Reiss' take on FA CBs

[cstjohn17]

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/02/no_2_need_cbs_1.html

Very grim picture..

MARKET ASSESSMENT: Not a very deep group of players available. Nate Clements is the top player set to hit the market.

PATS POSITION: The Patriots' need is contingent on Asante Samuel's free-agent situation. Given the lack of proven options in free agency, it would be surprising from this corner if the Patriots let Samuel hit the open market.

 

[zippo59]

Tory James is a possibility.

 

[captain stone]

Compared to the list of FA safeties, this is a rather uninspiring lot.

The future of the defensive backfield depends on 2 things:
1) The return to full strength, by the start of TC, of Rodney, Wilson, Mitchell, Tebucky, and Gay. Everyone should be good to go by then; if anyone suspects differently, let me know.
2) Asante Samuel

Since this is a CB thread, here is one fan's plan to solidify the CB depth chart:
1) Re-sign Samuel. Franchise him, if you must.
2) Convert Wilson and Hawkins to CB, then convert the bigger (and older and slower) Chad Scott to FS.
3) Target one of the following UFA CBs: Tory James, Lewis Sanders. I know that size isn't everything (goody for me), but I'd rather have a good CB who's tall than a good CB who isn't.
4) If 3) fails, then sign someone else from Reiss' list to a vet minimum + contract.
5) Draft a CB, preferably with size, possibly on the 1st day. If Samuel signs with someone else, this becomes a 1st/2nd-round need.
6) Be aggressive in signing UDFA CBs post-draft. Maybe the next Randall Gay could be amoung them.
7) Re-sign Hank Poteat!

If everything goes according to plan (which it won't), then a TC depth chart at CB goes something like this:
Samuel - Hobbs
Wilson - Hawkins
Gay - Mickens
Poteat - UFA
1st-day pick - UDFA
Andrews - Spann

 

[DaBruinz]

CPT:

I don't foresee Hawkins being moved back to CB. Towards the end of the year, he was getting blasted as a FS. The year prior, he showed he really couldn't handle being a CB as he was used there in emergency situations and was burned repeatedly.

 

[DaBruinz]

I believe that Poteat signed a multi-year deal with the Jets.

 

[salty]

I believe that Poteat signed a multi-year deal with the Jets.

If I recall, it was a two year deal. I'm still a little pissed that management kept cutting Poteat. He was definitely good enough to step in a pinch, and given that EVERY year the secondary gets decimated...

He is easily replaceable, though.

 

[captain stone]

According to the Redzone.org, Hank is a UFA. They could be wrong, of course.