While you may be correct about the smokescreen MM, I believe that offense will be addressed more than the average fan seems to think. I don’t see the situation as quite as one-sided as you do.
I know that’s not going to be the popular opinion and I’m not suggesting that the defensive issues go ignored, but at this point, you can really argue that BPA may work at any/all of the offensive positions. QB could be an issue due to the timeframe it takes to learn the system. RB certainly needs a draft selection, no doubt about it. TE could be another—we have Gronk as an unknown, and a moderate to expensive blocking TE. I’m not counting on last year’s rookie or Tye, myself. OT definitely could be whether Solder re-signs or not (while Scar is still here, for development). I don’t believe that keeping Shaq Mason is in the cards beyond this year, especially as the market keeps driving up with the 13.3m dollar AAV pact signed yesterday. Hell, even WR could be an option if you consider the fact that Cooks likely will move on, Jules is getting old, and all of Mitchell, Dorsett, and Britt are likely on the bubble.
Out of the 7 draft picks, I could easily see a 4-3 split.
Yeah, I agree, obviously.
The "smokescreen" comment was mainly a quip intended for a specific audience (IYKWIM). But it really is just BB reviewing his options - those that he doesn't mind making public. I'm pretty sure he has other interests that he's hold closer to the vest.
Of course, there's really no way to even throw a dart at the odds of BB selecting at any particular position in the draft until we see how FA plays out.
As far as RB goes, I really do believe that BB prefers to go with NFL players over rookies, when possible - knows what he's getting, yadda-yadda. And, with the RBBC, that doesn't necessarily need to be a whole lot as long as he has a lot of solid run-blockers, which is where Allen comes in (it's been a bit overlooked that Fleming played far less as an extra TE this season, even before he began subbing in at RT).
Anyway, the draftee versus FA thing depends on what's on both menus and how many spots need filled on the 4-man RBBC. Now that Lewis is in Tennessee, we know that there's at least one opening. If Burkhead is re-signed, the RBBC would be consist of three experienced NFL players, so the fourth spot could go to a draftee/UDFA if the pickings seem better there than among available FAs. Then, too, a guy like (soon to be UFA) Zack Zenner - with 3 years NFL experience - would likely hit the 2018 cap for about the same money as a late-round draftee. So, there's still a lot of ways that this could go.
OTOH, how many RBs are slated for the final 53-man may come down to how many QBs end up on the roster. I'm pretty sure that will be three, but there's also an outside shot that BB could carry four with two draftees.
Roster-building is so effing fascinating, ain't it?
