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

[50-yard-line]

Nelson is playing on the 5th year option of his rookie deal. He's probably the only guy head of Thuney at LG. HOWEVER, can Nelson play LT or C? Things that Thuney has done in the past and done very well?

Scherff is listed as a RG and is being paid 18M AAV. You don't think Thuney is one of the top 5 guards (LG or RG) in the league?

Sure, but he's not as dominant as the two I mentioned - Scherff is on a 1-year deal.

Thuney got 5/80 with 46 guaranteed - that is a monster contract. I wonder how close the Patriots came to that...but that much for a guard? And yeah, I know he can kick out if needed, but that's a lot of $$$.

 

[mgteich]

Since you started with the obvious 6 you are basically calling our best backup a starter. Including the one who doesn't start from your 6 plus Karras and Herron and thats about as good as one should expect from their depth. That's 8 players who all have played well for you before.

1) The obvious 6 includes Wynn, Onwenu, Karras, Andrews, Mason, Brown

2) I believe that this set of 6 are among the best in the NFL, as it was last year. If this group were all we had, when there would any reason for an OT to leave the game, Onwenu would need to move to OT and Karras would move to LG. This is not optimum.

3) Now let us look at depth, the additional 3 roster spots. Do we have great depth. I am fine if I am wrong. Others can look at the other top 10 OL's and see if their backups are better than ours. The rules now allow 8 active OL's. We are likely to have another inactive, but on the 53.

So, who are the 2 that we are relying on to be active, plus another expected to be inactive.

I celebrate the signing of Ferentz as a Game Day backup. Why? because he, a mediocre player was so needed.
=============
OUR DEPTH (in addition to Karras) IS THREE OF
Ferentz, Redmond, Herron, Sherman, Toran, Cunnigham and Martin

It is what it is. Perhaps, the issue is semantics. We have one of the top 3 OL's in the NFL, yet we speak of Onwenu switching position during a game or counting on Herron, Cajuste or Cunningham as our swing OT. Personally, don't think that this is great depth.

I understand why Belichick didn't draft an OT until late. He hopes to extend Brown aand/or to have on of the others step up.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

3) Now let us look at depth, the additional 3 roster spots. Do we have great depth. I am fine if I am wrong. Others can look at the other top 10 OL's and see if their backups are better than ours. The rules now allow 8 active OL's.

I don't think it is specifically the rules "allowing 8 OL" but requiring AT LEAST 8 OL as game day active.

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't think it is specifically the rules "allowing 8 OL" but requiring AT LEAST 8 OL as game day active.

The "rule" is that there can be a 46 48th player dressed on game day, but it can only be an O-lineman to bring it to 8 Olinemen.

EDITED to fix my mistake:

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

The "rule" is that there can be a 46th player dressed on game day, but it can only be an O-lineman.

I thought teams could dress 48 players, as long as at least 8 were offensive linemen??????

 

[Uptown]

 

[DaBruinz]

I thought teams could dress 48 players, as long as at least 8 were offensive linemen??????

Yes.. You're right.. It is 47. There can be a 48th, but it must be an o-lineman to bring them to 8 O-linemen..


"Under the new deal, they can dress 47. They can also dress a 48th player — as long as the game-day roster includes at least eight offensive linemen. But as we’ve seen, they can choose not just from their active roster, but also from designated practice-squad players — up to two from applications of the SEA, and perhaps more from CDA designations."

 

[JMC00]

Unfortunately, KC might have a better starting five - thanks to Baltimore. The idiots handed them a left tackle.

Debatable. C, RG and RT i'd give the edge to the Pats.
and who knows Onwenu could take a step up and be a better LG than Thuney.

 

[captain stone]

I agree that we have one of the best OL's in the league, with Karras first off the bench. Ferentz is now active and the 7th OL.
===========
I disagree with the idea that we have quality depth beyond the obvious six.

TACKLE
Cajuste, Herron, Cunningham
Maybe one of them is capable of being the Active swing tackle. More likely, Belichick would have to move Onwenu to RT if there were an injury. This is not what we should want at a general plan, especially with a player in his second year.

GUARD/CENTER
We have Karras, fine depth.
Usually, we have 3 backups for these two positions. The depth was so bad that we needed to sign Ferentz and Redmond to compete with Sherman, Redmond, Toran, and Martin

BOTTOM LINE
I'm glad to see Ferentz signed. We NEED him as our 7th OL. That how good our depth is. Ferentz isn't a lock, but he is close, especially if we are carrying 9 OL's as is likely under the new rules.

