off-season report card.

[Kyndig]

Let me expand on what you've done with this thread... namely, what's next?

First, I think you have to start with which players are already signed through next year. Yes, some of them can be easily cut or dealt away with very little cap consequences, but for the most part, these men are the core of our team.

QB: Tua
RBs: Gaskin, Ahmed (ERFA), Laird, Cox
WRs: Parker, Williams, Grant, Wilson, Hurns, Bowden, Perry, Callaway (RFA)
TEs: Gesicki, Smythe, Shaheen
OL: Davis, Flowers. Jackson, Hunt, Kindley, Deiter
Sp: Sanders, Ferguson

DT: Wilkins, Davis, Sieler, Strowbridge, Ledbetter
Edge: Ogbah, Van Noy, Lawson, Van Ginkle
LBs: Baker, Eguavoen (ERFA), Munson (ERFA)
CBs: Jones, Howard, Iggy, Needham (ERFA), Perry (ERFA)
S: McCain, Rowe, Jones, Fejedelem

All of the guys on this list can be brought back at no real added cost. (Yes, I know the RFAs and ERFAs are due smallish pay raises).
Most of them will make it to camp. Yes, we can quibble over guys like Hurns who probably won't, but in general... this is the guts of the team.

So... what's next?

QB: Obviously... we need at least one more QB. Will Fitz return, and if not... will we sign a vet or draft a mid-round guy? It'd be nice to find another lefty, but that's probably a pipe-dream.
RB: Cox? Laird? Both are easy cuts, but then again, they don't cost much. Laird plays on specials, so he'll probably stick... maybe. We'll bring it (at least) 2 new backs. One will, at least, be a 2nd day pick.
WRs: Geez, we have a lot of WRs under contract... and while I'm pretty sure that most of them will make it back to camp, I'm much less sure that any of these guys besides Parker and Williams make it out of camp. Hurns is dead where he stands, and Wilson is a good trade candidate. Grant will be targeted by Bowden and Perry, ultimately... I think all three might be fighting for one spot. We will take some minor cap damage when we drop some of these guys... but nothing we can't afford. Ultimately... I think we'll bring in 2 new WRs to compete, both through the draft.
TEs: This group is absolutely set... unless of course, we draft a guy in the first two days of the draft. No lower round guy is gonna stick on our roster any more than Myarick ever has. This is a very solid group, so unless Flores wants one of the top two TEs in the draft, I think he waits one more year before doing anything here.
OL: We need a Right Tackle. Period. Full stop. We might need a Center, depending on whether Karras is resigned (or alternately, we give Deiter the job). Other than this... we will likely bring in some UDFA types for the practice squad.
Sp: Obviously... we need to resign Haack or bring in a rookie.

So: my take on offseason acquisitions. We'll need (at minimum) 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 Tackle, 1 Center, and a Punter. Obviously, filling out the practice squad will happen too, but this is not Grier's main job... filling the Sunday roster.

DT: One of the strengths of the team. 3 Excellent starters and a good project DE in Strowbridge. My guess... maybe a third day pick will be expended here. I'm not sure we even make an offer to Godchaux. I like him, but he isn't needed.
Edge: We can get by with these, but as they say, you can NEVER have too many pass rushers. My guess is that we'll draft one. Maybe early.
LBs: We got nuthin' here... nuthin'. Baker is signed for one more year, but he is so replaceable, and our mikes? Ick. We'll bring in 2 ILBs minimum... maybe three. Parsons is still a possibility and I've predicted that he'll slide a bit, but if we miss on Parsons, there are other very draftable ILBs.
CBs: Strongest area of the team. We'll bring in a guy on the third day... and maybe a cheap vet who plays special teams.
S: Flores likes these guys better than many of the Safety-pushers here on Finheaven. McCain, Rowe, and Jones are all signed and ready to return. Needham may eventually be moved into McCain's role as Flores seems to view his deep safety and his slot corners as interchangeable. My guess... a third day pick to replace Kavon Frasier, but that's about it.

So: 1 DT, 3 LBs, 1 Edge and 1 DB of some sort.

14 players total. Haack and Karras could be part of these 14, so I'll call it a dozen. This is doable. Hell... we'll have about 10 draft picks to spend plus whatever players that we pick up in free agency. Competing from the division title is a very real goal for next year given our nucleus.

First of all, nice analysis.

