01-25-2019, 12:17 AM
(01-19-2019, 04:43 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Before we start talking about "upgrading" we need to address "replacing". Right now the following positions are missing the starter from 2018.
OFFENSE
RT...Hart is a free agent (as are Fisher, Smith, and Ogbuehi)
RG...Redmond is free agent (as is Trey Hopkins)
TE...Eifert, Uzomah, and Kroft are all free agents.
DEFENSE
LB...Preston Brown is a free agent.
CB...Dennard is a free agent (nickel corner usually plays twice as many snaps as one of the starting LBs in a 4-3)
DE...Michael Johnson is a free agent.
Possible new starters already here....Hubbard should step in for Johnson. Some people think Westerman can start at OG, but I have yet to be convinced.
Possible free agents re-signed.....I think we will re-sign Dennard. Some of the others may be re-signed, but none of them look especially worthy of starting. The only exception is Preston Brown. I wonder if he just struggled due to his injury early in the season?
So ther than Hubbard and Dennard that leaves 4 holes with no returning starter. You can't bet on more than one or two starters from the draft. So we pretty much have to sign 2 or 3 starters in free agency.
I would resign...
Fisher & Hart @ tackle (for depth, both are young guys)
Hopkins @ guard/ center
Uzomah & Kroft (both better blockers than Eifert + Uzomah doesn't have bad hands)
and ... Brown & Dennard on defense.
I'd like to draft a starting LB and OL early... even possibly moving up in the draft to grab 2 OL in the second round that can start (depending how the chips fall). I also don't think we can afford a complete overhaul on the offensive line. A new scheme might help to take the pressure off the line as well (think how the Rams' fake Jet sweep keeps the backside DE in place). I do not think Eifert fits the new offense (I, however, will be a life-long Eifert fan and would like to see him back and healthy). I think now is not the time to mess with the slot CB (we cant fill every spot). And Brown was not our worst LB, he can play beside our drafted LB in either the SAM or MIKE on running downs. You can move them around to what suits our draft pick the best in the first year.
