12-23-2020, 03:53 PM
(12-23-2020, 02:34 PM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: This is all true about Lawson, but I don't see why it doesn't apply to WJIII either.
That's fair. As I was writing it I knew that it might sound it unequal or that it was applying that logic to one player and not the other.
Here's the thing though, I don't really think WJIII has completely lived up to his draft position or where we expected him to be. He had a great year a couple years ago, and a down year last season. I'd say this season has been a mixed bag. He's looked very good at times, but not so great other times.
His strong suit is man coverage, but he's weak in zone. He doesn't make big plays. He can be inconsistent. These are my gripes.
Lawson fills a position we have to have. We've developed a mid round player into an above average starter. Where we're at now with him is pretty much an ideal scenario as far development is concerned. He's paying off.
The problem with WJII is not only the money you have to commited to Waynes (16 mil) and Bell (6 mil), it's that you have Bates coming right around the corner. He's going to be due a big contract, and that contract could very well get worked this offseason, as he's going into his final year.
So let's just say we lock up WJII over my maximum 8 mil I floated. Let's put him at a nice even 10 just for discussion's sake. You'd have 32 million commited to Waynes, WJIII and Bell in 2021, with Bates still needing a new deal. How much are you willing to invest in your secondary?
Bates is currently looking at a raise of 10-13 million (fwiw, 14 mil is the going rate for top safties). At that point, with a WJIII signing, you're talking 42-45 million dollars invested into two CB's and 2 safties. That's almost 1/4 of a salary cap.
The easy answer some may float is that we just get out of Waynes contract after 2021. He'll still carry 5 million in dead cap with an early out. And are we even sure that WJIII is better than Waynes? If he is, then why didn't we give him the new deal last year and pass on Waynes?
The question is, is WJIII so good that we can't afford to move on? I just don't think he is. Pair Waynes with a corner like we did with Leon Hall, PacMan Jones. A cheaper vet. We cannot afford to pay out so much to corners when we need OL help, DL help, another WR, another LB, and preferbably a TE.
To each their own...
