05-06-2020, 10:42 AM
(05-06-2020, 10:19 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I don't know about you guys, but I am still kind of reeling from the complete make over that this coaching staff and front office has done to our starting line up in the last 4 months.
Just look at the number of different starters compared to last year:
Offense:
1. LT Jonah Williams replaces Cordy Glenn/Andre Smith/John Jerry.
True that this isn't a new aquisition but it is still an upgrade and replacement from last year's depth chart.
2. Xavier Sua-Filo replaces John Miller
Replacing an average guard with an average guard may not be the sexiest replacement, but XSF apparently fits our scheme better and has flashed great potential at times. I'm optimistic about this change.
3. Fred Johnson (hopefully) replaces Bobby Hart
I know, I know. Bobby Hart wasn't AS BAD as the perception last year. But still, the possibility of Johnson replacing and upgrading him is a tantalizing thought, given what Johnson showed in the final 2 weeks of the season.
4. Tee Higgins replaces John Ross
Replacing an injury prone, ball dropping speedster with relatively limited uses (Read: "Go deep!") with a 6'4" 216 lb behemoth who catches almost everything you throw in his general direction who played in a pro style offense in college is going to be a really nice addition to this offense. Maybe Ross can stay healthy and can offer some explosion here and there, but as far as I'm concerned, he's a bench player at this point, which is great for our offense.
5. C.J. Uzomah replaced Tyler Eifert
Maybe the only downgrade on offense this off season, as Eifert was a really good player who just couldn't stay on the field until last year. Uzomah isn't a new player, obviously, but he did show some receiving talent towards the end of last year and I think he'll continue to grow with a QB who really likes his big TE target, in Joe Burrow.
6. Joe Burrow replaces Andy Dalton
And here is the biggest and possibly most impactful replacement for our offense. If Burrow lives up to even half of the hype surrounding him, he'll be a pro bowl talent for years to come. His ability to find the open receiver and process the entire field so quickly is nothing short of extraordinary. With the number of weapons available to him, he should be a very good rookie QB.
Defense:
7. D.J. Reader replaces Andrew Billings
Let's start off with the highest price tag replacement. Billings showed promise in his time here, but he suffered several injuries and never fulfilled the massive potential he had in his massive frame. Reader is, for lack of a better comparison, what Billings could have been. A large, space eating NT who occupies multiple blockers each snap and occasionally gets to the QB just out of sheer strength and power.
8. Logan Wilson (or Josh Bynes) replaces Nick Vigil
He's just a rookie, but Wilson should be a day 1 starter, unless the coaches decide to give the early snaps to Josh Bynes. Even if they choose the latter, Wilson should be the starter by the end of the season. His coverage ability and his toughness in tackling is an immediate upgrade over Vigil and a MASSIVE upgrade over whatever the hell Brown was doing out there before we cut him.
9. Akeem Davis-Gaither replaces Preston Brown
Granted, Preston Brown was cut and his position was mostly taken by Pratt, but he did play on passing downs for some reason before he was cut. Those snaps will now go to Wilson and ADG. Add Markus Bailey as a back up and it's truly amazing how much better this LB core got over the off season.
10. Trae Waynes replaces Dre Kirkpatrick
This one is kind of...iffy. I think it may be more of a lateral move overall, but Waynes is a significantly better tackler than Dre and he may be a better scheme fit for us than he was in Minnesota, since we apparently run man coverage more often than them. I know the contract is a big issue as well, but we have the cap space to overspend right now, as our QB will be on a rookie deal for the next 4 seasons.
11. Mackensie Alexander replaces B.W. Webb/Darqueze Dennard
While slot corner is technically not a starting position, it may as well be in today's NFL. And Alexander is a significant upgrade over Webb. Dennard and Alexander may be similarly skilled as slot corners, but Dennard is still looking for a job while Vikings fans seem to be upset that Alexander left, so I'll count that as a win.
12. Vonn Bell replaces Shawn Williams
And, finally, Bell replacing Williams appears to be an upgrade in terms of tackling, run defense and maybe even coverage ability. A great find later in the free agency period that will allow Williams to play in reserve, which is probably the better case for everyone involved.
So, among 22 (23 if you count both LB3 and Slot Corner) starters on offense and defense, we replaced TWELVE of them. In one off season! And not just changes for the sake of changes, but actual upgrades in most cases (a few possibly lateral moves with Uzomah over Eifert being the only arguable downgrade)!
And this doesn't even account for A.J. Green coming back onto the team. So that would make 13 different starters compared to last season!
I don't know about you guys, but that feels pretty unprecedented to me.
Have we ever had such a large roster turnover in one season?
Yeah it is a hell of a lot of turnover and probably not ideal with this off season to date....but the reality is they have been a losing squad for a while now and we were the worst team by record last year - so incremental 'culture' changes were not going to be enough this time around.
Time will tell what is just roster churn .vs. genuine upgrades.
Jonah, Reader you have to assume are genuine improvements and will make a material difference.
The likes of Waynes and Wilson we will have to see I guess.
At least we have been proactive this off season and the club should be applauded for that :andy:
