(07-26-2025, 04:37 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: No, but he does not count if he does not report by week 1.

Are you predicting he misses no games and shows up?

I hope he does, but right now he is not on the 90 roster

He'll be on our 53. Is that too compicated for you?

i don't like that safety room. the CB's room also doesn't give me a lot of hope. trey and shemar got their work cut out. hopefully BJ and the other DT can help push the pocket. our DB's did not get better. neither really did our DL. this is a middle of the pack defense at best. which.....might be just enough. fingers crossed.

(07-27-2025, 03:15 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: He'll be on our 53. Is that too compicated for you?

I am not trying to be difficult, but unless he shows up for TC, the team is given a roster exemption for him. 

Am I wrong? Are you saying we have to put him on our 53 if he is still in Florida on vacation.

(07-27-2025, 08:05 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I am not trying to be difficult, but unless he shows up for TC, the team is given a roster exemption for him. 

Am I wrong? Are you saying we have to put him on our 53 if he is still in Florida on vacation.

pray they get a deal done in the next month. i can't imagine this defense without trey. in his defense this is the end of his career. gotta get what ya can.

(07-27-2025, 08:05 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I am not trying to be difficult, but unless he shows up for TC, the team is given a roster exemption for him. 

Am I wrong? Are you saying we have to put him on our 53 if he is still in Florida on vacation.

There are no roster exemptions for hold outs.

(07-27-2025, 08:27 PM)Synric Wrote: There are no roster exemptions for hold outs.

I did not know that

TY

That is crazy to penalize the team for a player not honoring his contract

Edit: Just found this, looks there is a roster exemption for guys who do not show up

https://overthecap.com/collective-bargaining-agreement/article/20/section/4

Players Under Contract. If a Club obtains a roster exemption for a player under contract who does not report to his Club at least five days before the final day of Preseason Training Camp as defined in Article 23, Section 10, the player will not be entitled to preseason or regular season compensation until such exemption is removed, provided the player is given written notice of such fact upon reporting to the Club. If such notice is not given to the player, the player must be paid his Paragraph 5 Salary during his exemption.

(07-27-2025, 08:38 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I did not know that

TY

That is crazy to penalize the team for a player not honoring his contract

Edit: Just found this, looks there is a roster exemption for guys who do not show up

https://overthecap.com/collective-bargaining-agreement/article/20/section/4

Players Under Contract. If a Club obtains a roster exemption for a player under contract who does not report to his Club at least five days before the final day of Preseason Training Camp as defined in Article 23, Section 10, the player will not be entitled to preseason or regular season compensation until such exemption is removed, provided the player is given written notice of such fact upon reporting to the Club. If such notice is not given to the player, the player must be paid his Paragraph 5 Salary during his exemption.

Yea I see that they added a did not report list to the CBA.

It was needed. Trey and Terry McClauren are on it right now.

(07-27-2025, 08:46 PM)Synric Wrote: Yea I see that they added a did not report list to the CBA.

It was needed. Trey and Terry McClauren are on it right now.

I am glad also, made no sense to effectively remove a roster spot for someone deserving from the PS or others.

(07-27-2025, 08:46 PM)Synric Wrote: Yea I see that they added a did not report list to the CBA.

It was needed. Trey and Terry McClauren are on it right now.

McClauren reported today and was placed on PUP

(07-27-2025, 09:22 PM)pally Wrote: McClauren reported today and was placed on PUP

I saw that. Is he playing games to avoid fines or is he really injured?

(07-27-2025, 09:47 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I saw that. Is he playing games to avoid fines or is he really injured?

The Commanders report him with an ankle injury.  Is that really true?  Your guess is as good as mine

(07-27-2025, 08:05 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I am not trying to be difficult, but unless he shows up for TC, the team is given a roster exemption for him. 

Am I wrong? Are you saying we have to put him on our 53 if he is still in Florida on vacation.

For the 5th time: 

1) That list is a projection of what I think the 53 will be. 

2) I think Trey will be on it. 

3) Ergo. He will be signed. 

Got it? 

(07-28-2025, 11:55 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: For the 5th time: 

1) That list is a projection of what I think the 53 will be. 

2) I think Trey will be on it. 

3) Ergo. He will be signed. 

Got it? 

