In a nutshell..

 

 

2 hours ago, eagle45 said:

Between the money saved in the future and the picks, the Chiefs felt they could extend their window of opportunity beyond Hill's impending decline.  We'll see if that was a smart move.

I am a huge fan of the skill set Hill brings to the field...BUT...I always felt that when a player gets aggressive, updated, generous fair market value on a new contract...they, almost by definition, have no draft value.  Granted, that statement is somewhat offset by the reality that elite WR/DE/QB/whatever are not on the open market every offseason presenting you with the opportunity to just pay them fair market value.  But draft value does come from contracts where production exceeds cap hit.  And a contract where production = cap hit, whether you are a solid backup or a pro-bowler, technically means you shouldn't have to toss in too much draft capital on top of your already appropriate cap hit.

The Dolphins are paying Hill UFA prices where production = value but also tossed in a ton of draft capital.

People seem to forget about that part of it, particularly our very own GM.  And it is so ironic for both this fan base and our GM, given how dogmatically Joe Banner held to it.  Joe went a little too far to the extreme there, but Howie has recently thrown it completely out.  

Hill is 28 years old, which doesn't sound old.  But 'speed' WRs and agility WRs drop off pretty fast.  Desean Jackson, whom is likely as close to Hill in terms of body style, speed reliance, etc.  And we see a precipitous decline for him starting right around 28 or 29.  And it fell off a cliff at 32.  Sure, he still made a few highlights, but he missed a lot of games and some games he played in, he left very early.   

 

Given the offer they got, better to sell a year too soon than a year too late.

5 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

In a nutshell..

 

 

On top of those swaps, imagine swapping out McLeod for Mathieu now! Then DL upgrades through the draft.

D can really be good. 

55 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Yeah I dont get why just 1 year. Too bad. If they want to re-sign him he will likely be earning more.

I'm going to guess he's betting on himself and wanted a one year deal to ball out and then cash in the following year.

51 minutes ago, jojodancer said:

Howie is having a nice start here to this off-season. Add a couple more budget pieces at safety & CB. Then kill this all important draft and we are looking at a sure-fire playoff team here & ultimate division winner. Good progress here from just 1 year ago.

Oh, so all we need is for Howie to successfully draft defensive talent.   Cool.  This thing should be in the bag then.

Also...#44 is available.

 

11 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Right now, QB1 and WR2 are the weakest spots.

Safety is sitting in strong contention there, as is CB2.

2 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Oh, so all we need is for Howie to successfully draft defensive talent.   Cool.  This thing should be in the bag then.

The real problem is that he hasn't really made enough to conclude he's bad at it.

Say what you will be about the Eagles, but they got a stud SLB/Pass Rusher Hybrid, and a really good off the ball LB who excels in coverage. If they draft a backer in the 2nd or 3rd round and Taylor can stay healthy/get just a little bit better this is actually an above average group.

How they need to do something about the secondary.

3 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Also...#44 is available.

 

It’s retired.  Pete Retzlaff.

8 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I'm going to guess he's betting on himself and wanted a one year deal to ball out and then cash in the following year.

I find it interesting, after reading the blog, that a player would expect to come to Gannon's defense to bet on himself and ball out for a larger contract.

hmm....

6 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Safety is sitting in strong contention there, as is CB2.

Safety can easily be upgraded any minute in free agency. I think they plan to upgrade CB2 through the draft or else they would/should have signed Nelson already. In any event, those 2 position should be fine leaving QB as the weak link. And Im willing to trade for Foles again just for some temporary improvement there. 

TDN updated their Ojabo ranking on the mock draft simulator. 

I just did a draft without forcing a LB pick in round 3 or 4 now that we have White.

3 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Safety can easily be upgraded any minute in free agency. I think they plan to upgrade CB2 through the draft or else they would/should have signed Nelson already. In any event, those 2 position should be fine leaving QB as the weak link. And Im willing to trade for Foles again just for some temporary improvement there. 

