05-07-2020, 12:40 AM
Here is my ranking top to bottom from what you listed on what will have the biggest impact.
1) Jonah Williams returning to replace the turnstyle that was LT last year -- I believe this will be a huge upgrade and any QB will perform better when their blindside isn't consistently under pressure
2) Joe Burrow replacing Andy Dalton -- Dalton is good, Burrow is hopefully great or borderline Elite. It will take some time, but I think his presence rejuvenates the team some and we will see a gradual increase in QB play compared to the past few years
3) Reader replacing Billings -- it seems like we traded out Billings for the guy we hoped he would one day become. Billings was ok, but he wasn't consistent and seemed to miss big plays when he had the chance... Reader is proven, and a bit nastier IMO. Excited to watch him help the run D
4) Alexander in the slot -- Dennard is as good and perhaps better than Alexander, but he has injury problems. Just having a decent slot corner for 16 games will be big. No more BW Webb THANK YOU
5) Wilson replacing Vigil -- I have a lot of faith in Wilson, I think he is going to be REALLY good. Vigil was decent, but there were too many highlights of his ankles breaking last year. I think this will be an upgrade
6) Uzomah over Eifert -- I think we played it safe with Eifert last year and I'm not confident that his blocking was too good. I don't think there is a huge dropoff from Uzo to Eifert, and I think we will be pleasantly surprised at Uzo this year as the clear cut #1
7) XSF over Miller -- I think this is mainly a lateral move, but there is potential for XSF to outperform. I like how big the guy is (2 inches taller than Miller), at least he will take up some space.
8) ADG replacing Preston Browns replacements -- I think there is potential here for ADG to be a good player for us. I'm excited about the speed and coverage ability. He might not be as good as Preston Brown right away, but he has a great chance of being better than the other guys that replaced Brown last year
9) Higgins over Ross -- I'm not sure how quickly Higgins will see the field. I don't think he will instantly replace who is out there currently. Long-term, this could be our greatest pickup from the guys you listed, but I think it will take a year or two before he gets fully integrated into the offense.
10) Waynes over Kirkpatrick -- I don't think there is a huge difference here in coverage skills. But hey, he won't celebrate as hard when an opponent drops a pass and he does have a knack for causing fumbles. I think it's a lateral move and possibly a slight improvement.
11) Bell over Williams -- Williams may be our most underrated player and I don't think it's a 1 for 1 swap here. I think there will be packages for both and both will be beneficial to the team
12) Fred Johnson over Hart -- I'm not sure Fred will get the opportunity to replace Hart this season. Hopefully he comes in and takes the starting job, but even then, how much better than Hart will he be? We like to dog on Hart, but I'm not sure he is much worse than a Steelers practice squad player... to be determined.
Overall I'm super excited for the additions to the defense. After watching that s*** show the last two years, it will be a fresh of breath air just to see someone else get beat. The linebacker additions are key, whoever makes it to the field on gameday will have much greater lateral speed than last years bunch. Hopefully that means less easy completions and perimeter runs. It's tough waiting for this season!
1) Jonah Williams returning to replace the turnstyle that was LT last year -- I believe this will be a huge upgrade and any QB will perform better when their blindside isn't consistently under pressure
2) Joe Burrow replacing Andy Dalton -- Dalton is good, Burrow is hopefully great or borderline Elite. It will take some time, but I think his presence rejuvenates the team some and we will see a gradual increase in QB play compared to the past few years
3) Reader replacing Billings -- it seems like we traded out Billings for the guy we hoped he would one day become. Billings was ok, but he wasn't consistent and seemed to miss big plays when he had the chance... Reader is proven, and a bit nastier IMO. Excited to watch him help the run D
4) Alexander in the slot -- Dennard is as good and perhaps better than Alexander, but he has injury problems. Just having a decent slot corner for 16 games will be big. No more BW Webb THANK YOU
5) Wilson replacing Vigil -- I have a lot of faith in Wilson, I think he is going to be REALLY good. Vigil was decent, but there were too many highlights of his ankles breaking last year. I think this will be an upgrade
6) Uzomah over Eifert -- I think we played it safe with Eifert last year and I'm not confident that his blocking was too good. I don't think there is a huge dropoff from Uzo to Eifert, and I think we will be pleasantly surprised at Uzo this year as the clear cut #1
7) XSF over Miller -- I think this is mainly a lateral move, but there is potential for XSF to outperform. I like how big the guy is (2 inches taller than Miller), at least he will take up some space.
8) ADG replacing Preston Browns replacements -- I think there is potential here for ADG to be a good player for us. I'm excited about the speed and coverage ability. He might not be as good as Preston Brown right away, but he has a great chance of being better than the other guys that replaced Brown last year
9) Higgins over Ross -- I'm not sure how quickly Higgins will see the field. I don't think he will instantly replace who is out there currently. Long-term, this could be our greatest pickup from the guys you listed, but I think it will take a year or two before he gets fully integrated into the offense.
10) Waynes over Kirkpatrick -- I don't think there is a huge difference here in coverage skills. But hey, he won't celebrate as hard when an opponent drops a pass and he does have a knack for causing fumbles. I think it's a lateral move and possibly a slight improvement.
11) Bell over Williams -- Williams may be our most underrated player and I don't think it's a 1 for 1 swap here. I think there will be packages for both and both will be beneficial to the team
12) Fred Johnson over Hart -- I'm not sure Fred will get the opportunity to replace Hart this season. Hopefully he comes in and takes the starting job, but even then, how much better than Hart will he be? We like to dog on Hart, but I'm not sure he is much worse than a Steelers practice squad player... to be determined.
Overall I'm super excited for the additions to the defense. After watching that s*** show the last two years, it will be a fresh of breath air just to see someone else get beat. The linebacker additions are key, whoever makes it to the field on gameday will have much greater lateral speed than last years bunch. Hopefully that means less easy completions and perimeter runs. It's tough waiting for this season!