I’d say on Offense it involves upgrading run game, adding 2 receiving weapons, and upgrading the line Which has been below average the past couple of games, it has been upgraded from last year, but it is not a finished product, and Flowers hasn’t been great, especially for his size. The line has been overwhelmed in pass protection many times, but it’s biggest weakness is it’s inability to open holes in the running game. Without a respectable running game, it is too easy to tee off on our QB. I agree with most of your ideas, but having said all of that:

-2 WR’s and at least one with elite characteristics either size, speed, hands, shiftiness, route Running, etc. and another who can play in the slot
-1 Running back with elite skills at either speed, power, shiftiness, & hands
-1 Guard who can open running holes and pull, maybe with some versatility who could also play center in a pinch. So an upgrade over Flowers who I’m not sold on, or to throw into the mix for competition, to raise the standard of play here.
-Another Body for competition at Right Tackle, again to raise the standard of play and provide additional competition
-1 developmental QB

On defense, simply we need to stop the run which is our biggest weakness

-1 Defensive tackle who is a beast similar to Raekwon Davis so we can move the line of scrimage vs the run and help plug the middle. Another monster.
-2 Linebackers who have some versatility who can both cover and stop the run and help rush the passer.

DB’s are set as far as I’m concerned although you could add another body for competition if you wanted

So I’d say 8 or 9 new players should fill the roster out nicely, with an emphasis on establishing a good running game on O and stopping the run on defense. This is our biggest weakness as a football team, the running game On both sides of the ball. They couldn’t tee off on our QB if we could run it well, and really get our RPO’s and Play action game going with momentum.

And on defense, being stout against the Run is what will take our D to the next level, help get the defense off the field, fewer 3rd down conversions for our opponents, make them one dimensional which would allow us to apply even more pressure vs the passing game.

The future is all about the running game, establishing one and stopping our opponents running game dead in its tracks.


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[Feverdream]

First of all, nice analysis.

I’d say on Offense it involves upgrading run game, adding 2 receiving weapons, and upgrading the line Which has been below average the past couple of games, it has been upgraded from last year, but it is not a finished product, and Flowers hasn’t been great, especially for his size. The line has been overwhelmed in pass protection many times, but it’s biggest weakness is it’s inability to open holes in the running game. Without a respectable running game, it is too easy to tee off on our QB. I agree with most of your ideas, but having said all of that:

-2 WR’s and at least one with elite characteristics either size, speed, hands, shiftiness, route Running, etc. and another who can play in the slot
-1 Running back with elite skills at either speed, power, shiftiness, & hands
-1 Guard who can open running holes and pull, maybe with some versatility who could also play center in a pinch. So an upgrade over Flowers who I’m not sold on, or to throw into the mix for competition, to raise the standard of play here.
-Another Body for competition at Right Tackle, again to raise the standard of play and provide additional competition
-1 developmental QB

On defense, simply we need to stop the run which is our biggest weakness

-1 Defensive tackle who is a beast similar to Raekwon Davis so we can move the line of scrimage vs the run and help plug the middle. Another monster.
-2 Linebackers who have some versatility who can both cover and stop the run and help rush the passer.

DB’s are set as far as I’m concerned although you could add another body for competition if you wanted

So I’d say 8 or 9 new players should fill the roster out nicely, with an emphasis on establishing a good running game and stopping the run on defense. This is our biggest weakness as a football team, the running game. They couldn’t tee off on our QB if we could run it well, and really get our RPO’s and Play action game going with momentum.


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I'd say that our shopping lists are pretty similar. I'm less convinced that we need another defensive lineman, and I think that new Guard might be Robert Hunt... but other than that, I'd say we are in agreement.

 

[Smokedogg1973]

I'd say that our shopping lists are pretty similar. I'm less convinced that we need another defensive lineman, and I think that new Guard might be Robert Hunt... but other than that, I'd say we are in agreement.

I agree. I think Robert Hunt is better suited at RG and Kindley at LG. RT and C is where they could use an upgrade.

 

[Lionstone]

You're all very kind in my opinion. A CB with 2 career interceptions and has been beaten 1 on 1 too many times gets an $82M contract? D

Van Noy has been solid if unspectacular B-

Ogbah has been a steal A

Lawson has been Good B

Flowers and Karras have been Okay C+

Roberts is cheap and okay B-

The rest are fairly predictable in their grades..........

I believe if you take a look at how the Cowboys defense has regressed and how our defense has improved you might change your opinion on Jones. The saying “show me two good corners and I’ll show you a good defense” is a saying for a reason.

 

[XxJustinxX]

Byron Jones (5 year/82 mil, 57 Guaranteed A For Jones, he's never been a big INT guy but he can flat out cover. What he has here that he didn't have in Dallas is X. Howard on the other side grabbing a ton of INTs. Teams still throw at Howard, and Jones is a big part of the reason for why they do. Just as in Dallas, people don't notice him and it's easy for him to go under appreciated but when he's not in the lineup you notice right away.

