My Ridiculously Early Start on a 2026 Offseason Plan

[mayoclinic]

Nothing is an absolute 'must have" when you are 9-2. The bad news is we have a lot of areas which can still be upgraded,and will have scrappy draft position. The good news is we will have a favorable cap situation and will be an attractive destination for FAs.

 

[manxman2601]

Nothing is an absolute 'must have" when you are 9-2. The bad news is we have a lot of areas which can still be upgraded,and will have scrappy draft position. The good news is we will have a favorable cap situation and will be an attractive destination for FAs.

I dont think it is ever a must have. The only "must have" is the BPA .

There are still "must haves". LT was a must have last year. RG is probably going to be a must have this year.

 

[mayoclinic]

How I'm viewing the first round options currently.

My 3 favourites for our pick.

Sonny Styles
Vega Ioane
Emmanuel Pregnon

I'm starting to get into the mindset of giving up on Styles. If there are more mocks where he goes in the top 15, I'll probably end up taking him off this list. As for Ioane and Pregnon, pick your poison. Both are very good pass blockers but Ioane is the people moving drive blocker whereas Pregnon is more a zone blocker. Ioane is my favourite currently because I want to see more movement of the DL on inside runs but I'd be very comfortable with Pregnon.

Potential Fallers that interest me (not in order)

TJ Parker - Not twitched up but a really good high floor option. He's the guy you put opposite your more twitched up edge rusher that is excellent against the run but has enough power and hand usage to still get pass rushing wins.

Kenyon Sadiq - He probably doesn't fall because of the weakness of the class behind him but he might, just because his production hasn't been dominant.

Avieon Terrell - A first round CB is not a need, but sometimes you just have to take the value if it falls in your lap. He has the versatility to play inside and outside which I think is a real plus.

Cashius Howell - If we want a twitched up edge rusher, he's the guy. My main concern, other than the arm length issue, is that he tends to win with just one pass rushing move, namely the dip and bend under the opposing OT. I'd like a first round edge rusher to be more varied.

The potential BPA picks.

CJ Allen - Perhaps not the greatest fit for a team with Spillane, but he is just so good at what he does well. He's just dominant against the run. He'd be a defensive leader for this team for the next decade although you'd have to acknowledge giving up something in coverage. I'm tempted to move Allen up into my favourite options just because he's so good. It's only the fit that concerns me.

LT Overton - I don't love this one because he's not a twitchy guy but he's a very good run defender, offers outside and interior rusher versatility and is just a very solid prospect.

The WRs

If we were in clear need of a WR, I'd be much happier about late first options because there are so many. I'd be perfectly happy taking Boston, Bell and Concepcion with a very late first round pick. Maybe we shouldn't rule out a WR because it certainly fleshes out our options.

The reaches

Prospects I could get comfortable with just about (but don't love in the first) because they likely don't fall to the late 2nd. Trade back options?


(not in order)
R Mason Thomas
Dillon Thieneman
Matayo Uiagalelei
Joshua Josephs
Quincey Rhodes
Anthony Hill Jr
Austin Siereveld
Zion Young
Carter Smith

It's still early but I'm falling out of love with this draft class. Yes there are good players to be had but the class currently, is very reliant on underclassmen declaring. I'm not a 'trade away your first round pick for a quality veteran' guy, but this might be the year to do it.

I like this draft class, I just don't like the values at 24-32.

Guys who I think would be immediate starters and significant upgrades:

RB: Jeremiyah Love

WR: Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Chris Bell, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Chris Brazzell

TE: Kenyon Sadiq

IOL: Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa, Austin Sievereld, Vega Ioane, Kade Pieper. Maybe Emmanuel Pregnon or Chase Bisontis. I think Monroe Freeling is a 1st round OT, but am not sure he would be an immediate starter.

EDGE: David Bailey, Rueben Bain, Yonzhae Pierre

LB: Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Jake Golday

S: Caleb Downs, Jelani McDonald, Zakee Wheatley

CB: Jermod McCoy, Mansoor Delane

I don't think Keldric Faulk fits the Vrabel mold, I don't think TJ Parker has enough explosiveness or lateral quickness. I'm not sure Cashius Howell (or R Mason Thomas) is a 3-down player at the NFL level.

Not all these players may declare. There will be a half dozen QBs and DTs mixed in.

I could see trading back to acquire more capital, trading out, or trading for a veteran, depending on how the board falls.

 

[manxman2601]

I could see trading back to acquire more capital, trading out, or trading for a veteran, depending on how the board falls.

I'm starting to like this option more and more. Maxx Crosby?

 

[stelfans]

Let’s hope we won’t need another LT

 

[mayoclinic]

OT at 32 looking better.

 

[manxman2601]

OT at 32 looking better.

I have a Freeling we need someone who can play LT and RT. See what I did there? Not at 32 though.

 

[mayoclinic]

I think he is a 1st round talent.

 

[mayoclinic]

d%#*!@t.

