NFL News General NFL News/Discussion

[n1997y]

Last year we did a good job of hitting needs in FA allowing freedom in the draft to pick best value when we were on the board.
I would expect we will do something similar this year.
Interior Oline is a need, if we can pick up someone in FA on a fair deal that will most certainly be in the cards.
FAs are known NFL commodities, rookies are not.
Sure Campbell has played well, but he was the #4 overall pick, that is to be expected.
Wilson is doing a decent job considering he is a rookie playing out of position, but he's certainly had some bumps along the way.
Bryant doesn't appear to have developed at all....yet.
bottom line , you can only develop so much, at the end of the day you need talented players, and that certainly diminishes as the rounds get later.
Not saying we have to add IOL in FA, but if we don't, we can't expect to be picking starter level players past day 2.

This explanation of why the Ravens are expected to lock up Linderbaum and not let him hit FA covers a lot of the reasons I’m skeptical about using FA to improve the IOL. Good IOL players are scarce and their present employer will pay to hold on to them.

…the Ravens are expected to offer Linderbaum a long-term contract that will be the richest ever for a center…

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

This is y’all goat?!???!? Easy win if we meet them in the playoffs; he’ll see Maye & Campbell on the sideline..

 

[Huckleberry1]

Hmm, tough call. It will hopefully be a *very* late first round pick. Who is likely to be available then, and how good will they be?

This is a strange draft, there are some good players at the top, but after that the grouping from 15-90 is anyone's guess, it sounds like they're all going to have pretty similar grades and it will just come down to what teams are prioritizing in their picks. It's still early, and a lot will change between now and draft day, but if Crosby's medicals check out he would be their best bet to pick up a quality pass rusher, They could go the draft route, but if there's a run on them early they could be left holding the bag.

 

[Uptown]

Diggs # 4 in EPA/RR
Boutte # 7

 

[hornetfb85]

This explanation of why the Ravens are expected to lock up Linderbaum and not let him hit FA covers a lot of the reasons I’m skeptical about using FA to improve the IOL. Good IOL players are scarce and their present employer will pay to hold on to them.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Doesn't mean he will stay.
Sounds like the franchise tag is off the table, so 31 other teams can outbid Balt.
Maybe he loves it there, maybe he doesn't.
Of course Balt wants him back, and of course there will be several other teams interested.
Him being back there is far from certain.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

I’m more skeptical than you about IOL availability in FA. Quality OL players are a scarce and valuable commodity. A “fair deal” will still be a very expensive deal. I think the best we can hope for as a fair deal will be what we got with Bradbury. That is, an older veteran who has started on the downward arc of his career and is not being resigned by his present team because he’s been replaced by a younger cheaper better player. We signed two OL FAs last year and by the middle of the season we were already questioning whether either of them will be here more than one or two years. That’s a tough model for building a sustainable team.

FAs are acquired by outbidding every other team in a very competitive marketplace. Rookies are not. Salary cap constrains bidding for FAs. We have an advantageous cap position at the moment, but we need to resign some of our homegrown talent like Gonzo and Boutte so we can’t blow all our cap on top FAs.

No way to tell if Bryant has developed or not. Munford was brought in because of his history with Josh, and some specific skills that aren’t on Bryant’s plate according to Vrabel.

We picked Onwenu in the sixth round. He started as a rookie and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. We may see some of the developmental,players already on the roster emerging in camp next year. We may add OL by signing FA, but it may not be a big name that gets you excited about it either. Those are all part of the talent acquisition process. My belief is that FA is less significant for improving the OL than it is for other parts of the roster like RB or WR.

