I am assuming that the roster has shown itself to be weaker, thinner than it seemed it might be immediately post-draft - in the usual flush of unwarranted optimism we see at that time each year - when talk of playoffs and double-digit wins were in the air. We all realize, I assume, that we are closer to the middle, even the beginning of this (latest) rebuild than many thought. Given that, it makes sense to me that where the team has choices between one of the many barely-good-enough-but-oh-well players on the team and some castoff from another team who shows some promise, we would give the edge to the latter, to the prospect who might have more potential upside. I would apply the same principle where there is a choice between two players on the current roster where one is an established mediocrity and the other is maybe a little ragged but might develop into something. As I have said all along, for me the purpose of this year is to make progress in the rebuild. I don't care whether we make the playoffs, except perhaps as evidence we really are making progress. I don't really even care that much how many wins we have. It's just a fact that the fewer wins you have, the better your draft pick, after all, as everybody in the world except for Jerrod Mayo seems to understand. For me, this season is 100% about the progress or lack of it.
This perspective will also incline me to reject the idea that we need to take on, either by trading good players on the current roster or - even worse- - trading picks for "proven" players - i.e. players who have enough miles on them what they have proven thier worth and who will likley therefore be past it by the time the team is actually competitive and can make actual use of them and who are likely to be overpriced in any case. It is too early for that. Wasting resorces to get an extra win or two in a year where wins don't really matter seems foolish to me,
The only cut I really want to see is Eliot Wolf. Him we defintiely could do without.