the Pats carrying 6 safeties and 6 DBs, unless they are MAJORLY gunshy about the possibility of injury.

I think that their signings all but eliminate the potential of drafting either a DB OR a safety in the draft.

They carried Whigham, Cherry and a bunch of "safeties" who couldn't play the position to save their lives because they were great special teams players. (Remember the end of the Carolina SB)? *shudder*.

Izzo is a LB, but do you really count him against available linebackers?

We need safeties for the future. We need veteran backups now. And we need much improvement on special teams.

As Troy would say, "we got bingo".

 

[mgteich]

An easy predicition:
One of those 11 won't be on the starting roster; there are any number of possible reasons.

Also, I would shocked if we keep only 6 DL's. The 3-4 needs backups. I suppose if we composed the roster today, we would have 11 defensive backs (your 11), 7 defensive linemen and eight linebackers.

Colvin,Brushi,Vrabel,Banta-Cain,Claridge,Beisel,Izzo and Davis

Posters here have predicted that Izzo and Davis would go for each year of the last five. I suppose some time they could be right.

9 linebackers and 10 defensive backs seems like the right numbers.

I expect to see 11 DBs.

CB : Hobbs, Samuel, Gay. Scott, Warfield.
S : Wilson, Harrison, Hawkins, Tebucky, Mitchell, Sanders.

Warfield is a lot more durable than Poole, reducing the likliehood we'll need a 6th CB and Hawkins can move to CB in an emergency. This is one more Safety than we really need but we can keep an extra Safety over a ST LB from last year like Chatham or maybe Klecko's time has finally come. The above 11 is a good mix of youth, experience, depth and ST ability.