I think Foles is problematic.  He is a hero in town.  Hurts isn't a snowflake like Wentz, so he won't personally be the problem.  But I think it would create a line of questioning between the press and front office that they'd prefer to avoid.

2 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

TDN updated their Ojabo ranking on the mock draft simulator. 

I just did a draft without forcing a LB pick in round 3 or 4 now that we have White.

 

Is it my imagination, or does every mock draft have us picking Haskins on day 3?

7 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

I think Foles is problematic.  He is a hero in town.  Hurts isn't a snowflake like Wentz, so he won't personally be the problem.  But I think it would create a line of questioning between the press and front office that they'd prefer to avoid.

Foles is not a starting NFL QB. He's had a number of shots and failed.

He had one great year under Chip when they took the league by surprise, and a two game heater in the playoffs.

A local hero, but let's not get carried away.

8 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Is it my imagination, or does every mock draft have us picking Haskins on day 3?

Pretty much. He's always available at the end of mock drafts and no one wants to burn an earlier pick on a RB would be my thinking. 

1 hour ago, ManuManu said:

It’s only a one-year deal, but with White and Taylor at the will, I think we can cross that position off the list with any of our premium picks now. 

Lloyd at mlb…

 

2 minutes ago, ToastJenkins said:

Lloyd at mlb…

I don’t think we’re taking a first-round LB. 

35 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Also...#44 is available.

 

Retired.   

35 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Safety is sitting in strong contention there, as is CB2.

Yeah, safety is tops for me. I don't want to address QB til next year anyway. I'm not a fan of Nelson, think we got lucky teams didn't attack him more. I want a 1st used on CB in the draft. 

I don’t think Barnett & White signings preclude us from drafting DE/LB in first two rounds. I do think that Howie will wait on a LB now, as hopefully White is considered to be on a prove it deal.

I also can’t remember the last time we drafted a S or CB in the first round. Hopefully that changes in a month. 

30 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

I think Foles is problematic.  He is a hero in town.  Hurts isn't a snowflake like Wentz, so he won't personally be the problem.  But I think it would create a line of questioning between the press and front office that they'd prefer to avoid.

They should start Foles and not worry about questioning. They can trade Hurts then too if anyone wants him.

30 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

 

Is it my imagination, or does every mock draft have us picking Haskins on day 3?

sometimes I go with Zaquandre White.

23 minutes ago, austinfan said:

Foles is not a starting NFL QB. He's had a number of shots and failed.

He had one great year under Chip when they took the league by surprise, and a two game heater in the playoffs.

A local hero, but let's not get carried away.

but, a better QB than Hurts. 

PFF’s write up in their top FAs article…

99. LB KYZIR WHITE, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

White was a reliable presence at linebacker following the loss of 2020 first-rounder Kenneth Murray during Weeks 4-9 and when Murray was battling injuries over Weeks 11-15. White has had four straight seasons with coverage grades above 60.0, which is not an easy feat for an off-ball linebacker in today’s NFL against so many hi-lo concepts and the increase in run-pass options putting a ton of stress on the position. 

Strengths:
– Zone coverage
– Tackling
– Versatile underneath defender

Weaknesses:
– Making plays on the ball
– Playmaking in the run game
– Taking on blocks

Scheme Fit/Role:
STARTING OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: White brings a strong all-around skill set to the table, and he's continued to improve during his four-year career. He moves around well as an underneath zone defender, and he's at his best if he's kept clean in the run game. White is a mid-tier starter on the outside.

Recent Injury History:
White missed a few games in 2020, sandwiched around the 2019 and 2021 seasons in which he played every game.

Contract Projection: Two years, $12.5 million ($6.25M per year), $8 million total guaranteed

Bottom Line:
As his career has progressed, White has improved and seen his playing time increase. He's an effective three-down player who does his best work in coverage.