Looking in at 2017

[rmw10]

I'll give my crack at it as well.

UFAs:
Kamar Aiken - 50/50 Think he'll opt to go elsewhere, but could end up staying
Will Davis - 50/50 Tough since he's not playing much, but he's a CB with a pulse.  I'd keep him
Vlad Ducasse - Gone Depth to get us through the season right now
Matt Elam - Stay Re-signs on a 1 year prove it deal
Lawrence Guy - 50/50 Not used as much this year but is a solid piece on the DL
Devin Hester - Gone Might not make it through the end of the year, let alone next year
Kyle Juszczyk - Stay Quality STer and offers 3rd down value.  Shouldn't be too expensive
Anthony Levine - Stay Continuously solid player who fills a lot of depth roles
Ryan Mallett - Gone Think he'll look for a better opportunity to start somewhere
Jerraud Powers - 50/50 He's been injured a ton already, but he is a CB with a pulse.  Maybe re-sign if he's cheap
Steve Smith Sr. - Gone Walking into the sunset
Rick Wagner - Gone I think we'll let him walk, with Lewis taking over at RT
Brandon Williams - Stay Lots want him gone, but I think we'll pay him.  He's big for our run game.  Whether that's the right move or not, we'll see

 

RFAs:
Marqueston Huff, James Hurst, Ryan Jensen. Zach Orr, Jumal Rolle, Terrance West

Not too much to see here.  Everyone important should get a tender, while someone like Jumal Rolle could be back on a cheap deal if we want him

Possible Cuts:
Kyle Arrington (+$2.1M) - As obvious as it gets
Elvis Dumervil (+$6M) - Think this one has to happen as of now.  Maybe he comes back this season and keeps his job
Kendrick Lewis (+1.8M) - The fact that he hardly played and is now on IR seals his fate
Dennis Pitta (+$3.3M) - I understand he's Joe's best friend, but I just can't see paying that money with all of the young guys we have
Mike Wallace (+$5.75M) - This one is a maybe.  If it's a rebuild, he's gone.  If not, I think they'll keep him with Perriman and Moore the only other options
Ben Watson (+$3M) - He'll likely never play a regular season down for the team
Lardarius Webb (+$5.5M) - This one should be a guarantee.  Webb's legs are shot and we've got to move on
Shareece Wright (+$2.67M) - Think they'll give him another year, but still possible since he represents cap savings
Jeremy Zuttah (+$2.39M) - Up in the air on this one, but he reverted back to awful against the Jets

[GrimCoconut]

1 minute ago, Halshayeji said:

Im prity sure his base it 6 and the 2.375 is what he got when he signed. Thus his cap hit is 8.375

If we cut him we save 6 mil and 2.375 is the dead cap

Shoot, you know what, you're right. I was a bit tired last night and obviously this morning (just woke up) but you're correct. I was wrong there. 

[Halshayeji]

24 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

That's not how it works.  You need cap space from the first day of FA to sign guys.  You don't open up space later.  Furthermore, you're only allowed to designate one player as a post-June 1st cut each year (unless you actually cut the player after June 1st, of course), and that cap hit then gets spread over 2 years.

i can almost swear we signed all our FA this year with no cap and had negative cap on Over the Cap. We didnt free up cap space until later. you may be right im not sure on timings and deadlines when you have to update the cap situations but i know that theres a specific day where you have to fit everything under the cap. Its not like you sign a guy and he has to fit right now.

[rmw10]

Just now, Halshayeji said:

i can almost swear we signed all our FA this year with no cap and had negative cap on Over the Cap. We didnt free up cap space until later. you may be right im not sure on timings and deadlines when you have to update the cap situations but i know that theres a specific day where you have to fit everything under the cap. Its not like you sign a guy and he has to fit right now.

Nope.  Salary cap goes into effect the 1st day of the league year.  After that, you need the cap space before you sign anyone.

[Halshayeji]

2 minutes ago, GrimCoconut said:

Shoot, you know what, you're right. I was a bit tired last night and obviously this morning (just woke up) but you're correct. I was wrong there. 

Its all good, If i had a dollar for every time i butchered cap projections lol

Thank god were not accountants

[Moderator 3]

During the off-season (when you can have 90 on the roster) only the top 51 count against the cap.  With creative structuring on contracts, you can be seemingly way over temporarily. 

[Halshayeji]

Just now, Moderator 3 said:

During the off-season (when you can have 90 on the roster) only the top 51 count against the cap.  With creative structuring on contracts, you can be seemingly way over temporarily. 

thank you

once again, thank god were not accountants lol

[GrimCoconut]

7 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I'll give my crack at it as well.