All I want is Yhonzae Pierre, Jake Golday, Monroe Freeling, Austin Siereveld, Kade Pieper, Jelani McDonald/Zakee Wheatley and Keionte Scott. Is that so unreasonable? Especially when Arvell Reese and Chris Bell are going to break my heart? (David Bailey too, but he's Manx's guy first.)

 

[manxman2601]

d%#*!@t.

All I want is Yhonzae Pierre, Jake Golday, Monroe Freeling, Austin Siereveld, Kade Pieper, Jelani McDonald/Zakee Wheatley and Keiontre Scott. Is that so unreasonable? Especially when Arvell Reese and Chris Bell are going to break my heart? (David Bailey too, but he's Manx's guy first.)

I'm claiming Scott too but happy to share.

 

[stelfans]

After yesterday debacle at 1 yard line i dont care what else they do but they need to upgrade the interior of the o line. I dont care how when or who, just get somebody who can move bodies.

 

[mayoclinic]

I don't disagree, but harder to do with 2 starters out injured.

Saw some push here:



But 66 and 58 were doing some of the pushing.

But I'm all for upgrading the IOL.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

If I were a GM, any vet that agreed to a 1-year contract here would then have to also agree to one with a Team option for a 2nd year... That way, in case any of them exceed expectations, we could have them available to us for at least one more season.

Very few, if any, players with projectable upside would be signing with the team you GM in that case. There are 32 teams. They will sign, in most cases, with a team offering them the upside of hitting the market again if they play well on the 1 year deal.

 

[mayoclinic]

Potential 2026 Cap Casualties For All 32 Teams

Part of the annual process for every team is reviewing the roster for potential salary cuts. Like any layoffs, it tends to be cold and harsh. Some teams have to slash payroll to get out

nfltraderumors.co

 

[patsfaninpa]

I'm starting to like this option more and more. Maxx Crosby?

Steelers could be a trade partner at edge. Watt is signed long term. They have Highsmith for 2 more. Nick Herbig is a UFA after next year. Drafted Sawyer from OSU this year. Herbig or Highsmith works for me. Crosby would cost a 1st +. Could we get Highsmith for a 3&5?

 

[mayoclinic]

Nice After Further review by Evan Lazar highlight impact of injuries on trench play:

After Further Review: Breaking Down Patriots QB Drake Maye, the Defense and Quick-Hit Film Notes From the Win Over the Bengals

I've always believed in building around the trenches, would still tend to focus on OL and DL if value can be found, whether through the draft or via FA/trade.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Chaisson as the starting edge
Hawkins as a starting safety
Tonga as a run stuffing DT
Hooper as TE2 on a team that uses a lot of 12 personnel
Gibbens as a "starting" LB (at least while Elliss was out - we'll see how that laying time split goes the rest of the year)

Those are the only 5 guys on the roster set for free agency with any type of significant role on the team right now. And only Chaisson's role should cost significant money to retain or replace. Hawkins/Tonga should be moderate cost (especially since they play 2 of the least valued positions in the game) and the others would be pretty cheap since they also play devalued positions.

I've read reports/projections that have them at like mid 60M in cap space before any cuts/trades/restructurings to clear more cap space. For comparison, since the start of last offseason with ALL the players we signed in free agency, signing draft picks with higher draft position than we'll have next year and 2/3 season worth of in-season roster maneuvering we used about $75M of cap space.

It's important that they retain or adequately replace those 5 contributors so they can have a full depth chart. Beyond that, I don't think their spending power or draft capital should SPECIFICALLY be earmarked for any one position. You're not in control of who other teams let go to free agency or how high other teams drive the bidding on the players that do get there and while you can move up and down the draft you aren't fully in control of who will be available to you there either.

You can have a goal of improving the IOL for your vision of the team, but using high picks and/or spending a ton of money doesn't actually improve it unless the right players are there. Depending on who's available the better way to improve the offense might be a more dynamic TE2 or WR3 to make it harder for the defense to load the box and run creative blitz packages that challenge your IOL. You can want to build up the DL, but maybe the pool of available players dictates that you're better off adding better coverage players at LB and S such that you can win the trenches by loading up the box and blitzing more yourself.

The best way to build a sustained winner is avoiding overpaying/over-drafting out of need or desperation or just yearning for improvement at one position. Build up respectable and good enough talent everywhere such that you can make your investments where the value lies and then tweak your schemes based on what your strengths and relative weaknesses are. That's the recipe for sustained excellence. Forcing square pegs into round holes will bite you eventually.

 

[captain stone]

There are still "must haves". LT was a must have last year. RG is probably going to be a must have this year.

So too still is LG/Center. Our offensive Line continues to Suck, especially up the middle.

 

[hornetfb85]

Question for Cap and contract knowing people: Can they redo Diggs deal to free up some money?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

So too still is LG/Center. Our offensive Line continues to Suck, especially up the middle.

Yeah, we need to move Wilson to Center and draft two mobile monsters at LG and RG.