Fair points, and again I'm not saying we have to add starter level players via FA, but we can't count on talking an OG in the 6th rd and developing him into a high level starter.
There are always exceptions (Owenu), but there is years of empirical data that proves acquiring starters, especially good ones, diminishes greatly as the rds of the draft progress.
Based on where we should be picking, that's right around the spot the top IOL should start coming off the board. Unless there's a DLine player or LB that slips and the value is too great, IOL will definitely be in play with our 1st. WR and TE could be wildcards too. That's why I hope we do what we did last year and try to improve our weaknesses as much as possible via FA, so we can be truly open to any position (outside of QB) if the value is there.
Philly did a great job of that over the past few years, just let the board come to them, and take the best player available even if isn't the biggest need. That's how you build a deep talented roster.

 

[The Gr8est]

Doesn't mean he will stay.
Sounds like the franchise tag is off the table, so 31 other teams can outbid Balt.
Maybe he loves it there, maybe he doesn't.
Of course Balt wants him back, and of course there will be several other teams interested.
Him being back there is far from certain.

Hmmm…..

Stay with a dysfunctional organization with a toxic HC/QB,

Or go to an upcoming team with a great young QB and HC, and a top notch organization with a great coaching staff.

Maybe he has roots in the Baltimore area that he values, but the teams’ future fortune projections differences couldn’t be starker.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Hmmm…..

Stay with a dysfunctional organization with a toxic HC/QB,

Or go to an upcoming team with a great young QB and HC, and a top notch organization with a great coaching staff.

Maybe he has roots in the Baltimore area that he values, but the teams’ future fortune projections differences couldn’t be starker.

Exactly, these are the unknowns that no one knows, especially the media.
Maybe his fiancee loves Balt, maybe she hates it.
Maybe he hates Balt traffic, maybe it's not bad.....
There are several things that can determine where a player signs, things that are just normal parts of life that we don't about.
Obv $ will be the biggest factor, but maybe he wants a chance at a ring and behind the scenes he knows that isn't happening with Lamar...etc.
So many variables that the public really have no idea about.
That's why I put so very little stock into a media post saying Balt wants him back.

 

[borisman]

deleted

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Diggs # 4 in EPA/RR
Boutte # 7

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Per ESPN: "Crosby has been dealing with a nagging knee injury since the Raiders' 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 but has managed to play in every game thus far."

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

This is y’all goat?!???!? Easy win if we meet them in the playoffs; he’ll see Maye & Campbell on the sideline..

Were we to meet Kraft should give sideline passes to 2021 FOTY Randy Pierce and others with support dogs.
Yes, I am a bad, bad person

 

[patfanken]

This is going to be a very interesting off season, especially in the FA market. We DESPERATELY need to find an edge rusher who can win "consistently" (15-20% of the time) Hendrixson is the big name, but at 31 already he is a short-term fix for a year or 2. Crosby would be a 4-year prime guy. Chassion is someone I want on my team as PART of edge group, but his isn't a primary guy. He needs to get much stronger to become an individual factor. He has decent length, speed, and motor, but a lot of his sacks have come from schemes or were coverage sacks. We should NOT overpay for him. Offer him a great raise, but.....

This is supposed to be a good year for edge guys in the draft, BUT the prime ones will likely be gone by the time we draft (26-32) and the best players left will come from the OL, TE, WR, DB area, not the edge, so anyone we draft first will carry a LOT more risk to it than who we've been drafting lately. And remember we will be drafting from the bottom of the round late every round adding to the risk factor each round. So it's likely that our only chance to get a truly "elite" player is going to come from FA and that pool is going to be thin in all likelihood.

 

[DaBruinz]

This explanation of why the Ravens are expected to lock up Linderbaum and not let him hit FA covers a lot of the reasons I’m skeptical about using FA to improve the IOL. Good IOL players are scarce and their present employer will pay to hold on to them.

The Ravens can have all the desire to retain Linderbaum that they want. Reports have been that they are miles apart on a Contract. The Ravens refused his 5th year option because they didn't want to pay him. Both the Franchise Tag and Transition tag for 2026 are projected to be $27M and $24M respectively. It's doubtful they want to spend that.

Creed Humphrey is making 18M AAV. Cam Jurgens is making 17M AAV. Drew Dalman is making 14M AAV.