UFAs:
Kamar Aiken - 50/50 Think he'll opt to go elsewhere, but could end up staying
Will Davis - 50/50 Tough since he's not playing much, but he's a CB with a pulse.  I'd keep him
Vlad Ducasse - Gone Depth to get us through the season right now
Matt Elam - Stay Re-signs on a 1 year prove it deal
Lawrence Guy - 50/50 Not used as much this year but is a solid piece on the DL
Devin Hester - Gone Might not make it through the end of the year, let alone next year
Kyle Juszczyk - Stay Quality STer and offers 3rd down value.  Shouldn't be too expensive
Anthony Levine - Stay Continuously solid player who fills a lot of depth roles
Ryan Mallett - Gone Think he'll look for a better opportunity to start somewhere
Jerraud Powers - 50/50 He's been injured a ton already, but he is a CB with a pulse.  Maybe re-sign if he's cheap
Steve Smith Sr. - Gone Walking into the sunset
Rick Wagner - Gone I think we'll let him walk, with Lewis taking over at RT
Brandon Williams - Stay Lots want him gone, but I think we'll pay him.  He's big for our run game.  Whether that's the right move or not, we'll see

 

RFAs:
Marqueston Huff, James Hurst, Ryan Jensen. Zach Orr, Jumal Rolle, Terrance West

Not too much to see here.  Everyone important should get a tender, while someone like Jumal Rolle could be back on a cheap deal if we want him

Possible Cuts:
Kyle Arrington (+$2.1M) - As obvious as it gets
Elvis Dumervil (+$6M) - Think this one has to happen as of now.  Maybe he comes back this season and keeps his job
Kendrick Lewis (+1.8M) - The fact that he hardly played and is now on IR seals his fate
Dennis Pitta (+$3.3M) - I understand he's Joe's best friend, but I just can't see paying that money with all of the young guys we have
Mike Wallace (+$5.75M) - This one is a maybe.  If it's a rebuild, he's gone.  If not, I think they'll keep him with Perriman and Moore the only other options
Ben Watson (+$3M) - He'll likely never play a regular season down for the team
Lardarius Webb (+$5.5M) - This one should be a guarantee.  Webb's legs are shot and we've got to move on
Shareece Wright (+$2.67M) - Think they'll give him another year, but still possible since he represents cap savings
Jeremy Zuttah (+$2.39M) - Up in the air on this one, but he reverted back to awful against the Jets

I thought that we already cut Lewis. Yes, he is certainly gone. I can't see Wallace going anywhere, though. I also think Wright will remain, and I think Pitta has a good chance. Pitta is a bit uncertain though because of his figures and Joe isn't hitting even him, so there's an issue there. 

[Halshayeji]

8 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I'll give my crack at it as well.

Great Crack!

I hope your right and we somehow keep B.will, Juice, and Levine. I just love their motors and it seems like they always make the play when the ball comes their way.

[rmw10]

9 minutes ago, GrimCoconut said:

I thought that we already cut Lewis. Yes, he is certainly gone. I can't see Wallace going anywhere, though. I also think Wright will remain, and I think Pitta has a good chance. Pitta is a bit uncertain though because of his figures and Joe isn't hitting even him, so there's an issue there. 

Yeah I think Wallace sticks.  Only way I see him going is if we're truly committing a full, blow it up and restart rebuild type of thing.

I just can't see us paying Pitta anymore after this year.  He's been solid, but we have a lot of young guys hanging around too.  If we're going through a reset, I'd rather give them the opportunity.

[ravensnj]

On 10/23/2016 at 5:12 PM, Mad Puppy said:

Going to be a lot of changes next year.

Unfortunately that means a lot more overpriced free agent acquisitions.

Not if they do the biggest change.... fix their drafting issues.I would hire additional college scouts that were not regionalize to one area. I would give them free range of the Country. They would have one single purpose, to strictly evaluate one position only! The Receivers, Cornerbacks, and OLB's positions our biggest needs. They would be added to the already in place scouting team,however, they would oversee their assigned position. Maybe then, we might see a better crop of skill position players. 

 

Note: Justification for a wr- player must have a specific quota of catches over 3 years. 

