Soul_Survivor88
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2015
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Easily the best defensive player tonight.
EDIT: But all signs indicate it would be extremely unlikely to keep him once his contract ends, without coughing up serious amounts of cap space.
If your Belichick the GM, how do you manage to preserve this secondary that you've worked so hard to build over the last 5+ years?
Replace Ryan through the Draft
The 2017 crop of defensive backs is shaping up to be the most talented and deepest in years.
The top dozen cornerbacks on early draft boards include a plethora of players with elite size, speed and experience. The Florida duo of Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson will vie to be the first corners to come off the board, both are press man specialists with great length. Marlon Humphrey of Alabama and Desmond King of Iowa are both well rounded corners who excel in coverage and run support.
Sidney Jones is poised to follow fellow Washington corner Marcus Peters’ footsteps as a bonafide ballhawk. Adoree’ Jackson is supreme athlete who is electric with the ball in his hands. Cordrea Tankersley from Clemson, Cameron Sutton from Tennessee and Marshon Lattimore from Ohio State are all lanky corners with strong man coverage skills. Another Buckeye, Gareon Conley, is a polished prospect with ideal size.
The draft class also provides a pair of top slot corners. Both Jourdon Lewis from Michigan and Tre’Davious White from LSU have extensive starting experience and refined technique. There is even more quality cornerback depth with Day 3 projections. Washington’s Kevin King, Michigan’s Channing Stribling, West Virginia’s Rasul Douglas and Minnesota’s Jalen Myrick each possess the tools to develop into NFL starters.
Replace Ryan through Free Agency (or trade perhaps?)
Other notable names atop the 2017 free agent cornerback class include Trumaine Johnson, Stephon Gilmore, A.J. Bouye, Morris Claiborne, and Prince Amukamara.
Extending Logan Ryan's contract in a team-friendly deal (Re-Sign the Beast?)
Although New England will be able to, in theory, offer Ryan any contract they want (due to their cap space flexibility), the thought here is that they will let him go once he fields stronger offers from other cornerback-needy organizations. With Malcom Butler hitting restricted free agency this offseason, and resources already being heavily invested in the secondary (McCourty), the Patriots simply will not pay "CB1"-type money to more than one player.
That said, here are some projections that might be a starting point for contract negotiations - in the slim chance that the Pats commit to re-signing Ryan
Low end: Robert Alford, Atlanta Falcons - 4 years, $38 million, $21 million guaranteed.
High end: Darius Slay, Detroit Lions - 4 years, $48.15 million, $23.1 million guaranteed.
Just right: Jimmy Smith, Baltimore Ravens - 4 years, $41.1 million, $21 million guaranteed.
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