kidhawk wrote:I'm just kind of curious as to the pulse of NET Nation as to what we should do at the Linebacker position most recently vacated by Leroy Hill.
I'm sure these aren't ALL the options, but these seem the best ones IMO (in no particular order)
1) Re-sign Hill to another one year deal and see if Smith can compete and win the job
2) Tentatively give the job to Smith and draft a middle to late round guy to compete and/or backup
3) Draft someone high in the draft (1st 2 rounds) to hopefully win the starting position leaving Smith as a backup
4) Find someone through Free agency
What does the NET Nation think is our best option to try to solidify or improve this position?
Well, Pete won't "give" the job to anybody. At least that is his core philosophy, and I think he'll stick to that.
So, with that in mind I think they'll do this......in this order....
1. Mine the FA market to find someone who could compete. He wouldn't be a high profile guy, but more of a 2nd/3rd tier guy.
2. Draft a linebacker, probably in the mid to late rounds but maybe earlier, to come in and compete as a rook. You'd love a guy who might not be the starter in September, but could win the job by November, say.
3. (Might happen sooner chronologically, but I think it's low priority, so it's here) Re-sign LeRoy Hill to a small vet min contract of 1-2 years. He'll likely not win the position outright, but he might if stage 1 or 2 doesn't turn up a good prospect. He'd be a decent backup at least and maybe a stopgap if we go stage 2 and the new guy can't start until later in the season.
I just don't see them breaking the bank on a FA, and although they're looking for pass rush, I don't see replacing Hill as fitting into that "improving the pass rush" mold. So early draft would go to DL, I would think.