01-22-2022, 11:31 AM
I created around $83 million in cap space with a few moves.
Released:
Tre Waynes - I think we all agree in this is what needs to happen this off-season. Creates $11 mil in cap space
Trey Hopkins - At best he's a mediocre offensive lineman and this past season was arguably his worse. We need to get better up the middle. Creates $6 mil in cap space.
Restructure:
DJ Reader - convert $4mil to bonus and add an extra year to his contract for around $6-7 mil. He'll be 31 when this final added year kicks in
Tyler Boyd - same as Reader
I think giving both of these guys an extra year retains some stability for the roster while also creating some cap space to extend/sign players
Resign:
I'm going to let Bates test the market, he's a good player, but I'm not paying a safety over $10mil/year and I have a feeling he wants Jamal Adams money. I'd rather draft his replacement in the near future than pay a safety who's been good not great that much money. I also think Larry O. will receive a big contract and while I'd love to have him back, I think resigning Hill and drafting a guy or 2 is the way to go.
BJ Hill - his OTC eval comes in at 5.1 mil and I think he's done a good job and would retain him for around 5.5mil/year on a 3 year deal
Quinton Spain - Spain has had a nice year, but I'm not convinced that he's a top tier guard year in/year out, however I'd like to bring him back on a similar deal to Hill, I have him getting 6.5mil/year on a 3 year deal. I think he at lease adds some stability next to Jonah.
I have us resigning all 3 backup cb's to 1 year deals. Apple has had a solid season and I think he's a capable 3-4 cb. I think being able to retain him for a little more around 2-2.5mil for a year to improve his value is a smart move. He's been a little too inconsistent throughout his career to warrant a long term deal. I like the size of flowers and think he could play that role that has him covering bigger backs and TE's, Hargreaves is an extra body for now and may not make final roster.
I also have us signing a few small veteran contracts to guys like Brandon Allen, Mitchell Wilcox, and Stanley Morgan.
Free Agency:
I have us adding 5 outside free agent's. None to massive deals like Hendrickson or Waynes, but a few to solid deals.
Morgan Moses(RT) - he's a solid vet that would bring stability to the right side, he's only 30 so he could give us probably a good solid 3-4 years. I have us signing him to a 3 year deal around $8mil/year
Brian Allen© - we have our Hopkins replacement. I have us signing Allen to a 4 year deal worth $6.5mil/year. Allen has been solid for the rams and he brings familiarity to the team having worked with Taylor in Los Angeles. He helps shore up the interior. A line with Jonah, Spain, Allen, Carman/Adenji, and Moses is much better than what we've had in years past. It also allows for continued development for our young guys that we drafted this season and that I have in my mock
Derek Barnett(DE) - I think Barnett would be a nice rotational piece for our dline. He's young and wouldn't cost a bunch. Hendrickson has been awesome and I think Ossai is going to be really good, but we need depth and more guys with ability to create pressure, it helps the lb's and cb's if we can create constant pressure up front. His valuation is a little over 4mil so I have us signing him to a 2 year deal worth 4.5mil. If it pans out then he's still young enough to warrant a bigger deal going into his late 20's
Charles Harris(DE) - I'm double dipping at DE. Harris adds another element to the pass rush and while his best year statistically was this year with 7.5 sacks. I think adding him to a line that has Hubbard, Reader, Hill, and Hendrickson would probably allow him to play a little more reckless and probably have a bigger impact. His valuation is around 10 million, but for me he has not been a top end pass rusher. I feel like he is more in the tier below. We got Hendrickson at 15mil/year and I don't think Harris is on or near that level so I have us signing him to a 3 year at 8mil/year deal.
That gives us 5 potential DE's with Khalid Kareem being the 5th guy out there or Ossai even though he is listed as a LB and I think he could be used as an outside rush backer who line's up at DE from time to time. It at least gives us a nice rotation and if we need to stash Kareem on the practice squad then we do that and hope that he can help when called upon. We also have Wyatt Hubert who I think is a practice squad player until he proves he belongs
The last free agent I have us signing is Zac Ertz at TE. I think he would provide Joe with a good receiving threat off the line. CJ Uzomah has been solid and it's possible we just resign him instead, but I think if we can get the Ertz from 2 years ago then we have a bonafide TE option. I don't think at this point Ertz is going to warrant a big contract, so I have him signing a 2 year 5mil/year deal. I also think pairing Ertz with Burrow will get him back to playing the way he did in Philly.
