2021 NFL Free Agency/Trade News & Discussion: March Edition

[luuked]

People said the exact same thing about Edelman as you're saying about Gunner. Edelman didn't explode as a receiver until his 5th year. He made his bones as the Punt Returner as he practiced and practiced his route running.

So what's the problem then ? I am not saying Gunner will not make the team but that his role will be return specialist until he shows he can consistently run crisp routes, understands option routes and can actually read coverages. He might get there, he might not. He still has value as ST player either way.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Dugger/Mills/Phillips will all play a ton.

I don't think there is a specific player who will replace Chung.

All 3 will in some capacity.

 

[luuked]

How is production in this system not enough to make us think he can play in this system?

Because you are moving the goalposts. Nobody is saying Meyers can't play in this system and it has nothing to do with him missing out on the 53.


Bourne simply has higher upside, is already a better route runner and much quicker -- or sudden or whatever you want to call it -- as his 3 cone shows. If he can put all this together he is an superior option to Meyers. And the structure of his deal gives him even more leverage this year.

Unless it was total ******** that we were in on AJ Green it looks like we are still looking for a possession receiver who can win 50/50 balls against press and be an outlet at the boundary. That player might end up being Harry or someone that is not on the roster yet but that is another potential WR role that would end up in front of Meyers.

It is simply a numbers game.. especially with how TE heavy and run heavy we expect to go there is only so much value for keeping multiple redundant layers at WR.

And again I am not saying he is a sure cut but that I wouldn't make any assumptions about him.

 

[Ivan]

great



Hoping for Fuller now.
So by that record Golladay Samual and Green all Turned us down.
We are on to Will Fuller?

All I heard were Samuel and Golladay.

 

[Ross12]

Because you are moving the goalposts. Nobody is saying Meyers can't play in this system and it has nothing to do with him missing out on the 53.


Bourne simply has higher upside, is already a better route runner and much quicker -- or sudden or whatever you want to call it -- as his 3 cone shows. If he can put all this together he is an superior option to Meyers. And the structure of his deal gives him even more leverage this year.

Unless it was total ******** that we were in on AJ Green it looks like we are still looking for a possession receiver who can win 50/50 balls against press and be an outlet at the boundary. That player might end up being Harry or someone that is not on the roster yet but that is another potential WR role that would end up in front of Meyers.

It is simply a numbers game.. especially with how TE heavy and run heavy we expect to go there is only so much value for keeping multiple redundant layers at WR.

And again I am not saying he is a sure cut but that I wouldn't make any assumptions about him.

I wouldn't be surprised if they added more WRs. The difficulties with WR success in NE is well-known and there are too many new guys/unknowns to go light at WR. Agholor and/or Bourne may not pan out; Edelman may retire or will get hurt again or will just not have the juice anymore... Even if just 1 of Agholor/Bourne don't pan out and Edelman retires, you've got problems at WR again. Granted, the offense figures to be TE-focused anyway, but still. Would rather go into camp with too many WRs and see how things go.

 

[luuked]

Given what we know from one of Lombardi's podcasts is that pass blocking is the #1 thing on the list of importance when the Pats evaluate RBs (#2 is pass catching and only #3 is running the ball). He said it at some point before the 2018 draft.

Add that to his medical and it is a complicated but tempting situation.

 

[Sicilian]

I wouldn't be surprised if they added more WRs. The difficulties with WR success in NE is well-known and there are too many new guys/unknowns to go light at WR. Agholor and/or Bourne may not pan out; Edelman may retire or will get hurt again or will just not have the juice anymore... Even if just 1 of Agholor/Bourne don't pan out and Edelman retires, you've got problems at WR again. Granted, the offense figures to be TE-focused anyway, but still. Would rather go into camp with too many WRs and see how things go.

Hell, we went into 2019 with "too many WR's" and ended up with a hobbled Edelman as our only legit one by year's end. I think that's also the thinking behind adding the two TE's... it's not that they don't think Asiasi and Keene could improve and play well, it's that they want to be insured in case there's an injury or bust.

