Player Signing Patriots sign OT Chukwuma Okorafor

[venecol]

Players that suck don't get a second contract... N'Keal has signed two contracts since leaving New England?

The Steelers offensive line has been abysmal.

Facts aren't your friend.

Your Ace WR didn't sign a 2nd contract w/ NE.

Facts aren't your friend.

 

[50-yard-line]

This guy will be in his 2nd year here before I learn how to pronounce his name.

It’s pronounced Benedict Cumberbatch, I believe.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Think he more likely kicks Lowe/Anderson out the door. There's room for both McDermott and Chuks.

If those two were our backups to either Onwenu/another FA pickup and a 2nd round rookie, I'd be pretty satisfied with the position going into next season.

so for OT's under contract at the moment, I think we have Okorafor, McDermott, Anderson, Wheatley, Steuber, and Lowe. Lowe doesn't look like a keeper unless something really changes which is hard to imagine. Steuber & Wheatley are former TE's (LT prospects), and only 1 of them will stick. I'm pretty sure we'll also draft a top LT prospect in the first 2 rounds

Onwenu and Trent Brown are about to become FA's, and both look like they may be gone.

 

[Real fan 02]

No he can’t.

Your correct

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Seems like a fine signing. Our depth chart is pretty empty at his position. He has starting experience with at least some positives. He signed a 1 year deal for about 1.5% of the salary cap.

Harsh reality is that this team has too many needs to be great. They entered this offseason needing, on offense alone:

1) Starting QB
2) Starting LT
3) Starting RT
4) Starting outside WR
5) Another starting outside WR
6) Starting caliber TE (now addressed with Henry re-signing)

QB/OT/WR happen to be 3 of the most highly coveted/valued positions in the league as well, going by contract values and where they get picked in the draft. And this isn't even to mention defense where we've got some needs as well, even though the overall unit is solid. The idea that we're going to find viable long-term solutions that we all love at ever single area of need is absurd. There's going to have to be some short term and/or less than perfect stop gaps.

IMO, the key is to try and make yourself somewhat respectable across the board. Give yourself a reasonable baseline at every position, or as many as you can. Don't let any one area be so horrendously bad that it takes away from development at positions around them.

 

[EMpats]

Chukwuma Okorafor is a jag.

What are we doing here?

You can’t have 53 elite players!

Rosters are full of jags who are useful depth players. That’s what he is.

 

[rochrist]

He was ranked the sixth best tackle coming out of college, he started every game for Pitts over three seasons until last year and he was good enough that Pitt had signed him to a three year extension. Could do a lot worse.

 

[rochrist]

We should be happy they signed a bad player?

N’Keal is still in the league, should we sign him, or is it only trash we’re unfamiliar with that’s acceptable?

If he's so awful, why did he start every game for three straight years there and get a three year extension?

 

[PatsFan2]

Seems like a fine signing. Our depth chart is pretty empty at his position. He has starting experience with at least some positives. He signed a 1 year deal for about 1.5% of the salary cap.

Harsh reality is that this team has too many needs to be great. They entered this offseason needing, on offense alone:

1) Starting QB
2) Starting LT
3) Starting RT
4) Starting outside WR
5) Another starting outside WR
6) Starting caliber TE (now addressed with Henry re-signing)

QB/OT/WR happen to be 3 of the most highly coveted/valued positions in the league as well, going by contract values and where they get picked in the draft. And this isn't even to mention defense where we've got some needs as well, even though the overall unit is solid. The idea that we're going to find viable long-term solutions that we all love at ever single area of need is absurd. There's going to have to be some short term and/or less than perfect stop gaps.

IMO, the key is to try and make yourself somewhat respectable across the board. Give yourself a reasonable baseline at every position, or as many as you can. Don't let any one area be so horrendously bad that it takes away from development at positions around them.

Nitpick much Hpf.

 

[PatsFan2]

He was ranked the sixth best tackle coming out of college, he started every game for Pitts over three seasons until last year and he was good enough that Pitt had signed him to a three year extension. Could do a lot worse.

Hope we have the Coaching can coach him up.

 

[Wozzy]

Your Ace WR didn't sign a 2nd contract w/ NE.

Facts aren't your friend.

He signed two more contracts with the the Vikings, “bad” players don’t sign a second contract you said… so wrong again.

 

[Wozzy]

You can’t have 53 elite players!

Rosters are full of jags who are useful depth players. That’s what he is.

Every dime spent on bad players is money not spent on good players. They already have a good backup swingman in McDermott, they have a good project who might be close to competing in Wheatley. This is just dead money as far as I can see.

 

[Wozzy]

If he's so awful, why did he start every game for three straight years there and get a three year extension?

And played poorly… I don’t know.

The bigger question is why do some fans take it personally when another dislikes a signing… you this guy’s cousin or something?

 

[archstanton543]

What's an Okorafor?

 

[rochrist]

And played poorly… I don’t know.

The bigger question is why do some fans take it personally when another dislikes a signing… you this guy’s cousin or something?

If he played so poorly, why was he the starter for nearly four years and why did they sign him to a three year extension?

 

[Wozzy]

If he played so poorly, why was he the starter for nearly four years and why did they sign him to a three year extension?

Teams do that all the time, is that surprising?

The Steelers line has sucked a long time, but now he’s good because he’s a Patriot…. even though they drafted a tackle in the first round to replace him because they knew he wasn’t good.

Don’t twist yourself into a pretzel, I’d love to be wrong… but probably won’t be.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I think that Wolf's working assumption at the moment is that Onwenu is leaving and Okorafor is our starting RT.

 

[50-yard-line]

Every dime spent on bad players is money not spent on good players. They already have a good backup swingman in McDermott, they have a good project who might be close to competing in Wheatley. This is just dead money as far as I can see.

He’s got a $2million signing bonus, guaranteed, a base salary of $1.25m, and the rest is playing time incentives.

For a big vet tackle who is young, durable, and has started 54 games in the NFL.

I very much approve of this move.

 

[mgteich]

This guy will be in his 2nd year here before I learn how to pronounce his name.

Chew-backa should work for all of us.

 

[mgteich]

Every dime spent on bad players is money not spent on good players. They already have a good backup swingman in McDermott, they have a good project who might be close to competing in Wheatley. This is just dead money as far as I can see.

If you can't see the need for backups, then you need to check your eyesight.