Where Linderbaum loses some bargaining leverage is looking at his numbers out of context.. Of the Centers who have played at least 80% of 1033 snaps, Linderbaum is 17th of 21 in pressures allowed having given up 2 sacks, 1 QB hit and 20 Hurries on just 488 pass blocking snaps. So, he's having a down year, but some of those issues are also related to Jackson free-lancing plays and the Linemen being penalized, stat wise, for it.

Our old friend, Jake Andrews is 3rd with 1 Sack, 3 QB hits, and 8 Hurries allowed on 589 pass blocking snaps. Connor McGovern has allowed no sacks, 1 QB hit and 11 hurries on 548 pass blocking snaps. I like McGovern as an alternative to Linderbaum because I expect him to cost less. He's been the guy opening holes for Cook but also protecting Allen.. So adding him would be a double benefit since it takes away from Buffalo.

What makes Linderbaum attractive is his run blocking ability. It's significant and he has the footwork and agility to pull out from the Center position and get outside. We saw that on display when the Pats played the Ravens.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

This is going to be a very interesting off season, especially in the FA market. We DESPERATELY need to find an edge rusher who can win "consistently" (15-20% of the time) Hendrixson is the big name, but at 31 already he is a short-term fix for a year or 2. Crosby would be a 4-year prime guy. Chassion is someone I want on my team as PART of edge group, but his isn't a primary guy. He needs to get much stronger to become an individual factor. He has decent length, speed, and motor, but a lot of his sacks have come from schemes or were coverage sacks. We should NOT overpay for him. Offer him a great raise, but.....

This is supposed to be a good year for edge guys in the draft, BUT the prime ones will likely be gone by the time we draft (26-32) and the best players left will come from the OL, TE, WR, DB area, not the edge, so anyone we draft first will carry a LOT more risk to it than who we've been drafting lately. And remember we will be drafting from the bottom of the round late every round adding to the risk factor each round. So it's likely that our only chance to get a truly "elite" player is going to come from FA and that pool is going to be thin in all likelihood.

Or a trade up.
We have what, 11 picks?
We have ammo to move up IF it makes sense.

 

[DaBruinz]

Doesn't mean he will stay.
Sounds like the franchise tag is off the table, so 31 other teams can outbid Balt.
Maybe he loves it there, maybe he doesn't.
Of course Balt wants him back, and of course there will be several other teams interested.
Him being back there is far from certain.

Baltimore refused the 5th year option because they didn't want to pay Linderbaum over 20M.. The Franchise tag is over 27M and the Transition tag is over 24M.

From reports in November, the team wasn't close to meeting Linderbaum's request (thought to be around 18-20M).. Maybe that will change, but I doubt it..

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Baltimore refused the 5th year option because they didn't want to pay Linderbaum over 20M.. The Franchise tag is over 27M and the Transition tag is over 24M.

From reports in November, the team wasn't close to meeting Linderbaum's request (thought to be around 18-20M).. Maybe that will change, but I doubt it..

I like the player, but not sure paying 18-20M for a Center is smart.
I would hope Wilson is the long term OC, and we draft a OG on the first 2 days of the draft (depending on value).
My ultimate wish list (which may be very different from how Vrabs sees it) is:
1st rd: Edge
2nd: OG
3rd: LB
Obv value and who slips plays a huge role in that. Maybe one of the top 2 LBs or IOL is better value when we are on the board. Philly has excelled taking guys that slip, be it their biggest need or not. That is how you build a deep roster.

 

[patfanken]

Or a trade up.
We have what, 11 picks?
We have ammo to move up IF it makes sense.

Your right. I don't want to end up with 11 new rookies plus UDFA's We already have 10 from last year and 2 more good looking ones who came down with the Foxboro flu in camp.

But if we are to move up, I much prefer doing it in the 2nd-4th rounds where I think you get better bang for your buck Trading that extra 4th and a 6th or two should jump us 10-15 slots in the 2nd for someone we want badly.