2021 UDFA Signings Thread

[PatsWickedPissah]

Maybe sign a QB - Jamie Newman or Peyton Ramsey - with the idea he could end up on the practice squad. That would allow team to move on from Stidham, whom the Pats don't appear to have any faith in. Once the season starts the PS QB runs the scout team, Jones preps as though he's the starter from day one, and the team only uses two of the 53 roster spots on a QB.

Thinking even further outside the box here, these unprecedented times might be the time to finally sign QB Johnny Foxboro as a UDFA.
BB loves him and always wants to create position competition in camp. If Johnny Foxboro was perceived as irksome competition by the great TFB and Gisele, just imagine the competitive fires he'd stoke with our 3 Amigos QBs!
No?

 

[RobertWeathers]

We’ll just have to rename this the June 1st cuts thread.

Next month is going to be the strangest month in cuts this board has ever seen. Lot of teams over the cap and the tough decisions are going to be evident. Some players you never expected will be available.

A lot of teams still need to find more space in order to sign their draft picks and keep a little wiggle room.

These are the teams who are < $2m in effective cap space.

 

[upstater1]

Yep. According to Kyed thats pretty much the reason.

You can't tell me that they like 10-15 guys in a regular year but this year they like NO ONE. That just doesn't make any sense. Something else is up.

 

[RobertWeathers]

You can't tell me that they like 10-15 guys in a regular year but this year they like NO ONE. That just doesn't make any sense. Something else is up.

Multiple reasons....

1) They have 84 players already
2) They still have a lot of cap space and don't need to scrimp. They can spend a little extra on young vets.
3) Limited evaluation b/c of COVID
4) Limited pool of players

I really don't think it's a shift in philosophy. Kraft himself says the draft is very important and i'm assuming he also thinks UFA is.

Just one of those years....

 

[reflexblue]

If Nike is anything like my dog, he was asleep by the end of the draft and nothing could rouse him to sign a UDFA.

I guess Nike isn't like you dog. BB asks Nike for his opinion on the pats last pick of the draft.

Patriots: Bill Belichick’s very good dog makes appearance at NFL Draft (usatoday.com)

 

[long distance]

Multiple reasons....

1) They have 84 players already
2) They still have a lot of cap space and don't need to scrimp. They can spend a little extra on young vets.
3) Limited evaluation b/c of COVID
4) Limited pool of players

I really don't think it's a shift in philosophy. Kraft himself says the draft is very important and i'm assuming he also thinks UFA is.

Just one of those years....

So you'd prefer to create practice squad from vets paid in Free Agency?

 

[PaulThePat]

You can't tell me that they like 10-15 guys in a regular year but this year they like NO ONE. That just doesn't make any sense. Something else is up.

Such as?

 

[ohiopatsfan]

Would like to see BB at least sign a PK. Borregales was already signed by TB. I don't feel warm and fuzzy going into the season with Folk and Aguayo.

 

[DarrylS]

You can't tell me that they like 10-15 guys in a regular year but this year they like NO ONE. That just doesn't make any sense. Something else is up.

Remember hearing something last week about how due to the pandemic that after the third round those guys were pretty much under analyzed and in the last 4 rounds they were comparable to UDFA's.. so that could possibly be a reason.. then there are the 84 guys they have or will have under contract.

For this pool of FA's there is not a lot of work to analyze, coupled with a large group who did not come out this year as well. IMO it is a convergence of many factors..

 

[long distance]

Such as?

Delayed info, preference of tryout system due to circumstances (only 5 per team allowed this yr) or any other reason that is not really important.
They will sign UDFAs one way or another bc it is most economic thing to do re Practice Squad.

BB:
“We’ll just take the free agency process with the undrafted players as it comes and see how that goes and just keep working through things,” Belichick said Saturday afternoon. “There’s still a lot of work to be done. We certainly had players come to our team after the draft process is over — David Andrews, JC Jackson, J.J. Taylor. You can go right down the line. There have been a lot of them. We’ll continue to work through the draft and rookie process now and try to improve the team in any way we can.”