[PurpleCity5]

8 hours ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

Your pros for an elite WR all make sense, but as far as elite and game wreckers, Jeffrey is pretty far behind the top of the pile. Hypothetically, also taking into consideration this team never pays a lot for its WRs, if all the top-tier WR's were to hit the market this year, the only ones I would realistically pay $10-14 million a year would be Julio Jones, AB, Green, Beckham, and maybe Hopkins. That's it. Jeffrey is in a pile with talented WR's like Nelson, TY, Cooper, Robinson, Evans, but I would never exceed a contract of over $8-9 million a year ever.

You don't think we can take Jeffery to that level? Jones, AB, Green, and Beckham all have something that Alshon doesn't, and that's stable QB play. We saw in 2013 that if you give him quality QB play, that he would completely demolish teams. We've all seen guys like AB, and AJ Green play go down without good QB play or at least trend downwards with the health of their QBs. We saw AB go through a stretch we have never seen him go through last year without Big Ben. Guys like Alshon play at a #1 WR level without quality QB play but with them they take themselves to a whole new level. 

 

I'm not saying he's going to come here, that's far from the case, and its not because I'm going to assume that the Bears will keep him, I'm saying that he won't come here because of the fact that the FO will keep doing what they do. Patchwork the receiving group and work on other positions. Not to say it has not work for us because its paid off, but so many times I look at the offense and say that an elite WR is not a need but a HUGE want for this team. Yeah, we don't need one, but best believe this offense really wants one. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by PurpleCity5

[VermontRaven]

 

16 hours ago, GrimCoconut said:

I decided to look ahead as well because I got sick of reading government documents on secure coding and cloud computing (some of the most boring documents you will ever read are government publications, btw) and here's what I found when analyzing potential cuts next year:

Flacco (-$22.750M), Jimmy Smith (+$300k), Yanda (-$250k), Dumervil (+$6M), Webb (+$5.500M), Wright (+$2.666M), Pitta (+$3.300M), Wallace (+$5.750M), Suggs (+$1.050M), Weddle (-$500k), Zuttah (+$2.392M), Watson (+$3M), Koch (+$700k), Arrington (+$2.1M). 

These are all pre-June 1st cuts and these numbers came from Over The Cap, which is pretty reliable and usually quite good on these things. Granted, you can always post-June 1st cut or designate [a] player, the likelihood of that is low and usually not typical. With that said, let's go over the bold names in purple on this list designated as unlikely to be cut due to cap: Flacco (QB), Jimmy Smith (CB), Yanda (RG), Weddle (S), Koch (P), and Suggs (OLB/DE). Of these names, the only player who may even possibly be cut is Suggs because of his injury, but I think he sticks with the team as I see no way he's gone as his exodus would be a real problem in this city and he doesn't really save us any money at all. Koch makes no sense to cut, while the others are either too cost prohibitive or simply playing too well [Weddle] to cut. 

Now we have the second tier of players who may get cut in green: Dumervil (OLB/DE), Webb (S), Wright (CB), Pitta (TE), Wallace (WR), Zuttah (C). Analyzing this list, unless Wallace is some locker room cancer, I find it very unlikely he's cut since we would only have Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore under contract, and even if you want to get young you can't go into a season with only those guys so I think he's safe. I want to say Pitta is safe because he doesn't really save much by cutting him as he only costs $3.300M, so the cost/savings may not be enough to release him, IMO. Same goes for Wright because, as bad as he's been at times, he's average and that's not terrible to have and I can't imagine we'll get better for $2.666M.  While I would say that Zuttah is safe, we do have Stanley (LT), Lewis (LG/RT), Urschel (G/C), Jensen (G/C/T), Yanda (RG) under contract so we should be able to keep 4/5 of our starting OL, which means we could potentially move on from Zuttah but perhaps he takes a paycut to stay here. I don't think Webb or Dumervil make it unless they take paycuts because they frankly don't seem to have the value anymore unless something really changes between now and 2017. With our pass rushers in Correa, Smith, Judon, I am sure we will draft another one high, and I don't see us keeping Dumervil unless he goes on a tear. 

Finally, the final tier of players who are very likely to be cut in red: Watson and Arrington look like they're on the outs. 

I think Arrington, Watson, Doom, and Webb are gone next year.  That frees up $16.6 million if these numbers are all correct.  That's quite a bit of space for guys that aren't making a huge impact right now. 

Wright and Zuttah are debatable....not blown away with their production, but these aren't huge numbers and not sure if you will find someone better for the savings you would get from cutting them.

Wallace I think is worth every penny with the growing pains of our young WRs and Smith out the door.  I also think we retain Pitta with his connection to Joe.  He is our most consistent TE in the passing game.