Calm down

I hope you are right, but that is a huge assumption on your part. 

(07-28-2025, 11:58 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Calm down

Your new shtick: Telling other posters to calm down they don't align with your Bengals fandom perspective.

What a joke.

I have no inside info, but here is my thinking on the roster, and, obviously, YMMV. 

First off, what is the minimum number we need to carry at each spot? Are there battles for those spots or are they clear cut? Then you have to make decisions on how to allocate the remaining spots on the roster: by player & position. 

Minimums: QB 2, RB 3, WR 5, TE 4, OL 9, DL 9, LB 5, CB 5, S 4, PL 1, P 1, LS 1 = 49. 23 O, 23 D, 3 ST.

That leaves 4 choices for other spots: QB3, RB4, WR 6, TE 5, OL10/11, DL 10/11, LB 6, CB 6, S 5. 

A. QB (2). Burrow; Browning. PS: Ridder.

Signing Ridder and releasing Woodside has some folk believing we could carry 3, or trade Browning to Tenn after Levis' injury. But I think we stick with Browning, he knows the system. If Burrow gets a knock, I'd much rather have Browning forca game ir teo than Ridder. 3 QBs is not impossible, though. Ridder to PS. Thorne is a camp body. 

RB (3). C. Brown, Perine, Brooks. PS: Brightwell. IR/PUP/NFI: Moss.

With Moss on the shelf, this is easy. With him available, keeping 4 is more probable, and I am not sure who the top 3 are if we keep only 3. Brown  obviously, plus I'd say Brooks (who we really like), with Perine & Moss battling for the last spot  which might be RB2, ironically. With Moss' restructure, the savings on cutting him or Perine is virtually identical ($1.242 vs $1.2 mil). I think we like Moss and want to do right by him, he might get IR'd. I don't think Brightwell, Milton, or Conley are serious threats to make the 53. That is a PS battle. If Perine or a healthy Moss are cut, they probably get signed somewhere. 

WR (5). Chsse, Higgins, Iosivas; Burron, C. Jones. PS: I. Williams, Pryor.

First 3 are obvious locks. Burton is as well if his head is on straight, and it looks like it is. I. Williams filled in nicely last year with Jones hurt and Burton AWOL. Both returning punts and in the slot. But I think Sizzle beats him out. 

I go light here with Gesicki & Hudson as de facto WRs, and Burton looking more dependable. Plus, I actually like some of the guys sitting 7 & lower on the depth chart (Pryor, Burgess, Mayes, Tinsley), so even if we loose Williams, I still feel OK about WR6 on the PS. I think we keep 2, or most likely 3 on the PS. Owens & Moore also battling for those spots.

TE (5). D. Sample, Gesicki, Grandy, Hudson, McLachlan. PS: None. 

I hate my decision here. But the one dimensional nature of our top TEs (Sample & Gesicki) and the lack of quality deeper on the roster, makes it too risky not to roster the deputies at each role (Grandy & Hudson). Cannot risk losing them. We rostered McLachlan all year, despite not even getting ST snaps. He was coming off injury, but we fid not want to risk losing him with a cut last year, has that changed? 

If he can play, maybe the dynamic changes. Though I do not know if we see him as more of a blocker or receiver (both?). Or if we decide he cannot play and try and stash him on the PS. Taylor is huge and could be Grandy cover. But I think he is PS at best. McLachlan is de facto PS here. 

Bringing in Fant shows we realize we need help. And him signing would be bad news for Hudson, as he is more of a receiver. Though possibly one of the others as well. Sample gettingvcut would save us $2.75 mil on the cap. Peanuts for the others. 

OL (9). OBJ, Fairchild, Karras, Patrick (G/C), Mims; Ford (T/G), Rivers (T/G), Volson (G), Lee (C/G). PS: Cochran, Kirkland. IR/PUP/NFI: McLaughlin.

I like to have 4 feasible OT options, 4 feasible G options, and 2 feasible C options, and think 3 C's is better. I think I can get there with only 9 guys, though it is easier if Ford isn't a starter, as he is OT3/OG3 for me.

OT: OBJ, Mims; Ford, Rivers
OG: Fairchild, Patrick; Ford, Volson, Rivers, Karras.
C: Karras, Lee, Patrick.