Draft:
33. Jaquan Brisker(S) - I have us trading back out of the 1st round and picking up an extra pick this year and an extra 4th next year. Enter Brisker, dude is a play maker on the back end for Penn State. He has solid size and could even add a few pounds to that long lean frame, but he would immediately give us a play maker on the back-end allowing Bates to test free agency and most likely netting us a high comp pick.
58. Chad Muma(LB) - Logan Wilson's running mate at Wyoming. A true 3 down linebacker. Wilson is turning into a stud and we have some guys with ability behind him in Pratt, Bailey, and Davis-Gaither. I think Pratt still has room to improve as a starting LB and think it would be nice to add to the group as we've lacked in this area for years. For me Bailey is a solid backup and special teams guy and I think Gaither would be best suited to be used as a pass rush specialist and special teams player. Some say Muma is better than Logan.
89. Brandon Smith(LB) - What another linebacker, yep. Brandon Smith comes from Linebacker U in Penn State. He's an exceptional athlete and allows us to have 3 true 3 down linebackers. If we carry 6 than great, if Pratt leaves via free agency then we'll be fine. If there is an injury then I think we are covered. The point being is we now would have a truly good line backing core which in this day and age is nice to have with all these elite receiving TE's. Smith gives us a guy that can play sideline to sideline allowing us to get more creative in how we rush the passer without sacrificing having to blitz and what not.
103. Zachary Carter(DT/DE) - Carter gives us depth on the d-line. He can effectively play the interior or de position. He has a lot of upside.
128. John Ridgeway(DT) - Double dipping at DT allows us to really only need to resign 1 of our 3 dt's that are up for free agency this year, essentially allowing Ogunjobi and Tupuo to leave. Adding Ridgeway to the line gives us a massive man at 6'5" that allows us to completely clog up the middle and provides an interior pass rush. We would have Reader, Hill, Shelvin, Carter and Ridgeway in a rotation, and that sounds pretty good to me and we'd still have the potential to have Wren or Daniels as reserves on the practice squad.
141. Traded back a few picks to add one extra pick, the first being Max Mitchell(OT) - Here is a guy that is surely to rise up boards as the off-season goes on. He was one of the best rated lineman in college this past season and gives us a legitimate tackle to groom for the future in case Jonah leaves or kicks inside or Moses doesn't work out. More protection added to a really young line bursting with potential is a really good thing for this team.
167. Tariq Castro-Fields(CB) - the last of the trio of defenders from Penn state. Fields has good size and could still bulk up a little. He is a good athlete and wouldn't be asked to come in and be an immediate impact player. He would provide good ability as a backup and would probably slide into a starter role after this upcoming season.
205. James Mitchell(TE) - Mitchell is a solid all-around TE. He's a more athletic version of Uzo and would immediately back up Ertz allowing us to use Sample mostly as an extra blocker. Makes Sample expendable after the season.
212. Jaylen Watson(CB) - A good size cb at 6'1" around 200lb's, gives us a guy to groom and compete with Fields, Apple, and Hargreaves for the final cb spot. Adding some good youth with him and Fields to a rotation with Awuzie and Hilton is a good thing
245. Bryan Cook(S) - Cook played great for the Bearcats and would bring good special teams to the unit while also allowing us to fill out our Safety room. Bell is a free agent after this season and grabbing Brisker and Cook allow us some flexibility and personally I want to see Trayveon Henderson get a chance. Every pre-season and whenever he is in he just seems to make plays. Having Henderson, Cook, Brisker, and Bell gives us a nice blend at the safety position.
2023 DET 4th - extra pick from trading back in the first round
I think free agency along with the draft really fills out the weak spots and adds much needed depth. We could go into next pre-season without any major holes or areas to fill and allows us to assemble the best 53 man roster we can.
Released:
Tre Waynes - I think we all agree in this is what needs to happen this off-season. Creates $11 mil in cap space
Trey Hopkins - At best he's a mediocre offensive lineman and this past season was arguably his worse. We need to get better up the middle. Creates $6 mil in cap space.
Restructure:
DJ Reader - convert $4mil to bonus and add an extra year to his contract for around $6-7 mil. He'll be 31 when this final added year kicks in
Tyler Boyd - same as Reader
I think giving both of these guys an extra year retains some stability for the roster while also creating some cap space to extend/sign players
Resign:
I'm going to let Bates test the market, he's a good player, but I'm not paying a safety over $10mil/year and I have a feeling he wants Jamal Adams money. I'd rather draft his replacement in the near future than pay a safety who's been good not great that much money. I also think Larry O. will receive a big contract and while I'd love to have him back, I think resigning Hill and drafting a guy or 2 is the way to go.
BJ Hill - his OTC eval comes in at 5.1 mil and I think he's done a good job and would retain him for around 5.5mil/year on a 3 year deal
Quinton Spain - Spain has had a nice year, but I'm not convinced that he's a top tier guard year in/year out, however I'd like to bring him back on a similar deal to Hill, I have him getting 6.5mil/year on a 3 year deal. I think he at lease adds some stability next to Jonah.
I have us resigning all 3 backup cb's to 1 year deals. Apple has had a solid season and I think he's a capable 3-4 cb. I think being able to retain him for a little more around 2-2.5mil for a year to improve his value is a smart move. He's been a little too inconsistent throughout his career to warrant a long term deal. I like the size of flowers and think he could play that role that has him covering bigger backs and TE's, Hargreaves is an extra body for now and may not make final roster.
I also have us signing a few small veteran contracts to guys like Brandon Allen, Mitchell Wilcox, and Stanley Morgan.
Free Agency:
I have us adding 5 outside free agent's. None to massive deals like Hendrickson or Waynes, but a few to solid deals.
Morgan Moses(RT) - he's a solid vet that would bring stability to the right side, he's only 30 so he could give us probably a good solid 3-4 years. I have us signing him to a 3 year deal around $8mil/year
Brian Allen© - we have our Hopkins replacement. I have us signing Allen to a 4 year deal worth $6.5mil/year. Allen has been solid for the rams and he brings familiarity to the team having worked with Taylor in Los Angeles. He helps shore up the interior. A line with Jonah, Spain, Allen, Carman/Adenji, and Moses is much better than what we've had in years past. It also allows for continued development for our young guys that we drafted this season and that I have in my mock
Derek Barnett(DE) - I think Barnett would be a nice rotational piece for our dline. He's young and wouldn't cost a bunch. Hendrickson has been awesome and I think Ossai is going to be really good, but we need depth and more guys with ability to create pressure, it helps the lb's and cb's if we can create constant pressure up front. His valuation is a little over 4mil so I have us signing him to a 2 year deal worth 4.5mil. If it pans out then he's still young enough to warrant a bigger deal going into his late 20's
Charles Harris(DE) - I'm double dipping at DE. Harris adds another element to the pass rush and while his best year statistically was this year with 7.5 sacks. I think adding him to a line that has Hubbard, Reader, Hill, and Hendrickson would probably allow him to play a little more reckless and probably have a bigger impact. His valuation is around 10 million, but for me he has not been a top end pass rusher. I feel like he is more in the tier below. We got Hendrickson at 15mil/year and I don't think Harris is on or near that level so I have us signing him to a 3 year at 8mil/year deal.
That gives us 5 potential DE's with Khalid Kareem being the 5th guy out there or Ossai even though he is listed as a LB and I think he could be used as an outside rush backer who line's up at DE from time to time. It at least gives us a nice rotation and if we need to stash Kareem on the practice squad then we do that and hope that he can help when called upon. We also have Wyatt Hubert who I think is a practice squad player until he proves he belongs
The last free agent I have us signing is Zac Ertz at TE. I think he would provide Joe with a good receiving threat off the line. CJ Uzomah has been solid and it's possible we just resign him instead, but I think if we can get the Ertz from 2 years ago then we have a bonafide TE option. I don't think at this point Ertz is going to warrant a big contract, so I have him signing a 2 year 5mil/year deal. I also think pairing Ertz with Burrow will get him back to playing the way he did in Philly.
