I miss having separate threads for trades and free agent signings/losses, so I’m starting here.

Got very little, but Fangio clearly wanted no part of Brown and we improved our draft spots in the 4th and 6th.

Got Epps back and presumably we will bring in another FA/get someone in draft. Carter might compete as well.

I like it overall.

"Got very little?" The fact that they got anything for him is a miracle. He might be THE worst safety in the NFL.

Good, he is undisciplined as hell. Heat seeking... his own teammates.

He squirted whipped cream in my sister in laws mouth

That’s all I got

Looks like we asked for a 5th rounder and they didn’t have one so we got the equivalent in the pick swaps.

I will miss Waterboy tremendously........

I'm trying to think of any plays he made.

Didn't he have an INT pick six against the Cardinals? And the blocked punt TD return against TB? Those were nice. He stunk the rest of his time here though. 🙃🙃

30 minutes ago, LacesOut said:

I'm trying to think of any plays he made.

I know he made some plays, 'cause I do remember cheering for him. But no one play (or set of plays) stands out in my memory.

I don't mind him being traded. He never lived up to the hope. But I wish we'd been able to get more back for him

It really is about damn time.....

Good, now Makuba will stay healthy next season.

all I have to say is Bye Felicia

3 years is a reasonable amount of time to at least see some growth/improvement. He seemed to be on track as a rookie, but after the injury, just didn't really challenge for playing time. He probably isn't as bad as some are making him out to be and clearly has value on special teams. I consider him a decent backup, but am not convinced he will ever be more than that.

I'm a little surprised we traded him before the end of preseason since we weren't really deep at safety.

I don't hate Epps, but I really don't think he adds much more, if any, than Brown. So at least we moved up a little on a couple picks and our current situation isn't any worse. I don't know anything or have an opinion about JT Gray.

6 hours ago, brkmsn said:

3 years is a reasonable amount of time to at least see some growth/improvement. He seemed to be on track as a rookie, but after the injury, just didn't really challenge for playing time. He probably isn't as bad as some are making him out to be and clearly has value on special teams. I consider him a decent backup, but am not convinced he will ever be more than that.

I'm a little surprised we traded him before the end of preseason since we weren't really deep at safety.

I don't hate Epps, but I really don't think he adds much more, if any, than Brown. So at least we moved up a little on a couple picks and our current situation isn't any worse. I don't know anything or have an opinion about JT Gray.

Epps adds brains and composure playing the position..not some mindless missile just throwing himself at anything...still need to draft one in the 1st 2 days, Kilgore or Bud Clark or Genesis Smith...

Great to get anything for him. There are still good players available at the 14th pick in round 4

and we moved way up in the 6th.

3 hours ago, weko said:

Great to get anything for him. There are still good players available at the 14th pick in round 4

and we moved way up in the 6th.

Not only that, getting to the top half of the 4th round now gets them one trade away from a very early day three pick which is often valuable and something Howie has done in the past.

18 hours ago, Breeze 44 said:

not some mindless missile just throwing himself at anything...

That's more of a caricature of Brown than reality. Obviously, that's how they teach people to play his role on special teams, but he didn't have an abnormally high missed tackle percentage on defense. In fact, he had a lower one than normal for a safety at 7.5% for his career which is lower than Epps (10.5%), CJGJ (12.5%) and Blankenship (10.2%). His career passer rating allowed when targeted was 88.6 --- compared to Epps (114.8), CJGJ (79.0) and Blankenship (90.7).

Epps was protected a bit when he played here because of good defensive players around him --- especially in the secondary. When he signed with the raiders, he was pretty terrible with a missed tackle percentage over 20% and even in 2022 with us, his passer rating allowed when targeted was 141.8 (he allowed 6 TDs that season). Remember the Super Bowl that season? Epps played the entire game and Blankenship only played 1 snap.

I'm not saying Sydney Brown is the answer at all. But I'm just not buying the Epps hype and stand by my earlier statement. At least with Brown, there may be some upside with experience. Epps is a sea level plateau that is better than playing with just 10 guys on the field.

On 3/21/2026 at 12:33 PM, LacesOut said:

I'm trying to think of any plays he made.

Didn't he have an INT pick six against the Cardinals? And the blocked punt TD return against TB? Those were nice. He stunk the rest of his time here though. 🙃🙃

I think he had that key batted pass on 4th and 5 in the SB we blew the Chiefs out in.

I think that INT pick six is his most memorable play though for sure

On 3/23/2026 at 1:29 AM, brkmsn said:

That's more of a caricature of Brown than reality. Obviously, that's how they teach people to play his role on special teams, but he didn't have an abnormally high missed tackle percentage on defense. In fact, he had a lower one than normal for a safety at 7.5% for his career which is lower than Epps (10.5%), CJGJ (12.5%) and Blankenship (10.2%). His career passer rating allowed when targeted was 88.6 --- compared to Epps (114.8), CJGJ (79.0) and Blankenship (90.7).

Epps was protected a bit when he played here because of good defensive players around him --- especially in the secondary. When he signed with the raiders, he was pretty terrible with a missed tackle percentage over 20% and even in 2022 with us, his passer rating allowed when targeted was 141.8 (he allowed 6 TDs that season). Remember the Super Bowl that season? Epps played the entire game and Blankenship only played 1 snap.

I'm not saying Sydney Brown is the answer at all. But I'm just not buying the Epps hype and stand by my earlier statement. At least with Brown, there may be some upside with experience. Epps is a sea level plateau that is better than playing with just 10 guys on the field.

The only "upside" there is with Sydney Brown is for the other team because he is one of the worst safeties in the entire NFL, no hyperbole. Can't tackle, can't cover, has a terrible football IQ, and plays like such a spazz that he has hurt his own teammates multiple times.

lol at Sydney Brown (former S4) getting any discussion

7 hours ago, MF POON said:

I think he had that key batted pass on 4th and 5 in the SB we blew the Chiefs out in.

I think that was Avonte Maddox who made that awesome play?

On 3/21/2026 at 5:13 AM, paco said:

He squirted whipped cream in my sister in laws mouth

That’s all I got

Whip cream..........

15 hours ago, LacesOut said:

I think that was Avonte Maddox who made that awesome play?

Lol you're right, it was Maddox. Sydney Brown is more irrelevant than I remembered 😄

22 hours ago, T-1000 said:

The only "upside" there is with Sydney Brown is for the other team because he is one of the worst safeties in the entire NFL, no hyperbole. Can't tackle, can't cover, has a terrible football IQ, and plays like such a spazz that he has hurt his own teammates multiple times.

All I'm saying is if Brown's tackling and coverage worry you, then I hope we never have to start Epps again. Epps played a little for us last year, was targeted 7 times and allowed 7 receptions for 102 yards (118.7 passer rating). In 20 games played for the raiders he missed 19 tackles for a 22.3% missed tackle percentage.

I like Epps as a backup because my expectations for backups are not as high as they are for starters and he can play special teams.