[GrimCoconut]

2 minutes ago, VermontRaven said:

 

I think Arrington, Watson, Doom, and Webb are gone next year.  That frees up $16.6 million if these numbers are all correct.  That's quite a bit of space for guys that aren't making a huge impact right now. 

Wright and Zuttah are debatable....not blown away with their production, but these aren't huge numbers and not sure if you will find someone better for the savings you would get from cutting them.

Wallace I think is worth every penny with the growing pains of our young WRs and Smith out the door.  I also think we retain Pitta with his connection to Joe.  He is our most consistent TE in the passing game.

I agree with mostly everything you said if not completely. I want to say Pitta stays but it's hard to do when there's a clear connection and this team is hungry for receiving threats and he provides that. That said, not sure it'll happen. Zuttah is a coin flip for me because he's been terrible. I think Wright sticks around though. 

[Cawtious]

On ‎10‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 0:09 AM, AppStRavenfan said:

 

I doubt Zuttah is going anywhere, we currently have no clear backup at center - we have guys like Urschel who can step in in a pinch but Zuttah has regained his form the past couple weeks and he's our best option there until we draft and develop someone to take over. I'm still skeptical if Urschel is our long term solution there, I think he's our long term guy at LG when Lewis is moved to RT.

Jensen will compete and likely win the starting C position.  He is an ERFA this year and will be an RFA after the season.  He is the clear backup, IMHO.  Urschel will return next year on his last year of his rookie deal and will back up the position.  Don't think we need to draft a C this next year.  2018, yes.

[K-Dog]

The x-factor is replacements. 

While many of these cuts are possible and or likely, the availability or a same or better replacement could well change things. 

[PurpleCity5]

On 10/25/2016 at 2:39 PM, Cawtious said:

Jensen will compete and likely win the starting C position.  He is an ERFA this year and will be an RFA after the season.  He is the clear backup, IMHO.  Urschel will return next year on his last year of his rookie deal and will back up the position.  Don't think we need to draft a C this next year.  2018, yes.

I disagree, I think we need a Center next year. Zuttah is not playing so well and we need someone who can pass block in the middle. I don't think Jensen's strength is pass blocking. I think he's a good run blocker but above else he's not a good pass blocker. 

I really think we will pick a center, I know this isn't the strongest draft class in the world but center is a need and I don't think we're going to find one via FA as the center class there is even worse. 

I don't think you can rely on Jensen, if he wins the job then that's good, but I don't think Jensen is a good enough reason to not go after a center. LG is also a huge need. I honestly wouldn't be suprised if we go full Dallas Cowboys and draft a LG and a C back to back. EXP: We pick a complete stud in Quenton Nelson from Notre Dame with our 1st pick, and draft Pat Elfiein out of Ohio State in the 2nd round. You'll have a young but talented OL who can protect Joe for the next 5 years. 

Edited October 26, 2016 by PurpleCity5

[Dewy101]

On 10/25/2016 at 8:01 AM, PurpleCity5 said:

You don't think we can take Jeffery to that level? Jones, AB, Green, and Beckham all have something that Alshon doesn't, and that's stable QB play. We saw in 2013 that if you give him quality QB play, that he would completely demolish teams. We've all seen guys like AB, and AJ Green play go down without good QB play or at least trend downwards with the health of their QBs. We saw AB go through a stretch we have never seen him go through last year without Big Ben. Guys like Alshon play at a #1 WR level without quality QB play but with them they take themselves to a whole new level. 

 

I'm not saying he's going to come here, that's far from the case, and its not because I'm going to assume that the Bears will keep him, I'm saying that he won't come here because of the fact that the FO will keep doing what they do. Patchwork the receiving group and work on other positions. Not to say it has not work for us because its paid off, but so many times I look at the offense and say that an elite WR is not a need but a HUGE want for this team. Yeah, we don't need one, but best believe this offense really wants one. 

When it comes to skill and talent I'd put Alshon at those guys level. He's probably a top 7 receiver in the league. His route running has improved since 2013, but inconsistent QB play has hurt him. The jump ball is his strong suit and Flacco loves the jump ball.  Injuries though have really caused a decline in Alshon and for that fact alone I'm not sure if he's worth paying elite WR money

[RavensDieHard21]

I know that this season is long from over, but i can't help but realize that this team lacks a true identity, or at least a great strength it can rely on to carry it to the promise land. As I see it right now, we are a below average offensive team with a great defensive front that can stone wall the run game, but is also filled with a few red chip players it can depend on moving forward, e.g., Mosley, Jernigan, Williams, Smith and Weddle.

As I see it, every playoff team each year has some strength that helps them propel themselves past their opponents. In our case now, the run defense is great, but it isn't enough to make us a suffocating defense. The point I want to ask is which direction should the team head in from this point forward based on what we have? For example, for a decade, we relied on a terrifying defense to carry us through the storm. Currently other successful teams, such as Dallas, have adapted the great wall offensive line approach, or, the explosive offense of the Steelers with AB, Coates, Bell, and Bryant. Then there are the teams like the Broncos, Seahawks, and Cardinals who have invested heavily in defense across the board via the draft and free agency and it is paying off.

I am hopeful that Ozzie instead of trying to fill 3-5 huge areas at once, attempts to stockpile talent in a specific area in addition to the run defense. Realistically, I believe Stanley and Yanda will be our two blue chip players on the line, but a pro bowl center could really make this line a terrific unit. Realistically, I am praying that regardless of our position in the draft that Oz decides to target a top-flight play maker like Allen from Bama, Garrett, Peppers, or even Tabor from Florida because they would immensely boost our defense. What are your takes?

[iceripper]

There is no center in FA. The often mentioned Matt Paradis is an erfa. The only way to get a new center is through the draft. 

I'd like to draft a pass rusher or a DB in the first and second. Guard is also a need. But I think Zeitler or Leary are relatively cheap FAs.

 

[Rav'n Maniac]

I feel it's time to really start building the offense hard through the draft. I'm not saying to totally neglect the defense because we still have holes there as well and we need to address them annually through the draft or FA.

Obviously, we won't be able to do it in one draft as the building process never stops. Starting in 17, I would like to see us go OL 1st and 2nd rounds. We've seen enough of what a poor line does to us so lets make it a strength and get a couple of blue chips at LG and C. With a great line, our RB group will be good, joe will have better protection and more time to check his reads.

I think we're fine at TE and I feel the WR group has good, young potential with Perriman, Moore and Aiken. I also feel we need 1 more good reciever in the near future but, Wallace can fill those shoes at present.

[rmcjacket23]

On 10/25/2016 at 2:39 PM, Cawtious said:

Jensen will compete and likely win the starting C position.  He is an ERFA this year and will be an RFA after the season.  He is the clear backup, IMHO.  Urschel will return next year on his last year of his rookie deal and will back up the position.  Don't think we need to draft a C this next year.  2018, yes.

Or LG, which could be open. 

My expectation is that Wagner is allowed to walk in FA and Lewis moves to RT, leaving theoretical openings at LG and C.

[VermontRaven]

6 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Or LG, which could be open. 

My expectation is that Wagner is allowed to walk in FA and Lewis moves to RT, leaving theoretical openings at LG and C.

I agree completely.  I don't see us retaining Wagner unless he agreed to WAY under what he could get on the open market, which I don't see happening.  I definitely see Stanley at LT, Lewis, at RT, and of course Yanda at RG. 

That leaves open competition for LG and C from Urshel, Jensen, and whoever else from practice squad, draft, FA, etc. because I also see Zuttah leaving.

 

[rmcjacket23]

1 hour ago, VermontRaven said:

I agree completely.  I don't see us retaining Wagner unless he agreed to WAY under what he could get on the open market, which I don't see happening.  I definitely see Stanley at LT, Lewis, at RT, and of course Yanda at RG. 

That leaves open competition for LG and C from Urshel, Jensen, and whoever else from practice squad, draft, FA, etc. because I also see Zuttah leaving.

 

I mean the reality is that we kind of have no clue what will happen with Wagner. RTs generally don't get paid that much, so if we wanted to retain him for like $4-5M a year or maybe less, it would certainly be possible.

 

[VermontRaven]

12 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

I mean the reality is that we kind of have no clue what will happen with Wagner. RTs generally don't get paid that much, so if we wanted to retain him for like $4-5M a year or maybe less, it would certainly be possible.

 

That's actually a very fair point.  And it would be nice to have a line of Stanley-Lewis-C???-Yanda-Wagner.

