Who Goes? Who Stays? Post regular season roster evaluation

[Mahatma_Sloth]

This season was not great, but it turned out well enough. last time i remember our D banged up like this was '07, and we all remember how that turned out. The blessing in disguise was being able to expose some freshblood to playing time and getting a good idea of what they have to offer.

For example, Graham, both Browns, Art, Ihedigbo, Gradkowski, Pierce, Hall/Tyson(had flashes), and Ellerbe(the timing on his blitz is nice) have all stood out to me this season and could replace starters IMO. now we all know Brown is not going to replace Reed, but who's to say Graham couldn't replace Cary Williams and save us some cash.

who let you down? who impressed? who gets starts? who gets second chances? who would you cut? who stays? Who will be at ILB? this includes coaches too.... I have been hard on Pees but he didn't get a fair shake and the last 2 games Caldwell called were nice! But i do think we need to find someone that can fire up the line more than Moeller.

What say ye?

[HaX]

it's not over yet.

[rmw10]

Based on who's on the roster now, here's how I see it looking next year.

QB - Flacco, Taylor
RB - Rice, Pierce, Allen
FB - Leach
WR - T. Smith, Doss, J. Jones, Streeter, D. Thompson
TE - Pitta, Dickson
OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid

DL - Ngata, Cody, A. Jones, McPhee, Tyson
LB - Suggs, Ellerbe, McClain, Upshaw, McClellan
CB - Webb, Graham, J. Smith, C. Brown, A. Jackson
S - Pollard, C. Thompson

K - Tucker
P - Koch
LS - Cox

Obviously there are some other guys currently on the roster that may be back, but I think these are the "guarantees" for the roster next year. Draft picks may also change some things, but this is how I see it. Obviously not a full roster, either.

Edit to add: I didn't forget about guys like Josh Bynes, Omar Brown, etc. They'll be in battles based on who else we bring in.

[Sunday QB]

OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid.

Please be kidding, we need a better OL that that.

[SecretAgentMan]

This smelled like a Brandon 22 thread for a second....

[rmw10]

[quote name='Sunday QB' timestamp='1357165037' post='1287341']
OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid.

Please be kidding, we need a better OL that that.
[/quote]

Well I'm sure some other moves will be made. Of the current roster though, those are the guys that will more than likely be on the roster again next year. McKinnie and Bobbie are going to be cut. I'm not too sure where Harewood stands at this point since he's been on the bench so long. Birk might retire.

[Yatagarasu]

Yeah!

McKinnie and Williams are gone. They're past their prime and just eating up cap space.

I assume this upcoming draft, we're going to add a high pick OL. We can try to trade up for Eric Fisher because the two Texas A&M OTs are way gone before we pick.

Also, Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones, and Jonathan Cooper might be good investments.

A strong and deep O-line can control the game.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1357151749' post='1286938']
Based on who's on the roster now, here's how I see it looking next year.

QB - Flacco, Taylor
RB - Rice, Pierce, Allen
FB - Leach
WR - T. Smith, Doss, J. Jones, Streeter, D. Thompson
TE - Pitta, Dickson
OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid

DL - Ngata, Cody, A. Jones, McPhee, Tyson
LB - Suggs, Ellerbe, McClain, Upshaw, McClellan
CB - Webb, Graham, J. Smith, C. Brown, A. Jackson
S - Pollard, C. Thompson

K - Tucker
P - Koch
LS - Cox

Obviously there are some other guys currently on the roster that may be back, but I think these are the "guarantees" for the roster next year. Draft picks may also change some things, but this is how I see it. Obviously not a full roster, either.

Edit to add: I didn't forget about guys like Josh Bynes, Omar Brown, etc. They'll be in battles based on who else we bring in.
[/quote]

That looks about right to me, but I think the FO will do everything they can to keep Paul Kruger. If we bring him back with a healthy Suggs our pass-rush will be among the best in the league. I think Omar Brown and maybe Ihedigbo will be kept around along with Bynes, but you are right they will probably be fringe roster spots. Bryan Hall is in that mix as well.

[blitzking33]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1357151749' post='1286938']
Based on who's on the roster now, here's how I see it looking next year.