OBJ, Mims, and Karras are lock starters. Fairchild is being given every opportunity to start at LG. RG looks to be a battle between Ford & Patrick. Ford started at LG last year late (for Volson) and played LT and RT. Patrick has played both G spots and C, though he has done better at G. For my money, both guys are ere better suited as versatile backups rather than starters. And I prefer Ford as OT4/OG4 to OT3/OG3, or, heaven forbid, starting. But that is wishing & hoping. They are who we have now. That is clearly our top 6. 

I'd put Volson 7th. He has been LG only as a pro, and was our best run blocker last year  but he just whiffs too much snd was benched late. Peters must have seen something  because he eas not cut. He did restructure his contract, but still, $3 mil for G4 seems a bit pricey, though we'd only save $2.5 mil by cutting him now. I think he is safe unless we sign another FA OL snd need $$$.

Rivers is a lock for the roster. Most projected him as a G in the pros, though he played more OT at the U. We said we are starting him off at OT. If Ford is the starter at RG, that would make Rivers OT3. Either guy as OT3 scares me. But let's see how camp goes. 

Lee did play some as the 6th OL at OT/TE last year, in fact, ALL his snaps were there. I know the previous regime was high on him, but these are new OL coaches. 

We picked up the injured McLaughlin as an UDFA. If he was healthy, I thinknhe makes the 53. He'd have certainly been drafted if mot for the injury. Nation's top C last year in college. 

Speaking of the 53, Kirkland, Cochran, and Stueber were all on it last year. Kirkland before getting hurt (again) and Cochran later. With Cochran even starting a start or two, and playing both sides. Steuber a mid-season pickup that bounced between PS and 53 (got G snaps gere, not OT).

That is 13 guys I think who at least have a shot at the 53, and are NFL level (or at least practice squad worthy). 

Recent signee C Andrew Raym made Carolina's 53 out of camp as an UDFA, but spent most of the year on their PS. 

OT Coker was on our PS and OT Etienne an UDFA out of BYU. Either would be happy to stick on the PS.
-------------------

Damn, this is too long. And likely too early. 

Offensive summary so far: 

24 players: QB 2, RB 3, WR 5, TE 5, OL 9. 

Sketchiest inclusion: McLachlan 
Next sketch: Grandy/Hudson 
Toughest Cut: I. Williams 
Next toughest: Cochran, Kirkland 
Real shot if healthy: Moss, McLaughlin 

Cuts I'd want on my PS for sure, or would be willing to stash on IR/PUP/NFI: Moss (PS/IR), McLaughlin (PS/,IR), PS:  I. Williams, Cochran, Kirkland, Pryor, Ridder. 

I used on of my "extra" spots at TE, and kept McLachlan because we seemed to value him so much last year. I'd love to only keep 4 and use that spot elsewhere (WR6, OL10, RB4, S5, QB3). 

The D is more straightforward for me. And the pecking order more well defined.

For me, the D is: 

20 locks: top 4 at DE, DT, LB, CB, S
2 near locks: C. Sample and Ivey
2 winners of legit comps: 
---LB5: Heyward, Giles-Harris, Njongmeta
----CB6: M. Wilson, J. Davis

That is 24. We will circle back to the last spits later. 

The top 4 at DE, NT/DT, LB, CB, and S are pretty well established, to my eye at least. Though we can certainly quibble about the order. But that is 20 guys, and I'd say all but the backup safeties absolute locks: Hendrickson, Ossai, Stewart, Murphy; BJ Hill, Slaton, Jenkins, Jackson; L. Wilson, Knight, Burks, Carter; CTB, Turner, D. Hill, Newton; Battle, Stone, Anderson, Anthony.

A. DL (9). Hendrickson, Ossai, BJ Hill, Slaton; Murphy, Stewart, Jenkins, Jackson, C. Sample.

There is no way we don't carry at least 9 DL (probably 10, maybe 11). C. Sample is a proven rotational guy with DE/3T versatility seems to be the easy leader here. Unless that injury really took him down a level.

Unlike OL, we rotate guys on the DL. 4 ends and 4 DTs will play each week. And you really need cover for the reserves as well. And given our division, we may play some with 3 DTs in as well. I think you need: 5 guys who can play DE (at least 3 of which can hold up vs the run), 3 guys who can play NT/DT, and 3 guys who can play 3T. 

