2023 OL Draft Prospects Group Assessments

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(01-27-2023, 05:29 PM)Whatever Wrote: If we were cap strapped, I could see it, but we have the 5th most cap space in the league heading into next year.  QB contracts typically don't start kicking in for a few years and we don't have a lot of big money FA's to resign or glaring immediate needs besides TE.  

It's not a good FA or T class from what I've seen.  I don't particularly want to cut a guy just to be forced to draft a guy at his position early in a weak class, especially drafting at the end of the round with no extra picks. With the patchwork lines we've trotted out the last two years for the playoffs, I'd much rather keep a guy like Jonah around another year.

Burrow, Wilson, and Higgins are eligible for extensions.
Bell, Pratt, and Hurst are all FAs.

Even if you don't extend Higgins and don't re-sign Pratt (my expectations) that cap space will still start shrinking quick. Plus they need to find another CB or re-sign Apple (ugh).

How is paying a guy $12.6m to either do a bad job or potentially sit on the bench better than trying to find his replacement and using $12.6m in cap space to improve the team? Again, 20 sacks allowed the last two years. Without him the Bengals 29th ranked run offense ran straight down the throat of the Bills 5th ranked rushing defense while Burrow tied his lowest sack total of any game this year.

Not to mention even if Jonah does play okay, there's a pretty good chance with him that you still are forced to put together a patchwork line out there because he's always hurt. He just dislocated knees twice in one year, he has finished 3 of his 4 seasons injured.