QB - Flacco, Taylor
RB - Rice, Pierce, Allen
FB - Leach
WR - T. Smith, Doss, J. Jones, Streeter, D. Thompson
TE - Pitta, Dickson
OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid

DL - Ngata, Cody, A. Jones, McPhee, Tyson
LB - Suggs, Ellerbe, McClain, Upshaw, McClellan
CB - Webb, Graham, J. Smith, C. Brown, A. Jackson
S - Pollard, C. Thompson

K - Tucker
P - Koch
LS - Cox

Obviously there are some other guys currently on the roster that may be back, but I think these are the "guarantees" for the roster next year. Draft picks may also change some things, but this is how I see it. Obviously not a full roster, either.

Edit to add: I didn't forget about guys like Josh Bynes, Omar Brown, etc. They'll be in battles based on who else we bring in.
[/quote]

Ihedigbo should be back, you also forgot Emmanuel Cook.

It hurts bad to not see Lewis on that list,,, but that's the reality of this game. We may also see Ed leave the game with Ray as well.....

[rmw10]

[quote name='blitzking33' timestamp='1357180962' post='1287622']
Ihedigbo should be back, you also forgot Emmanuel Cook.

It hurts bad to not see Lewis on that list,,, but that's the reality of this game. We may also see Ed leave the game with Ray as well.....
[/quote]

I just put who are pretty much guarantees, in my eyes at least. I do think Ihedigbo will be back as well as a couple of other FAs, but this is just a general list.

[Mt. Crushmore]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1357165321' post='1287349']


Well I'm sure some other moves will be made. Of the current roster though, those are the guys that will more than likely be on the roster again next year. McKinney and Bobbie are going to be cut. I'm not too sure where Harewood stands at this point since he's been on the bench so long. Birk might retire.
[/quote]

McKinnie is a FA.

[Mt. Crushmore]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1357177756' post='1287573']
Yeah!

McKinnie and Williams are gone. They're past their prime and just eating up cap space.

I assume this upcoming draft, we're going to add a high pick OL. We can try to trade up for Eric Fisher because the two Texas A&M OTs are way gone before we pick.

Also, Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones, and Jonathan Cooper might be good investments.

A strong and deep O-line can control the game.
[/quote]

McKinnie is an FA. Also Jake Matthews is going back to A&M so Fisher just went up a little.

[Dubs]

There have been a couple of players who have relieved some of my anxieties about the defense next year, mainly: Josh Bynes, Omar Brown, Chykie Brown, Corey Graham, DeAngelo Tyson, Ihedigbo and Dannell Ellerbe. Thus I dont think we NEED to go ILB or CB too early in the draft or do a overpaid FA pickup. I do think, dependent upon Reeds future, we may look at S's.

Overall I would say Ellerbe as an obvious starter. Corey Graham and Brown I could see as the nickel package along with Webb..I love Jimmy, however right now I am more comfortable with the other two - Once Jimmy gets some confidence and swagger back in his game (and hopefully injuries subside) he may be able to be the corner opposite Webb. Basically I am saying as many others have Cary is expendable. Kruger I think we need back, Upshaw is not a pure pass rusher and Suggs we should be weary about now as being a dominant pass rusher all by himself. Depth at pass rusher should never be undervalued and I cannot understand letting Kruger go. On the DL I am iffy about NT, will Ngata make the move there, should Kemo come back, will Cody get more consistant. I am hoping Cody gets better with age as most NTs do.

Offensively I cant say I am confident in many of the young guys taking over as starters. Out of all of them I would say Gradkowski as he looked like a competitor last week. Of the young WRs I really do think we need an early to mid round investment here (I dont want us going through FA). I think we should keep Boldin and his contract - while we may be overpaying he is too valuable to us and Joe to let him go with so little production or even flash from the other WRs we have.

[The Raven]

[quote name='Sunday QB' timestamp='1357165037' post='1287341']
OL - Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Reid.

Please be kidding, we need a better OL that that.
[/quote]

How do you know how good or bad that line is? How do you knew players won't progress and get better? I don't know if you know this, but players progress and improve. How can you see the future?

[RobFuseRaven]

I'm pretty sure they will re-sign Kruger, Art and Ellerbe. With the draft coming up, Josh Bynes might be expendable. I I also don't think they will reach a new deal with Cary Williams. I like Webby, Corey and Chykie being starters. I think Jimmy will be the number 3 wide receiver again though as the front office seems to really like him. You never know though, he could still improve vastly during the offseason. There is still the issue of constant injuries though. If he keeps getting injured when his rookie contract expires, it might be time to let him go. I think he has heaps of potential though.