I can get there with this 9. 

DE 5: Trey, Ossai, Murphy, Stewart, C. Sample. The last 3 hold up well vs the run (Murphy is more theoretical, however) and Trey/Ossai more pass rushers. 

NT/DT: Slaton, Jackson, Hill 
DT/3T: Hill, Jenkins, Stewart, Sample. 

Though I think Stewart & Sample will mostly be passing down DTs. But the minimalist in me has it covered at 9 DL. 

B.  LB (5). L. Wilson, Knight, Burks, Carter, Heyward. PS: Giles- Harris, Njongmeta. 

There is also no way we don't carry at least 5 LBs, and 6 is not impossible, given we have some legit options deep into our LB depth. I think it is a 3 way battle for LB5: Heyward v Njongmeta vs Giles-Harris. The winner makes the 53. There coukd be another LB spot, as I think we will play with 3 LBs more this year. 1-2 spots on the PS as well. Atm I like Heyward, but this is very open. Young is likely PS only. 


C. CB (6). CTB, Turner, D. Hill, Fig, Ivey, M. Wilson. PS: J. Davis + 1. 

We will also carry at least 5 CBs, probably 6. Ivey looks like CB5 right now to me. M. Wilson was on the 53 last year, but has a knock atm. And J. Davis has been bouncing from the 53 to the PS for years now. But he has been pretty much nickel only. Wilson was preferred last year. The rest of the guys are battling for PS: Brooks, Lux, and Robinson. I think there will be room for 1 more on the PS besides Davis, as we will want a boundary corner. 

D. Safety (4). Battle, Stone, Anderson, Anthony. PS: Jules, Key.

Safety was a huge worry for me this year, and we have done virtually nada at this spot. We passed entirely on a good FA group. We passed on Emmanwori & Starks in Rd1 and Watts & Winston in Rds 2 & 3. Stone took a haircut on his contract and he and Battle are the entrenched starters. Anderson is a soecial teams ace who has few (if any?) defensive snaps. And Anthony barely played after the KC incident. Key & Jules were PS guys last year. UDFA Loyal is the only move at S we have made. It looks status quo to me, certainly at the 53. 
------------

(07-28-2025, 12:30 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Your new shtick: Telling other posters to calm down they don't align with your Bengals fandom perspective.

What a joke.

Calm down

With 24 on D and 24 on O, that leaves 2 open slots.

I feel much more solid about the pecking order on D. The O is cloudier to me with some injuries (Moss, McLaughlin), some guys we could cut to create a bit of space (D. Sample, Volson), a new OL coach and a lot of new faces there, and the the TE situation & recent Fant visit.

But asude from the 5th TE (and who exactly gets cut if we keep 4), I feel pretry good about the pecking order. Jones v Williams for WR5 being a question. And it gets cloudier if/when Moss or McLaughlin get activated.

But sticking with what I did so far: 2 spots left that are not special teams.

I think my choices are:
QB3: Riddler
RB4: Moss/Brightwell
WR6: Williams
OL10: Cochran/Kirkland
DE6: Johnson/Johnson/Thomas
DT3: Bryan

I don't see a viable S5. No way we carry 7 CBs or 6 TEs. And with Slaton, Jackson, and Hill all able to play NT/DT, and Jenkins being a good run stopper, another NT type would really have to shine to make the 53, and I doubt Gregory shines that brightly.

I think Moss is the best player in that bunch, and I would seriously consider carrying 4 RBs if he was healthy. But as of now, he isn't. Brightwell, for me, is not good enough to make choose RB4 over some of my other options.

OL10, probably Cochran, is VERY tempting. Especially if for starts at RG. Then Rivers is OT3. If you use Ford, then 2 spots are disrupted. If Kirkland makes the team, then I am probably cutting Volson. Ditto McLaughlin with Lee. No way I carey 3 Cs with Patrick being able to play there. But, in terms of quality, I don't think Cochran is that much better than Stueber or Kirkland or Etienne. Nor Rivers on the 53. I don't lose that much if he's off the team, nor gain that much if he is on it.

But I start Patrick, or cut Volson and sign a starting quality G, so Ford is a reserve for me. Unless he is clearly better than Patrick  of course.