Kyle Van Noy (4 year/52 mil) 30 mil Guar) B- I almost made this a C grade, but I gave him points for locker room and on field leadership. Frankly he's been disappointing in consistently setting the edge and getting off blocks.

Jordan Howard ( 2 year/9.75 mil,) 4.75 Gaur) F - yeah . . . .

Emmanuel Ogbah (2 year/15 mil) 7.5 mil guar) A Has been our most consistent pass rusher, then factor in value and I can ignore some of the disappointment in the run defense. 0 sacks last 2 games, needs to get back on track.

Matt Breida (5th round pick traded for) D+ I honestly expected more out of Breida, still has time to improve on this grade but disappointing so far.

Shaq Lawson (3 year/ 30 mil) 20 mil guar) C He's been average and nothing more or less IMO. Need more consistent pressure , and more consistency in setting the edge from his side of the line.

Erek Flowers (3 year/30 mil) 20 mil guar) C+ Another guy who has played averagely but I give him a bump up to a C+ for leadership.

Ted Karas (1year/ 4mil) B More good than bad, but nothing to start writing up a 4 year 40 million dollar deal for either. Grades higher due to value but play is closer to C+ than B.

Elandon Robers (1 year/2 mil) C- Play has been below average in my book, but he's starting at MLB for 2 million. Not to much spent and he is filling the role as a stopgap. Value bumps him up to C from D quality play.

 

[vcip]

Bredia huge miss considering it was the pick we got for drake that we used for Bredia. Rather have drake.........wait for it. Drake did not want to be here. No kidding . I wouldn’t either If you just gave the starting job to ballage then mark Walton. Look how that turned out. Ugh.

Was a monumental blunder
Absolutely no playmaker at RB since his departure
Gave away a 26 year old big play 1000yd back
Hey but RB's fall off trees

 

[Mach2]

Byron Jones (5 year/82 mil, 57 Guaranteed A For Jones, he's never been a big INT guy but he can flat out cover. What he has here that he didn't have in Dallas is X. Howard on the other side grabbing a ton of INTs. Teams still throw at Howard, and Jones is a big part of the reason for why they do. Just as in Dallas, people don't notice him and it's easy for him to go under appreciated but when he's not in the lineup you notice right away.

Kyle Van Noy (4 year/52 mil) 30 mil Guar) B- I almost made this a C grade, but I gave him points for locker room and on field leadership. Frankly he's been disappointing in consistently setting the edge and getting off blocks.

Jordan Howard ( 2 year/9.75 mil,) 4.75 Gaur) F - yeah . . . .

Emmanuel Ogbah (2 year/15 mil) 7.5 mil guar) A Has been our most consistent pass rusher, then factor in value and I can ignore some of the disappointment in the run defense. 0 sacks last 2 games, needs to get back on track.

Matt Breida (5th round pick traded for) D+ I honestly expected more out of Breida, still has time to improve on this grade but disappointing so far.

Shaq Lawson (3 year/ 30 mil) 20 mil guar) C He's been average and nothing more or less IMO. Need more consistent pressure , and more consistency in setting the edge from his side of the line.

Erek Flowers (3 year/30 mil) 20 mil guar) C+ Another guy who has played averagely but I give him a bump up to a C+ for leadership.

Ted Karas (1year/ 4mil) B More good than bad, but nothing to start writing up a 4 year 40 million dollar deal for either. Grades higher due to value but play is closer to C+ than B.

Elandon Robers (1 year/2 mil) C- Play has been below average in my book, but he's starting at MLB for 2 million. Not to much spent and he is filling the role as a stopgap. Value bumps him up to C from D quality play.

Not sure what you expected from KVN. He wasn't a set the edge, get off blocks guy in NE either.

He is a versatile, do a little of everything, very assignment sound guy. Same as in NE.

 

[BigNastyFish]

I'm sure Mister Grier reads these kind of things

sort of like a comic strip.

JK.

He probably doesn't read them.