I get the feeling that Ed Reed will retire or go to another team. I especially think he'll retire if we win the Super Bowl. I just don't see the Ravens meeting his expectations on a contract offer. I think we may need to draft another safety. Ihedigbo had really impressed me. I'm comfortable with him starting. As for the depth we have Omar Brown, Christian Thompson and Emanuel Cook. I don't think we keep Anthony Levine or Sean Considine. I hope we draft a DT in the first round. If that happens Kemo or Cody might be gone.

I'm sure we re-sign Pitta and Dickson. I don't think there will be much movement in the TE position unless we find a better option than Bajema. I think that third RB spot is a competition again. With Allen, Berry and Rainey, I'm gonna make a bold predicition and say Berry steps it up. I have no evidence behind this, but I think barely making the team through IR will be a wake up call for him. Bobby Williams and Bryant McKinnie will probably be cut and Birk just might very well retire. So that leaves Oher, Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda and Reid. Hopefully we draft O-Line pretty high, so that leaves some competition on the O-Line.

I'd really love for us to keep Boldin, but I get the feeling Ravens won't pay for him. Or he might come back with a reworked contract. But if he's gone, I feel comfortable with Doss taking his spot. We are really deep at WR with a lot of receivers having great hands. I don't see us drafting another WR with Tommy Streeter being a project and possibly a great speed receiver. Can you imagine if he improved on route running and holding onto the ball? He'd be a monster. There's a lot of stuff I'm leaving out, but that's all I can think of for now.

[B-more Ravor]

This should help:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-2013-free-agency-preview/"]http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-2013-free-agency-preview/[/url]

The Ravens currently have 37 players under contract for 2013. Those 37 account for around $106.5M against the Cap. Obviously, $4.35M will come off of that if Ray does retire. That would leave them, then, with a little over $102M committed to the Cap. That doesn't include the necessary tenders for their RFAs and ERFAs. Assuming a Cap of $121M. those tenders will eat up a good portion of their excess.

This is info on the release/retirement of some players:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-salary-cap-tagging-flacco-could-mean-goodbye-for-some/"]http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-salary-cap-tagging-flacco-could-mean-goodbye-for-some/[/url]

[rmw10]

[quote name='B-more Ravor' timestamp='1357241661' post='1288310']
This should help:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-2013-free-agency-preview/"]http://russellstreet...agency-preview/[/url]

The Ravens currently have 37 players under contract for 2013. Those 37 account for around $106.5M against the Cap. Obviously, $4.35M will come off of that if Ray does retire. That would leave them, then, with a little over $102M committed to the Cap. That doesn't include the necessary tenders for their RFAs and ERFAs. Assuming a Cap of $121M. those tenders will eat up a good portion of their excess.

This is info on the release/retirement of some players:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-salary-cap-tagging-flacco-could-mean-goodbye-for-some/"]http://russellstreet...odbye-for-some/[/url]
[/quote]

We're actually in a pretty good spot. Cutting Boldin saves $6 million. Cutting Bobbie Williams saves $1.2 million. Birk probably retires saving $2 million. Extensions to Jacoby Jones and Vonta Leach probably reduce the cap another $2-3 million. We're looking at roughly $12 million that would open up by those moves. That leaves plenty of money to re-sign Flacco, re-sign some of the other guys (Ellerbe, Kruger, etc.), and even make a play in free agency.

As much as I don't want to see Ray go, his decision is really helping our cap situation.

[Larryterri]

[quote name='B-more Ravor' timestamp='1357241661' post='1288310']
This should help:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-2013-free-agency-preview/"]http://russellstreet...agency-preview/[/url]

The Ravens currently have 37 players under contract for 2013. Those 37 account for around $106.5M against the Cap. Obviously, $4.35M will come off of that if Ray does retire. That would leave them, then, with a little over $102M committed to the Cap. That doesn't include the necessary tenders for their RFAs and ERFAs. Assuming a Cap of $121M. those tenders will eat up a good portion of their excess.

This is info on the release/retirement of some players:

[url="http://russellstreetreport.com/ravens-salary-cap-tagging-flacco-could-mean-goodbye-for-some/"]http://russellstreet...odbye-for-some/[/url]
[/quote]

I'm not too well informed on all this cap talk, but tell me this chart dont say we're gonna have to let Jones go?

[rmw10]

[quote name='Larryterri' timestamp='1357244376' post='1288336']
I'm not too well informed on all this cap talk, but tell me this chart dont say we're gonna have to let Jones go?
[/quote]

It could go either way. Cutting Jones would save $4 million. However, it's more likely that we'll extend him and push some of that money into future years.

