01-16-2018, 03:41 PM
If a team is always looking "long term" then the Bengals approach is not that bad. But once a team gets close to contending they have to take a chance on a free agent or two.
Teams re-sign their best players so the free agents are usually not the best players in the league. However a player does not have to be the best at his position in the league to get paid like that. All he has to be is the best free agent available at his position and he will get paid like the best. So free agents are almost always over priced, and they often are complete flops when they have to play in a different scheme for a different team.
But even though free agents are over priced it is almost impossible to fill every spot on a team with draft picks alone. If a team is desperate to fill one specific position in the draft they have to reach over a lot of higher ranked players to draft the best available at their position of need.
So the best tactic is to build through the draft until you are just one or two players away from contending and then take some chances in free agency.
Teams re-sign their best players so the free agents are usually not the best players in the league. However a player does not have to be the best at his position in the league to get paid like that. All he has to be is the best free agent available at his position and he will get paid like the best. So free agents are almost always over priced, and they often are complete flops when they have to play in a different scheme for a different team.
But even though free agents are over priced it is almost impossible to fill every spot on a team with draft picks alone. If a team is desperate to fill one specific position in the draft they have to reach over a lot of higher ranked players to draft the best available at their position of need.
So the best tactic is to build through the draft until you are just one or two players away from contending and then take some chances in free agency.