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

You can't tell me that they like 10-15 guys in a regular year but this year they like NO ONE. That just doesn't make any sense. Something else is up.

Maybe something else is up - I have no idea.

We have 8 draft picks this year. A typical year is 7 draft picks plus 10 UDFAs = 17. So this year we chose 8/17 = 47%. Kyed wrote that "There were only 657 draft-eligible players in 2021. That’s down from 1,932 in 2020." So the draft pool this year was down (1932-657)/1932 = 66%. So the pool dropped 66%, and we selected 53% less rookies. Statistically we drafted more rookies this year then normally.

 

[mgteich]

When there's no one left on your board, there is no one left on your board. We used our 5th for a 2022 player (hopefully). Our 6th and 7th were our UDFA's, our shots in the dark.

With COVID protocols, it just isn't worth the effort. Coaches have plenty to work on with all their new players on offense and defense.
===================
We will have a few additions from free agency or trades, but these will be vets. We have enough inexperienced players on the squad.

 

[long distance]

With COVID protocols, it just isn't worth the effort.

youd be a great GM

 

[Urgent]

This is different than every other team-building year.
Bill the GM often trades down simply to maximize the volume of potential options. He recognizes the draft is a very inexact science, and maximizes his chances through multiple shots at a good player. He maximizes. He doesn't say "I could have 90 lottery tickets, but 84 is really enough."
So it's just different.

Even if he can't interview all the players or perform medical tests, udfa's are almost-free lottery tickets. I guess the analogy would be that he can't pick his own lottery numbers, but it's still a choice of six more lottery tickets or not. The value of one more JC Jackson is enormous and the cost is irrelevant.

 

[RobertWeathers]

So you'd prefer to create practice squad from vets paid in Free Agency?

No I prefer the team having as many players in camp as possible who have legit shots at making the team

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Has anybody signed wr Byrd?

bb could be planning to sign j mccourty and Byrd instead of UDFA’s.

 

[NormZauchin]

Maybe sign a QB - Jamie Newman or Peyton Ramsey - with the idea he could end up on the practice squad. That would allow team to move on from Stidham, whom the Pats don't appear to have any faith in. Once the season starts the PS QB runs the scout team, Jones preps as though he's the starter from day one, and the team only uses two of the 53 roster spots on a QB.

Stidham costs next to nothing. He has had two years to learn the Patriot system. I doubt that a UDFA quarterback would offer an advantage over keeping Stid, not to mention the Pats "having faith" in one.

 

[The Boomer]

Multiple reasons....

1) They have 84 players already
2) They still have a lot of cap space and don't need to scrimp. They can spend a little extra on young vets.
3) Limited evaluation b/c of COVID
4) Limited pool of players

ter

Just one of those years....

They added 8 players (more than expected) in the draft. Rounds 5-7 picks are their 4 under control prospects who are their chosen equivalent of UDFA players because of scarcity in the smaller UDFA market. All of them could likely end up on IR or the practice squad when the season begins. With more cap space available, the Pats can be aggressive if they want to add more talented young veteran players after June 1 cuts by other cap starved teams. Those soon to be veteran free agents are more proven and experienced than most the the UDFAs. Wide Receiver and other positions that need more depth or competition could add younger and better scouted NFL commodities who could improve the Pats more than any single UDFA in this year's smaller pool of players. McCourty, Byrd and other remaining free agents could be added cheaply too.

 

[mgteich]

youd be a great GM

OK
The effort required to work with players who have almost no chance is considerable. The effort needs to be spent on developing and practicing the completely re-built defensive front and passing game.

I suppose that we could hire a couple of new coaches and have them work with UDFA's and try-out players, and present one or two to the actual team ion mid-July.

 

[Jimke]

We only have 7 slots, maybe that’s why they haven’t signed anyone yet ? Knowing they want to sign guys that make sense.

The problem with playing the waiting game is all the good UDFAs will be gone.
Maybe they're re-signing one or two of their own free agents.

Has anybody signed wr Byrd?

bb could be planning to sign j mccourty and Byrd instead of UDFA’s.

This might be what they are planning. They still have about eight unsigned players.