[Larryterri]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1357244574' post='1288338']
It could go either way. Cutting Jones would save $4 million. However, it's more likely that we'll extend him and push some of that money into future years.
[/quote]

I hope so, he has sparked some fire into our return game, and is a good receiver too.

[bauer77]

[quote name='Larryterri' timestamp='1357244376' post='1288336']
I'm not too well informed on all this cap talk, but tell me this chart dont say we're gonna have to let Jones go?
[/quote]

We don't [b]have[/b] to let him go, thats just something people think we may do. I don't think we will, especially since we finally have our KR and PR problems solved (unless of course, Thompson can get out of the Harbaugh doghouse and take over). I think we may just sign him to an extension.

[1/28/01]

JJ will be extended, IMO. No way he gets flat out cut with his performance this year.

[redlobster]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1357244922' post='1288345']
JJ will be extended, IMO. No way he gets flat out cut with his performance this year.
[/quote]

Exactly if he was to leave another team would snatch him up in a heartbeat, after this year he has redeemed himself

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1357177756' post='1287573']
Yeah!

McKinnie and Williams are gone. They're past their prime and just eating up cap space.

I assume this upcoming draft, we're going to add a high pick OL. We can try to trade up for Eric Fisher because the two Texas A&M OTs are way gone before we pick.

Also, Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones, and Jonathan Cooper might be good investments.

A strong and deep O-line can control the game.
[/quote]

We also need a better O-line coach. .Andy Moeller sucks, and he doesnt have the grit to discipline our players in shape.

[Bltravens]

Whats with the Josh Bynes love on this board? He has been brutal since seeing significant time. The only thing keeping the middle of the defense serviceable at this point is that Ellerbe plays like a missile against the rush and blitzing.

[BMORE_96]

t[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1357250168' post='1288407']
Whats with the Josh Bynes love on this board? He has been brutal since seeing significant time. The only thing keeping the middle of the defense serviceable at this point is that Ellerbe plays like a missile against the rush and blitzing.
[/quote]Actually he's had a good game sensing the rush and cutbacks in the giants and bengals game. He did, however, have a bad game against the broncos where they rushed in the middle consistently,partly kemo and cody.

[BMORE_96]

And back to the topic. I [b]strongly [/b]believe the biggest need the ravens have needed for the last two seasons is an elite left tackle, With this we would have superior run blocking with oher or kelechi at the right and an interior with gino,yanda, and oher or kelechi. Or even Lt Oher Gino Kelechi Reid ,if people think reid is a legitemate right tackle. This would allievate our long-time need ever since the departure of J.O and will allow us to not have to draft an iffy prospect at tackle, there are not many solid ones with jake matthews gone making it harder to draft one.

And with LT solved, I think we may need a replacement at these positions:NT, wr(find NO.1), fs(we have [b]nobody [/b]proven after ed leaves).

The rest of the roster can be filled with draft picks, obscure FAs, and improved practice squad members like omar, josh, and tommy.

[bauer77]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1357250168' post='1288407']
Whats with the Josh Bynes love on this board? He has been brutal since seeing significant time. The only thing keeping the middle of the defense serviceable at this point is that Ellerbe plays like a missile against the rush and blitzing.
[/quote]

He actually did well against DEN and against NYG against the run. He's also only 23, and won't cost that much since he's an EFA (either $480K or $555K)

[Bltravens]

[quote name='BMORE_96' timestamp='1357251325' post='1288418']
tActually he's had a good game sensing the rush and cutbacks in the giants and bengals game. He did, however, have a bad game against the broncos where they rushed in the middle consistently,partly kemo and cody.
[/quote]
[quote name='bauer77' timestamp='1357255048' post='1288484']
He actually did well against DEN and against NYG against the run. He's also only 23, and won't cost that much since he's an EFA (either $480K or $555K)
[/quote]
Before pointing out the obvious contrast of opinion in the 3 game stretch between the two of you.

Bynes has done nothing to warrant "good play" comments.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1357255275' post='1288490']


Before pointing out the obvious contrast of opinion in the 3 game stretch between the two of you.

Bynes has done nothing to warrant "good play" comments.
[/quote]
PFF gave him a grade of 2.0 last week so that would warrant "good play". Not sure about previous weeks. I've definitely seen him take some bad angles but hes also made some nice plays that stick out. He's pretty young and has had virtually no playing xp before being forced into action so anything positive is a good thing.