I choose 2 more DL. I think Cedric Johnson played well last year in limited snaps. Both vs the run and in pass rush. Ossai probably gets too expensive for us next year, and Murphy's 5th year option looks doubtful the year after. I want insurance at DE, and I think Cedric is the best guy we have and can play. And, I fear he gets sooped up if I cut him. Ditto Raymond Johnson & Thomas. 

Last choice is the toughest. We don't have a 3rd true DT/3T on the roster. Bryan is a former 1st round pick who has some (decent) pass rushing grades. He has starting experience, though diminishing PT. Still significant snaps last year. 

Ridder or one of the LBs could shone bright enough to get into "I don't want to risk this guy getting claimed" territory. 

Last 2: C. Johnson & Bryan. 

Pre-season will obviously impact it. If someone shines or disappoints, it will move. 

5 TEs, 6 DEs, and Bryan are my shakiest moves. And most likely to change. 

(07-29-2025, 01:05 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I have no inside info, but here is my thinking on the roster, and, obviously, YMMV. 

First off, what is the minimum number we need to carry at each spot? Are there battles for those spots or are they clear cut? Then you have to make decisions on how to allocate the remaining spots on the roster: by player & position. 

Minimums: QB 2, RB 3, WR 5, TE 4, OL 9, DL 9, LB 5, CB 5, S 4, PL 1, P 1, LS 1 = 49. 23 O, 23 D, 3 ST.

That leaves 4 choices for other spots: QB3, RB4, WR 6, TE 5, OL10/11, DL 10/11, LB 6, CB 6, S 5. 

A. QB (2). Burrow; Browning. PS: Ridder.

Signing Ridder and releasing Woodside has some folk believing we could carry 3, or trade Browning to Tenn after Levis' injury. But I think we stick with Browning, he knows the system. If Burrow gets a knock, I'd much rather have Browning forca game ir teo than Ridder. 3 QBs is not impossible, though. Ridder to PS. Thorne is a camp body. 

RB (3). C. Brown, Perine, Brooks. PS: Brightwell. IR/PUP/NFI: Moss.

With Moss on the shelf, this is easy. With him available, keeping 4 is more probable, and I am not sure who the top 3 are if we keep only 3. Brown  obviously, plus I'd say Brooks (who we really like), with Perine & Moss battling for the last spot  which might be RB2, ironically. With Moss' restructure, the savings on cutting him or Perine is virtually identical ($1.242 vs $1.2 mil). I think we like Moss and want to do right by him, he might get IR'd. I don't think Brightwell, Milton, or Conley are serious threats to make the 53. That is a PS battle. If Perine or a healthy Moss are cut, they probably get signed somewhere. 

WR (5). Chsse, Higgins, Iosivas; Burron, C. Jones. PS: I. Williams, Pryor.

First 3 are obvious locks. Burton is as well if his head is on straight, and it looks like it is. I. Williams filled in nicely last year with Jones hurt and Burton AWOL. Both returning punts and in the slot. But I think Sizzle beats him out. 

I go light here with Gesicki & Hudson as de facto WRs, and Burton looking more dependable. Plus, I actually like some of the guys sitting 7 & lower on the depth chart (Pryor, Burgess, Mayes, Tinsley), so even if we loose Williams, I still feel OK about WR6 on the PS. I think we keep 2, or most likely 3 on the PS. Owens & Moore also battling for those spots.

TE (5). D. Sample, Gesicki, Grandy, Hudson, McLachlan. PS: None. 

I hate my decision here. But the one dimensional nature of our top TEs (Sample & Gesicki) and the lack of quality deeper on the roster, makes it too risky not to roster the deputies at each role (Grandy & Hudson). Cannot risk losing them. We rostered McLachlan all year, despite not even getting ST snaps. He was coming off injury, but we fid not want to risk losing him with a cut last year, has that changed? 

If he can play, maybe the dynamic changes. Though I do not know if we see him as more of a blocker or receiver (both?). Or if we decide he cannot play and try and stash him on the PS. Taylor is huge and could be Grandy cover. But I think he is PS at best. McLachlan is de facto PS here. 

