Patriots Tendered Blount

[luuked]

Good point. Assuming they could have and didn't, I'm thinking the guy must have some serious baggage.

I guess you didn't read this thread properly. It has been stated several times that since the tender is at a 10% increase of the previous contract the Pats would have been on the hook for over 8m for a year of Floyd.

 

[maineman209]

wow ice cold move

How do all these RBs make the roster? lol.. maybe they get rid of Develin?

White
Burkhead
Gillislee
Lewis
Blount
Bolden
Develin

Unless they plan on trading Lewis, its a fight between Blount, Bolden and Develin for that 5th RB spot.. unless they go crazy and keep 6 RBs on the roster, but they're going to need to go with 6 WR also... so roster spots are going to be TIGHT.. plus a 3rd QB which we havent had in a long time

I seriously doubt that the Pats did this to get Blount back. They more likely did it for the comp pick.

It doesn't really restrict Blount's market since there are a number of teams with nothing to lose since they aren't getting any comp picks anyway - including at least one of the teams with whom he's been rumored to be in negotiations.

The terms of the tender also establish a baseline contract value for Blount of $1.1M salary plus incentives ($1.96M total) for 2017.

In 2016, the Pats had Blount, White, Lewis and Foster (4) ...
... plus Bolden as a core special-teamer
... plus Develin

It seems highly doubtful that the Pats would cut Develin in order to keep any additional RB since Develin's role is more that of a TE (blocking and occasionally receiving).

My (very early) guess is that the Pats end up with ...

- Gillislee and White as the top rusher and receiving back, respectively
- one of Lewis/Foster as the second receiving back
- Burkhead as the second rusher/3rd receiving back
- Bolden as a core special-teamer again ... unless they decide to pay Burkhead $3.15M for that role, or (more likely) decide to keep an extra player at another position who can replace Bolden as a core special teamer (e.g., O'Shaughnessy at TE). It's also possible that LeShun Daniels could replace Bolden straight up as core special-teamer, instead.

You're absolutely correct that keeping a 3rd QB significantly impacts the numbers game at other positions.

 

[maineman209]

Can it only be issued on May 9?

Good question.

I thought it was merely a deadline (it used to be June 1st). If so, then we can only speculate wildly about why the Pats may have waited until the 11th hour to exercise the option.

 

[Patsgofor4]

Lions: They have a need for a big back, not scheduled to receive any 2018 compesatory picks, BB is close to their GM.

Ravens and G-Men: They have a need for a big back, would likely lose a 7th round 2018 compesatory pick. F*ck both of those organizations.

Can't lose situation.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Not to derail the thread too much, but it's funny to read (for weeks now) guys talking about Lewis possibly being cut but have Foster making the roster? That's interesting. I know anything can happen in sports, but what has Foster shown to this point that would make some go that far with it?

 

[RobertWeathers]

I seriously doubt that the Pats did this to get Blount back. They more likely did it for the comp pick.

It doesn't really restrict Blount's market since there are a number of teams with nothing to lose since they aren't getting any comp picks anyway - including at least one of the teams with whom he's been rumored to be in negotiations.

The terms of the tender also establish a baseline contract value for Blount of $1.1M salary plus incentives ($1.96M total) for 2017.

In 2016, the Pats had Blount, White, Lewis and Foster (4) ...
... plus Bolden as a core special-teamer
... plus Develin

It seems highly doubtful that the Pats would cut Develin in order to keep any additional RB since Develin's role is more that of a TE (blocking and occasionally receiving).

My (very early) guess is that the Pats end up with ...

- Gillislee and White as the top rusher and receiving back, respectively
- one of Lewis/Foster as the second receiving back
- Burkhead as the second rusher/3rd receiving back
- Bolden as a core special-teamer again ... unless they decide to pay Burkhead $3.15M for that role, or (more likely) decide to keep an extra player at another position who can replace Bolden as a core special teamer (e.g., O'Shaughnessy at TE). It's also possible that LeShun Daniels could replace Bolden straight up as core special-teamer, instead.

