Another thread where people try to gaslight readers into getting excited about a LB group that might be worse than the 2020 COVID-ravaged linebacker group. You will never convince me, without the assistance of future NFL tape that doesn't exist yet, that we're all set at LB with:
- Bentley (solid, but if he's your #1 ILB, you have work to do)
- Wilson (only took Winovich to acquire and Browns fans celebrated his exit from their roster)
- McMillan (missed all of last year and never played a real down for the Patriots)
- McGrone (see McMillan, except he never played a real down in the NFL at all)
And I'll even say that I like all 4 of those guys. Just not as the top at their position on the roster. I don't think adding Hightower would move the needle too much either, but it would help.
The other names that get mentioned aren't even the same position as the guys I'm talking about. Uche, Jennings, Judon...these are edge rushers. They don't make the linebackers directly better or worse because they aren't linebackers in the same way. Then we lump in the box safeties who would only be part time linebackers like Phillips, Peppers, and Dugger.
I get that the league is evolving and hybrid safeties/LB are the future, but I really don't think the traditional ILB is going the way of the fullback anytime soon. We have lots of encouraging LB-adjacent players, but very little to get excited about in the way of actual LB.