Bringing in Fant shows we realize we need help. And him signing would be bad news for Hudson, as he is more of a receiver. Though possibly one of the others as well. Sample gettingvcut would save us $2.75 mil on the cap. Peanuts for the others. 

OL (9). OBJ, Fairchild, Karras, Patrick (G/C), Mims; Ford (T/G), Rivers (T/G), Volson (G), Lee (C/G). PS: Cochran, Kirkland. IR/PUP/NFI: McLaughlin.

I like to have 4 feasible OT options, 4 feasible G options, and 2 feasible C options, and think 3 C's is better. I think I can get there with only 9 guys, though it is easier if Ford isn't a starter, as he is OT3/OG3 for me.

OT: OBJ, Mims; Ford, Rivers
OG: Fairchild, Patrick; Ford, Volson, Rivers, Karras.
C: Karras, Lee, Patrick.

OBJ, Mims, and Karras are lock starters. Fairchild is being given every opportunity to start at LG. RG looks to be a battle between Ford & Patrick. Ford started at LG last year late (for Volson) and played LT and RT. Patrick has played both G spots and C, though he has done better at G. For my money, both guys are ere better suited as versatile backups rather than starters. And I prefer Ford as OT4/OG4 to OT3/OG3, or, heaven forbid, starting. But that is wishing & hoping. They are who we have now. That is clearly our top 6. 

I'd put Volson 7th. He has been LG only as a pro, and was our best run blocker last year  but he just whiffs too much snd was benched late. Peters must have seen something  because he eas not cut. He did restructure his contract, but still, $3 mil for G4 seems a bit pricey, though we'd only save $2.5 mil by cutting him now. I think he is safe unless we sign another FA OL snd need $$$.

Rivers is a lock for the roster. Most projected him as a G in the pros, though he played more OT at the U. We said we are starting him off at OT. If Ford is the starter at RG, that would make Rivers OT3. Either guy as OT3 scares me. But let's see how camp goes. 

Lee did play some as the 6th OL at OT/TE last year, in fact, ALL his snaps were there. I know the previous regime was high on him, but these are new OL coaches. 

We picked up the injured McLaughlin as an UDFA. If he was healthy, I thinknhe makes the 53. He'd have certainly been drafted if mot for the injury. Nation's top C last year in college. 

Speaking of the 53, Kirkland, Cochran, and Stueber were all on it last year. Kirkland before getting hurt (again) and Cochran later. With Cochran even starting a start or two, and playing both sides. Steuber a mid-season pickup that bounced between PS and 53 (got G snaps gere, not OT).

That is 13 guys I think who at least have a shot at the 53, and are NFL level (or at least practice squad worthy). 

Recent signee C Andrew Raym made Carolina's 53 out of camp as an UDFA, but spent most of the year on their PS. 

OT Coker was on our PS and OT Etienne an UDFA out of BYU. Either would be happy to stick on the PS.
-------------------

Damn, this is too long. And likely too early. 

Offensive summary so far: 

24 players: QB 2, RB 3, WR 5, TE 5, OL 9. 

Sketchiest inclusion: McLachlan 
Next sketch: Grandy/Hudson 
Toughest Cut: I. Williams 
Next toughest: Cochran, Kirkland 
Real shot if healthy: Moss, McLaughlin 

Cuts I'd want on my PS for sure, or would be willing to stash on IR/PUP/NFI: Moss (PS/IR), McLaughlin (PS/,IR), PS:  I. Williams, Cochran, Kirkland, Pryor, Ridder. 

I used on of my "extra" spots at TE, and kept McLachlan because we seemed to value him so much last year. I'd love to only keep 4 and use that spot elsewhere (WR6, OL10, RB4, S5, QB3). 

(07-29-2025, 03:14 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: The D is more straightforward for me. And the pecking order more well defined.

For me, the D is: 

20 locks: top 4 at DE, DT, LB, CB, S
2 near locks: C. Sample and Ivey
2 winners of legit comps: 
---LB5: Heyward, Giles-Harris, Njongmeta
----CB6: M. Wilson, J. Davis

That is 24. We will circle back to the last spits later. 

The top 4 at DE, NT/DT, LB, CB, and S are pretty well established, to my eye at least. Though we can certainly quibble about the order. But that is 20 guys, and I'd say all but the backup safeties absolute locks: Hendrickson, Ossai, Stewart, Murphy; BJ Hill, Slaton, Jenkins, Jackson; L. Wilson, Knight, Burks, Carter; CTB, Turner, D. Hill, Newton; Battle, Stone, Anderson, Anthony.