You're absolutely correct that keeping a 3rd QB significantly impacts the numbers game at other positions.

Barring injury I would be shocked if Bolden is in a NEP uni on Week 1.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Not to derail the thread too much, but it's funny to read (for weeks now) guys talking about Lewis possibly being cut but have Foster making the roster? That's interesting. I know anything can happen in sports, but what has Foster shown to this point that would make some go that far with it?

Lewis would be traded - not cut.

Foster would basically need to have a 2015 Lewis camp and Lewis would need to be last year's Lewis or turn into Laurence Maroney to bring that about

 

[rookBoston]

(1) reminds me of the eligible tackle / ineligible running back play. Belichick is the only guy who has actually read all the rules, understood when each minor clause might come in handy, and remembered to play that card at the right moment

(2) not a chance that Devlin gets cut. He's a Belichick favorite and unique on the roster.

(3) the situation at RB already looks a lot like the situation at WR, where the countable number of qualified starting caliber players on the depth chart exceeds what the 53 man can carry.

I suppose this is BBs solution to building a roster that is bulletproof to injuries. We have to lose six or seven skill position players on offense before needing to scan the waiver wire or scout free agents working at Taco Bell

(4) at this time last year, we had Gronk, Bennett, Harbor and Derby. By mid-season, that was down to only Bennett. So, who can say

 

[farn]

Because he wasn't signed to a deal before May 10th?

Correct. Let me rephrase : Blount is no one's priority. All of the FAs that were highly sought after from NFL teams are signed.

 

[maineman209]

Not to derail the thread too much, but it's funny to read (for weeks now) guys talking about Lewis possibly being cut but have Foster making the roster? That's interesting. I know anything can happen in sports, but what has Foster shown to this point that would make some go that far with it?

Well, Foster potentially replacing Lewis is merely one possibility among many that we, as fans/outsiders, probably shouldn't reject out-of-hand given our extremely limited knowledge compared to that of the Pats coaches.

Foster was one of the top receiving backs in the nation, working against Pac-12 competition for four college seasons. He averaged 55 catches for 600+ yds and 3 TDs per season (Lewis' total receiving production at Pitt was less than Foster's average season).

Arizona State was reportedly beginning to transition Foster to more of a WR role during his last season there, and they even had him listed as WR on their roster. However, he also ran the ball very well, too. He was AZ State's lead rusher as a junior when the team went 10-3 (194/1081, 9 TDs).

The Pats kept him on the 53-man all last season, even though his contributions were minor/token, and only at the beginning of the season. So, he was practicing with the team every week, at least as part of the scout team.

Since practices are closed to the public and the media beginning about halfway through Camp, we really have no idea who's getting what reps at what positions.

It's possible that Foster was being used in a Lewis-type, receiving RB role on the scout team that the defense practices against.

It's also possible that the Pats were continuing Foster's conversion to more of a slot-WR role. He's almost identical, size-wise, to Edelman (much taller than Lewis) and also posted nearly identical testing numbers to Edelman's.

 

[maineman209]

(4) at this time last year, we had Gronk, Bennett, Harbor and Derby. By mid-season, that was down to only Bennett.

True for the most part.

However, Lengel had already been acquired during the week-8 BYE ... before Gronk was re-injured in week-9 against the Seahawks.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I don't think Blount plays as a Patriot this year.

I do think they want the compensatory (better than nothing) pick.

I do think that no takers by camp, and Blount putting up the right showing, changes this.

I do think that (God forbid) a camp injury changes this.

The lesson remains, NEVER rush for 18 TDs if you are a Patriots rb.

 

[maineman209]

Correct. Let me rephrase : Blount is no one's priority. All of the FAs that were highly sought after from NFL teams are signed.

I'm pretty sure that very few people thought that Blount would be "highly sought after" in free agency. I certainly didn't, and I'm a Blount fan. In fact, prior to the Gillislee acquisition, I was suggesting that Blount might remain unsigned through the summer and that the Pats might sign him to another cheap, one-year deal just before the start of Camp.