 

[Tupac Shakur]

Position	Player	Age	2019 Team	Contract	Grade	Assessment
RB	Jordan Howard	25	Philadelphia Eagles	2 years, $9.75 million	D-	Should have been able to detect his lack of ability and decline based on last season's performance
CB	Byron Jones	27	Dallas Cowboys	5 years, $82 million	D	Horrible contract. Missed time with injuries. Streaky in terms of coverage. Sometimes good sometimes not. Horrible with ball in the air, never will get interceptions.
OLB	Kyle Van Noy	29	New England Patriots	4 years, $51 million	C	Not a great contract. As others have mentioned seems to have lost a step but never really had it from what I could see. Opportunistic in terms of fumbles and sacks. Shies away from contact at times. Looks to be dinged up and is aging.
C	Ted Karras	27	New England Patriots	1 year, $4 million	B-	Good value for the production. Decent leader. Had the one bad snap against the Chargers, other than that hasn't done anything glaringly awful.
G	Ereck Flowers	26	Washington Redskins	3 years, $30 million	C+	Seems to have found a home a guard. Still gets beat by quickness and not as powerful as you'd like in the run game. Average player getting paid like a pro bowler.
ILB	Elandon Roberts	26	New England Patriots	1 year, $2 million	C	Just a guy, makes an occasional play but also gets bludgeoned in the run game at times.
SS	Clayton Fejedelem	26	Cincinnati Bengals	3 years, $8.55 million	C	I guess a solid special teams player? I don't recall him being on the field on defense.
DE	Emmanuel Ogbah	25	Kansas City Chiefs	2 years, $15 million	A+	Outstanding production relative to the contract. Has been reliable. Ascending player.
OLB	Shaq Lawson	25	Buffalo Bills	3 years, $30 million	B-	Solid pro, same analysis as the Flowers signing. Paid like a pro bowler for an average NFL starter.
ILB	Kamu Grugier-Hill	26	Philadelphia Eagles	1 year, $3 million	B	He's flashed at times and is a solid special teams player.
FS	Kavon Frazier	25	Dallas Cowboys	1 year, $1 million	C	Nothing of note either good or bad as I can remember.

 

[XxJustinxX]

Not sure what you expected from KVN. He wasn't a set the edge, get off blocks guy in NE either.

He is a versatile, do a little of everything, very assignment sound guy. Same as in NE.

I expect a guy lining up at Strong side outside linebacker to be able to play the run, which means setting the edge and taking on/getting off blocks . Exactly what the SOLB position calls for in the 3-4. That's his job and assignment in this 3-4 defense. You can't call him an assignment sound guy when his assignment is set the edge and he has thus far failed to do that.

I don't care what he did in New England, it's all about what he's doing here and his play has been a tick above average at best. 10 games playing somewhere between 85%-90% of the snaps and he has 30 COMBINED tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumbled recovered. So if he's not packing on the stats, and he's not doing the fundamentals like setting the edge and getting on/off blocks what is he doing? My grades probably generous for a 10+ million dollar player.

 

[Mach2]

I'm sure Mister Grier reads these kind of things

sort of like a comic strip.

JK.

He probably doesn't read them.

Maybe he should.

If he took some advice, maybe he wouldn't do so mainy dumb things, and make so many boneheaded player assessments.

I've seen better coaching, game planning, and player development from HS coaches.

Doesnt Ross/Grier see this buffonery?

 

[Mach2]

I expect a guy lining up at Strong side outside linebacker to be able to play the run, which means setting the edge and taking on/getting off blocks . Exactly what the SOLB position calls for in the 3-4. That's his job and assignment in this 3-4 defense. You can't call him an assignment sound guy when his assignment is set the edge and he has thus far failed to do that.

I don't care what he did in New England, it's all about what he's doing here and his play has been a tick above average at best. 10 games playing somewhere between 85%-90% of the snaps and he has 30 COMBINED tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumbled recovered. So if he's not packing on the stats, and he's not doing the fundamentals like setting the edge and getting on/off blocks what is he doing? My grades probably generous for a 10+ million dollar player.

So you are on the fence then....

 

[Kyndig]

I'd say that our shopping lists are pretty similar. I'm less convinced that we need another defensive lineman, and I think that new Guard might be Robert Hunt... but other than that, I'd say we are in agreement.

Running game. If we had two monsters in the middle which we don’t have, and added some LB’s who could help set the edge, then the tackles could plug up the middle and the rest of the D could fly to the edges to stop the running game.

 

[fansinceGWilson]

Maybe he should.

If he took some advice, maybe he wouldn't do so mainy dumb things, and make so many boneheaded player assessments.

I've seen better coaching, game planning, and player development from HS coaches.

Doesnt Ross/Grier see this buffonery?

didn't expect that from you. "Buffonery? I'd call player development top third in the NFL - minimum. Yeah, mistakes. He's human. He's learning. But "buffonery?'

 

[XxJustinxX]

So you are on the fence then....

Yeah for sure lol. I mean I'd like to believe he is having a big impact in the locker room, and from a leadership standpoint on the field.