A. DL (9). Hendrickson, Ossai, BJ Hill, Slaton; Murphy, Stewart, Jenkins, Jackson, C. Sample.

There is no way we don't carry at least 9 DL (probably 10, maybe 11). C. Sample is a proven rotational guy with DE/3T versatility seems to be the easy leader here. Unless that injury really took him down a level.

Unlike OL, we rotate guys on the DL. 4 ends and 4 DTs will play each week. And you really need cover for the reserves as well. And given our division, we may play some with 3 DTs in as well. I think you need: 5 guys who can play DE (at least 3 of which can hold up vs the run), 3 guys who can play NT/DT, and 3 guys who can play 3T. 

I can get there with this 9. 

DE 5: Trey, Ossai, Murphy, Stewart, C. Sample. The last 3 hold up well vs the run (Murphy is more theoretical, however) and Trey/Ossai more pass rushers. 

NT/DT: Slaton, Jackson, Hill 
DT/3T: Hill, Jenkins, Stewart, Sample. 

Though I think Stewart & Sample will mostly be passing down DTs. But the minimalist in me has it covered at 9 DL. 

B.  LB (5). L. Wilson, Knight, Burks, Carter, Heyward. PS: Giles- Harris, Njongmeta. 

There is also no way we don't carry at least 5 LBs, and 6 is not impossible, given we have some legit options deep into our LB depth. I think it is a 3 way battle for LB5: Heyward v Njongmeta vs Giles-Harris. The winner makes the 53. There coukd be another LB spot, as I think we will play with 3 LBs more this year. 1-2 spots on the PS as well. Atm I like Heyward, but this is very open. Young is likely PS only. 


C. CB (6). CTB, Turner, D. Hill, Fig, Ivey, M. Wilson. PS: J. Davis + 1. 

We will also carry at least 5 CBs, probably 6. Ivey looks like CB5 right now to me. M. Wilson was on the 53 last year, but has a knock atm. And J. Davis has been bouncing from the 53 to the PS for years now. But he has been pretty much nickel only. Wilson was preferred last year. The rest of the guys are battling for PS: Brooks, Lux, and Robinson. I think there will be room for 1 more on the PS besides Davis, as we will want a boundary corner. 

D. Safety (4). Battle, Stone, Anderson, Anthony. PS: Jules, Key.

Safety was a huge worry for me this year, and we have done virtually nada at this spot. We passed entirely on a good FA group. We passed on Emmanwori & Starks in Rd1 and Watts & Winston in Rds 2 & 3. Stone took a haircut on his contract and he and Battle are the entrenched starters. Anderson is a soecial teams ace who has few (if any?) defensive snaps. And Anthony barely played after the KC incident. Key & Jules were PS guys last year. UDFA Loyal is the only move at S we have made. It looks status quo to me, certainly at the 53. 
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That’s extremely solid work. I’ve been home and been on the NFL Network’s “Inside Training Camp Live” almost exclusively. It’s on but I’m not remotely glued to it. They are on the Browns so paying little attention right now. But Philly, Ravens, Lions, KC & Bills all have much better rosters. Then we fall in with LAC,Denver,LAR, Tampa, SF,.. We had a good overall draft last year but 21-24 just not enough solid starters. The offense has to be dynamic. I do think the defense will be better.

(07-29-2025, 04:01 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: That’s extremely solid work. I’ve been home and been on the NFL Network’s “Inside Training Camp Live” almost exclusively. It’s on but I’m not remotely glued to it. They are on the Browns so paying little attention right now. But Philly, Ravens, Lions, KC & Bills all  have much better rosters. Then we fall in with LAC,Denver,LAR, Tampa, SF,.. We had a good overall draft last year but 21-24 just not enough solid starters. The offense has to be dynamic. I do think the defense will be better.

Thanks. All that will change once preseason games start. I will certainly be wrong about a lot of stuff, and likely change my mind on others. Heck, I am almost there on going yo 4 TE's and adding RB4 (if Moss can go) or WR6 (Williams) or maybe OL10.