Hyak
Active member
What's Next? 2015
The good:
They have about 26 M in cap space and could get more if needed through a cap cut or restructure of a core guy. They seem to prefer to structure deals with guaranteed base salaries in lieu of large signing bonuses so it will be interesting to see what happens with potential long term deals for Wilson, Wagner, and Lynch.
Winning masked some depth holes and the list of good players coming back from injuries addresses some of this.
DL - Mebane, Hill, Marsh, and Scruggs
LB - Pierre-Louis
WR - Richardson (although he may be a PUP guy to start 2015)
TE - Miller (a vital red zone loss IMO).
FB - Coleman
Unrestricted Free Agents of Note
Offense: QB Jackson, G Carpenter, TE Moeaki, WR Walters
Defense: CB Maxwell, DE Schofield, DT Williams, DT Dobbs, LB Smith, S Johnson
Special Teams: Gresham
I think Maxwell and Carpenter will be too expensive to keep but the others are all role players who could be retained after the first wave of FA.
Positions of Concern
DE - I think another edge pass rusher who is similar to Clemons and an upgrade over Schofield is a big need.
DT - I actually think the return of the injured guys addresses this pretty well and if DE is solidified you can shift Bennett to DT in pass rush mode.
LB - Pierre-Louis likely replaces Smith. I would see if I could upgrade Coyle in terms of Wagner's backup.
CB - Simon is a weak link. That has to be upgraded. Perhaps Lane can slide into Maxwell's spot but that opens up the need at nickel.
S - Depth wise we are pushing it. If Johnson leaves it's Shead and that's it.
OL - Assume Carpenter is gone so they either need to replace him or replenish depth (if Bailey moves up to LG).
WR - They need to add another WR to the mix, especially with Richardson recovering from an ACL and unknowns about guys like Norwood, Lockette, and Matthews who flash but are relatively unknown commodities.
TE - If Miller is back, the group becomes a lot better.
RS - Huge need as this area disintegrated with the loss of Tate.
The good:
They have about 26 M in cap space and could get more if needed through a cap cut or restructure of a core guy. They seem to prefer to structure deals with guaranteed base salaries in lieu of large signing bonuses so it will be interesting to see what happens with potential long term deals for Wilson, Wagner, and Lynch.
Winning masked some depth holes and the list of good players coming back from injuries addresses some of this.
DL - Mebane, Hill, Marsh, and Scruggs
LB - Pierre-Louis
WR - Richardson (although he may be a PUP guy to start 2015)
TE - Miller (a vital red zone loss IMO).
FB - Coleman
Unrestricted Free Agents of Note
Offense: QB Jackson, G Carpenter, TE Moeaki, WR Walters
Defense: CB Maxwell, DE Schofield, DT Williams, DT Dobbs, LB Smith, S Johnson
Special Teams: Gresham
I think Maxwell and Carpenter will be too expensive to keep but the others are all role players who could be retained after the first wave of FA.
Positions of Concern
DE - I think another edge pass rusher who is similar to Clemons and an upgrade over Schofield is a big need.
DT - I actually think the return of the injured guys addresses this pretty well and if DE is solidified you can shift Bennett to DT in pass rush mode.
LB - Pierre-Louis likely replaces Smith. I would see if I could upgrade Coyle in terms of Wagner's backup.
CB - Simon is a weak link. That has to be upgraded. Perhaps Lane can slide into Maxwell's spot but that opens up the need at nickel.
S - Depth wise we are pushing it. If Johnson leaves it's Shead and that's it.
OL - Assume Carpenter is gone so they either need to replace him or replenish depth (if Bailey moves up to LG).
WR - They need to add another WR to the mix, especially with Richardson recovering from an ACL and unknowns about guys like Norwood, Lockette, and Matthews who flash but are relatively unknown commodities.
TE - If Miller is back, the group becomes a lot better.
RS - Huge need as this area disintegrated with the loss of Tate.