Plus, the added benefit is that Lewis has shown that he is a serviceable backup T if something does happen to Stanley or Wagner.  I think it will be very interesting to see what Wagner commands on the market.  What his "market value" is will probably determine whether the Ravens try to retain him or not?  It would be nice to retain Wagner, but I have a gut feeling someone desperate for a T will overpay him. (much like the case with KO)

[PurpleCity5]

15 hours ago, Dewy101 said:

When it comes to skill and talent I'd put Alshon at those guys level. He's probably a top 7 receiver in the league. His route running has improved since 2013, but inconsistent QB play has hurt him. The jump ball is his strong suit and Flacco loves the jump ball.  Injuries though have really caused a decline in Alshon and for that fact alone I'm not sure if he's worth paying elite WR money

Alshon was a beast when McCrown was playing at his best. With the trade rumors that have surrounded him lately, I highly doubt the Bears value him at that $14M salary per year that everyone here thinks he's going to get. Emmanuel Sanders is getting $11M from Denver with his new extension, that's pretty much what I think Alshon is going to get. A much bigger contract for sure but the base salary should be similar. I don't think he's going to get Dez, Julio, AJ money, he doesn't have a legit argument for that.

At $10M-11M per year, I would absolutely love him here and solve our WR problems for a good while. It's just a problem that we have had to deal with so long that you just want to be done with it. It's not good to have to deal with a need on one position year after year. It's really bad.

[PurpleCity5]

2 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Or LG, which could be open. 

My expectation is that Wagner is allowed to walk in FA and Lewis moves to RT, leaving theoretical openings at LG and C.

I expect us to draft a LG or C with one of our first three picks honestly.

[rmcjacket23]

1 minute ago, PurpleCity5 said:

Alshon was a beast when McCrown was playing at his best. With the trade rumors that have surrounded him lately, I highly doubt the Bears value him at that $14M salary per year that everyone here thinks he's going to get. Emmanuel Sanders is getting $11M from Denver with his new extension, that's pretty much what I think Alshon is going to get. A much bigger contract for sure but the base salary should be similar. I don't think he's going to get Dez, Julio, AJ money, he doesn't have a legit argument for that.

At $10M-11M per year, I would absolutely love him here and solve our WR problems for a good while. It's just a problem that we have had to deal with so long that you just want to be done with it. It's not good to have to deal with a need on one position year after year. It's really bad.

Jeffery will be interesting. Certainly don't see him here because that's just not our style, but I'm highly interested in what Chicago will do there.

Looks very much like they'll have a new QB next season after they move on from Cutler, and so it would make sense to basically start from scratch offensively. But Jeffery is the kind of receiver fresh QBs dream about, so we will have to see.

[rmcjacket23]

1 minute ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I expect us to draft a LG or C with one of our first three picks honestly.

Certainly possible. Interior offensive line figures to be a point of emphasis in the offseason, though it may just be offensive line in general. If we let Wagner walk and roll with Stanley and Lewis at tackles (which I'm fine with), our depth at tackle  becomes arguably a bigger issue than interior line depth, since we will still have Jensen and Urschel here along with Yanda. My guess is the emphasis will be more on finding a Center (could be FA acquisition for all we know) and adding just general OL depth, regardless of position.

What I think we are seeing is that we have the depth to sustain an injury to a tackle or something like that, but we don't have the depth to sustain 2-3 injuries to the offensive line at the same time. In theory no team does, but when your starters at certain positions aren't that great to begin with, it makes it even worse.

 

[Cawtious]

18 hours ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I disagree, I think we need a Center next year. Zuttah is not playing so well and we need someone who can pass block in the middle. I don't think Jensen's strength is pass blocking. I think he's a good run blocker but above else he's not a good pass blocker. 

I really think we will pick a center, I know this isn't the strongest draft class in the world but center is a need and I don't think we're going to find one via FA as the center class there is even worse. 

I don't think you can rely on Jensen, if he wins the job then that's good, but I don't think Jensen is a good enough reason to not go after a center. LG is also a huge need. I honestly wouldn't be suprised if we go full Dallas Cowboys and draft a LG and a C back to back. EXP: We pick a complete stud in Quenton Nelson from Notre Dame with our 1st pick, and draft Pat Elfiein out of Ohio State in the 2nd round. You'll have a young but talented OL who can protect Joe for the next 5 years. 

I think his ability to pass block isn't as bad as some think or perceive.  The distance for contact with the DL is shortened when playing center.  Many folks thought AQ Shipley couldn't be relied on.......seems to be doing just fine in AZ.  I would say Jensen is better than AQ. 

I love the premise of the "new kid in town" is always the better answer.  How is that philosophy working in Alex Lewis? 

Jensen is 25 and in his 4th year.  I'll trust him more than any green rookie right now at C.  I'll trust him more than Zuttah right now as well.

It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff / FO believes he deserves that opportunity.