Based on last night. May give a clue into who's expendable in this scheme or who the team should go out & get:
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- Shelton has been awesome this camp/preseason. He's stated he's lost 17 lbs. since last year & a new technique has allowed him to get upfield more. This news has its pros & cons. He's arguably turning into the defensive version of Josh Gordon if he plays like a great NT in a 3 man front given his history of inconsistent play. If Pennel is flaming out, shouldn't the Pats acquire a backup NT? Who is it right now?
- I was concerned how Bennett would fit as a 5 technique but you can tell with the aggressive nature of the D he will get alot of 1 on 1s vs. guards. I bet if you asked him he'd prefer that over battling tackles. Love it.
- The top 4 OLBs & top 2 ILBs seem straight forward. That leaves Roberts & Rivers as potential trade pieces for late round picks although they could be kept. Calhoun makes sense as a STer & someone who's shined recently as mgteich has pointed out.
- Adam Butler is a weird one. Cowart has passed him on the 3-4 DE depth chart but IMO he still is underrated with a role on the team. He'll be the sub rusher he's always been spelling many players on the DL on 3rd down. He's worth keeping.
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Trade Pieces: Deatrich Wise, Elandon Roberts, Derek Rivers. While Wise played decently vs. Tennessee as a 3-4 DE he really doesn't have a clear role. I like the idea of Bobdigital with trading him to Oakland that lacks much of anything in EDGE rushers.
Trade for: late round pick for a backup NT. If Pennel is toast, the team needs a fatty backing up Shelton especially if he can't maintain a high level of play.