PICK TWO (after our starters, Karras and Ferentz)
Redmond, Cajuste, Herron, Cunningham, Sherman, Toran, Martin

Hopefully, both Herron and Sherman can beat out Redmond. More hopefully, there are more signees to come.

You had me in agreement...until the bolded line...It is impossible for me to be in more disagreement with this statement than i already am.

Besides, if our #6 OLman is a C/G (Karras), then shouldn't our #7 be the Swing Tackle, even if he (Cachoo/Cunnyham/Herron) kinda sucks?

 

[captain stone]

Since you started with the obvious 6 you are basically calling our best backup a starter. Including the one who doesn't start from your 6 plus Karras and Herron and thats about as good as one should expect from their depth. That's 8 players who all have played well for you before.

Who is the missing 8th OLman?

And speaking of premature, too many people here are basing their optimism for Herron on just his work in the KC game, which I agree was pretty good considering - it certainly wasn't a reason why we lost - but ignore the other times he entered games, which wasn't pretty good, at all.

Dude's replaceable, but unfortunately for now he's also our Swing Tackle until Cachoo (or, preferably, somebody else) proves otherwise...

 

[ralmat55]

You had me in agreement...until the bolded line...It is impossible for me to be in more disagreement with this statement than i already am.

Besides, if our #6 OLman is a C/G (Karras), then shouldn't our #7 be the Swing Tackle, even if he (Cachoo/Cunnyham/Herron) kinda sucks?

Not necessarily if the 3rd OT would be Onwenu.

 

[captain stone]

Look at the list and go around the league and tell me:

1)which teams have better depth than we do on the line?
2)which teams have a better starting 5 than we do? Add Karras who was a starter last year who can play Center and both guard positions and Herron who was very good for us at RT and is entering his 2nd year and will get better.

I know you have a tendency to be negative and for some positions (lb, wr) I can live with it, but you can't be negative Nancy with our OL...it's the strength of the team, at least on offense anyway.

I made no comments on the projected starters on the OL...It's the absence of proven quality depth after Karras that has me worried...As of right now, Herron is our #7/Swing Tackle, and that doesn't exactly send a shiver up my leg...

 

[captain stone]

Unfortunately, KC might have a better starting five - thanks to Baltimore. The idiots handed them a left tackle.

And Gutekunst (I just like saying his name) in Green Bay took a clearly inferior C/G prospect (Joshua Meyers) and allowed KC to steal the clearly superior Creed Humphrey with the Very Next selection...The Queefs also received Outstanding Value at #226 with G/T Trey Smith, TWENTY-NINE
picks after Billy chose Slick Willie Sherman...I'll be watching Both of those dudes, very closely...

 

[captain stone]

Add Thuney to that group as well. Not resigning him was the only thing I was disappointed in with this offseason...can you imagine our line if he was here .........and without him our line is really good.

Yep...If Bill had previously done a better job with the TE position, then some of the money saved by signing only one of Henry/Smith could've been used to help re-sign Thuney.

 

[captain stone]

Not necessarily if the 3rd OT would be Onwenu.

I'd rather not have to do that.

 

[captain stone]

Houston's a nobody; but while Scott is strictly a Slot CB - a smaller version of Jonathan Jones - this could still be a very good trade for Philthy...
I hope everybody high-fived Howie after the deal was done, this time...

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[DaBruinz]

Yep...If Bill had previously done a better job with the TE position, then some of the money saved by signing only one of Henry/Smith could've been used to help re-sign Thuney.

Bill had PLENTY of money still left to be able to sign Thuney after the signings of Henry and Smith. Thuney's cap hit this year as a whopping 4.5M.


Thuney CHOSE to go to KC..

 

[mgteich]

You had me in agreement...until the bolded line...It is impossible for me to be in more disagreement with this statement than i already am.

Besides, if our #6 OLman is a C/G (Karras), then shouldn't our #7 be the Swing Tackle, even if he (Cachoo/Cunnyham/Herron) kinda sucks?

You are correct. We should have a swing OT as our #7 OL, which makes Ferentz our #8. I guess that my point is that Ferentz is very likely to make the 53. An 8th OL will be active. This OL would obviously be an OT.