OTOH, there are (were) a few dozen UFAs (at other positions) of similar value to Blount who also remained unsigned through May 9th - possibly because teams simply didn't value them enough to risk losing a comp pick to sign them. That's not to say that these players had zero value.

 

[maineman209]

Barring injury I would be shocked if Bolden is in a NEP uni on Week 1.

I wouldn't be "shocked".

However, with guys like Langi and O'Shaugnessy on the roster who appear (at this point) to have the potential to offer more at their respective positions than Bolden does at RB, and the potential to offer just as much on ST, it seems to me that Bolden is far more vulnerable to being a Camp cut than he has been in the past.

 

[Jimke]

I wouldn't be "shocked".

However, with guys like Langi and O'Shaugnessy on the roster who appear (at this point) to have the potential to offer more at their respective positions than Bolden does at RB, and the potential to offer just as much on ST, it seems to me that Bolden is far more vulnerable to being a Camp cut than he has been in the past.

Don't forget Burkhead is a very good special teams player.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I wouldn't be "shocked".

However, with guys like Langi and O'Shaugnessy on the roster who appear (at this point) to have the potential to offer more at their respective positions than Bolden does at RB, and the potential to offer just as much on ST, it seems to me that Bolden is far more vulnerable to being a Camp cut than he has been in the past.

Yea. I really like Bolden too but he is in a dogfight this year. With that said, hes been in them before and has come out on top.

I just can't see the team keeping 6 RBs (including Develin). Burkhead, Gillislee, Whitey, DLew and Develin seem like complete locks unless BB chooses to trade DLew as he is too skilled and has value to be outright cut.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

And yet another example of the Patriots playing Chess while everyone else is playing checkers.....

Bill is playing "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" and the marbles are running backs and comp picks.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

BB being BB. Knows rules, ins & outs better than nfl*and refs*

 

[maineman209]

Don't forget Burkhead is a very good special teams player.

Here's the thing, though.

Historically, Pats RBs who are involved with the offense on a weekly basis, even just rotationally, get very few ST snaps aside from an occasional kick or punt return attempt. This is at least partly due to the fact that the offensive gameplan changes so much on a weekly basis, that the offensive players involved need all their practice reps to master each new one.

For most of his time in Cinci, Burkhead averaged around 18 ST snaps per game and mostly zero on offense - until he became involved in the offense on a weekly basis toward the end of 2016, at which point his ST snaps dropped to less than seven per game. Same thing with Bolden for the Pats in 2015 - when he was pressed into working with the offense due to injuries, his ST snaps dropped from near 20/game to near zero.

Two of the four primary special teams units involve fighting off blocks and (potentially) tackling an opposing returner. This is why the vast majority of the players who, like Bolden, work all four units, are defensive players who regularly practice those particular skills and why offensive players are relatively rare. The fact that both Burkhead and O'Shaughnessy averaged near 20 ST snaps/game is an indication that they were a couple of those rare offensive players who were involved in these units.

Even the top special-teamers like Slater and Ebner hit the cap for a bit less than $2M/year. Bolden peaked at around $1.4M, IIRC. Burkhead's cap hit for 2017 will be $3.15M.

So, either Burkhead will be involved with the offense on a regular basis, or he'll be a relatively significant special-teamer, but he's highly unlikely to perform double-duty. Given how much the Pats are paying him, I strongly suspect their intention is to have Burkhead involved with the offense on a regular basis and not contributing much on ST, in spite of his skills there.

 

[maineman209]

Yea. I really like Bolden too but he is in a dogfight this year. With that said, hes been in them before and has come out on top.

I just can't see the team keeping 6 RBs (including Develin). Burkhead, Gillislee, Whitey, DLew and Develin seem like complete locks unless BB chooses to trade DLew as he is too skilled and has value to be outright cut.

I never include Develin in the RB numbers game. He's effectively much more a part of the TE unit than the RB unit.