Draft:
33. Jaquan Brisker(S) - I have us trading back out of the 1st round and picking up an extra pick this year and an extra 4th next year. Enter Brisker, dude is a play maker on the back end for Penn State. He has solid size and could even add a few pounds to that long lean frame, but he would immediately give us a play maker on the back-end allowing Bates to test free agency and most likely netting us a high comp pick.
58. Chad Muma(LB) - Logan Wilson's running mate at Wyoming. A true 3 down linebacker. Wilson is turning into a stud and we have some guys with ability behind him in Pratt, Bailey, and Davis-Gaither. I think Pratt still has room to improve as a starting LB and think it would be nice to add to the group as we've lacked in this area for years. For me Bailey is a solid backup and special teams guy and I think Gaither would be best suited to be used as a pass rush specialist and special teams player. Some say Muma is better than Logan.
89. Brandon Smith(LB) - What another linebacker, yep. Brandon Smith comes from Linebacker U in Penn State. He's an exceptional athlete and allows us to have 3 true 3 down linebackers. If we carry 6 than great, if Pratt leaves via free agency then we'll be fine. If there is an injury then I think we are covered. The point being is we now would have a truly good line backing core which in this day and age is nice to have with all these elite receiving TE's. Smith gives us a guy that can play sideline to sideline allowing us to get more creative in how we rush the passer without sacrificing having to blitz and what not.
103. Zachary Carter(DT/DE) - Carter gives us depth on the d-line. He can effectively play the interior or de position. He has a lot of upside.
128. John Ridgeway(DT) - Double dipping at DT allows us to really only need to resign 1 of our 3 dt's that are up for free agency this year, essentially allowing Ogunjobi and Tupuo to leave. Adding Ridgeway to the line gives us a massive man at 6'5" that allows us to completely clog up the middle and provides an interior pass rush. We would have Reader, Hill, Shelvin, Carter and Ridgeway in a rotation, and that sounds pretty good to me and we'd still have the potential to have Wren or Daniels as reserves on the practice squad.
141. Traded back a few picks to add one extra pick, the first being Max Mitchell(OT) - Here is a guy that is surely to rise up boards as the off-season goes on. He was one of the best rated lineman in college this past season and gives us a legitimate tackle to groom for the future in case Jonah leaves or kicks inside or Moses doesn't work out. More protection added to a really young line bursting with potential is a really good thing for this team.
167. Tariq Castro-Fields(CB) - the last of the trio of defenders from Penn state. Fields has good size and could still bulk up a little. He is a good athlete and wouldn't be asked to come in and be an immediate impact player. He would provide good ability as a backup and would probably slide into a starter role after this upcoming season.
205. James Mitchell(TE) - Mitchell is a solid all-around TE. He's a more athletic version of Uzo and would immediately back up Ertz allowing us to use Sample mostly as an extra blocker. Makes Sample expendable after the season.
212. Jaylen Watson(CB) - A good size cb at 6'1" around 200lb's, gives us a guy to groom and compete with Fields, Apple, and Hargreaves for the final cb spot. Adding some good youth with him and Fields to a rotation with Awuzie and Hilton is a good thing
245. Bryan Cook(S) - Cook played great for the Bearcats and would bring good special teams to the unit while also allowing us to fill out our Safety room. Bell is a free agent after this season and grabbing Brisker and Cook allow us some flexibility and personally I want to see Trayveon Henderson get a chance. Every pre-season and whenever he is in he just seems to make plays. Having Henderson, Cook, Brisker, and Bell gives us a nice blend at the safety position.
2023 DET 4th - extra pick from trading back in the first round
I think free agency along with the draft really fills out the weak spots and adds much needed depth. We could go into next pre-season without any major holes or areas to fill and allows us to assemble the best 53 man roster we can.