 

[luuked]

I wouldn't be surprised if they added more WRs. The difficulties with WR success in NE is well-known and there are too many new guys/unknowns to go light at WR. Agholor and/or Bourne may not pan out; Edelman may retire or will get hurt again or will just not have the juice anymore... Even if just 1 of Agholor/Bourne don't pan out and Edelman retires, you've got problems at WR again. Granted, the offense figures to be TE-focused anyway, but still. Would rather go into camp with too many WRs and see how things go.

I don't agree with the NE WR success issue. Those are not drafted players and not off the bargain bin but hand-picked relatively early into FA over other flashy names. Unless they forget how to run, **** on Belichick's car or break the law I don't really see a scenario where especially Agholor doesn't make the team this year.

Bourne signed a deal that looks like a year long audition. He has all the tools to be very effective in this offense if he can pick it up. And that's the one big if with him compared to Meyers.

 

[Sicilian]

I don't agree with the NE WR success issue. Those are not drafted players and not off the bargain bin but hand-picked relatively early into FA over other flashy names. Unless they forget how to run, **** on Belichick's car or break the law I don't really see a scenario where especially Agholor doesn't make the team this year.

Bourne signed a deal that looks like a year long audition. He has all the tools to be very effective in this offense if he can pick it up. And that's the one big if with him compared to Meyers.

The only example of a WR who was highly touted coming in, and failed miserably would be Chad Johnson. All the other misses have been rookies, career JAGs, or cut for off the field issues (Brown and Gordon). Sanu I guess would be the other, but that move wasn't exactly universally liked, and injuries played at least some role in that (on top of being put into an offense that was generally dysfunctional).

But even WR's that didn't light it up weren't BAD. Brandon Lloyd wasn't a triumph, but he didn't have trouble learning the system, he was just limited in what he could do. Same with Brandon Cooks and Donte Stallworth. I think the difficulty for WR's to learn the system here is real, but also overblown. Bill (right or wrong) just doesn't tend to invest as many consistent resources into the position as the average team. Like that note from 1991 said, he builds his teams from the inside out.

 

[luuked]

Sanu I guess would be the other, but that move wasn't exactly universally liked, and injuries played at least some role in that (on top of being put into an offense that was generally dysfunctional).

Sanu gets so much **** for getting his ankle wrecked one game after being our best receiver against the Ravens (his second week in NE).

He had offseason surgery on it after the season ended. I don't think there is much to evaluate him on. It was a wasted pick but for injury reasons which is an entirely different beast than someone ending up just sucking (ie. Ochocinco).

 

[50-yard-line]

I wouldn't be surprised if they added more WRs. The difficulties with WR success in NE is well-known and there are too many new guys/unknowns to go light at WR. Agholor and/or Bourne may not pan out; Edelman may retire or will get hurt again or will just not have the juice anymore... Even if just 1 of Agholor/Bourne don't pan out and Edelman retires, you've got problems at WR again. Granted, the offense figures to be TE-focused anyway, but still. Would rather go into camp with too many WRs and see how things go.

Sure, but they wouldn't add players like Fuller to be an in-case kind of thing.

I bet they low-balled Greene if they were interested at all.

 

[DaBruinz]

Chiefs with another O-line addition..

 

[Fatmancryin]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

 

[Patsgofor4]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

Or he is joining Thuney in KC.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

OK so ATL and GB are still looking...and us

 

[Sciz]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

So either they missed out on Andrews and had to settle for a guy who was benched last season for bad snaps, or maybe they're still in on Andrews and are considering Skura a guard so he doesn't have to snap.

 

[DaBruinz]

So either they missed out on Andrews and had to settle for a guy who was benched last season for bad snaps, or maybe they're still in on Andrews and are considering Skura a guard so he doesn't have to snap.

Skura signing with Miami..

 

[Rob0729]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

Andrews overplayed his hand. No matter where he lands now, the two teams that wanted him the most went elsewhere. Odds are good he will get far less somewhere else.

 

[farn]

Andrew’s must be asking for a ton.

Wasn’t expecting a non-Andrews to show up in Miami...

 

[farn]

OK so ATL and GB are still looking...and us

ATL would make sense if this is a family-based choice.