All of us have to come to the realization that JS/PC will NOT have a bunch of cap space, and there will not be anywhere near enough money to sign our most expensive FA's. I would re-sign Kearse and Lane, but only if they aren't too expensive. Then, trade our first round #26 pick for a 2nd rounder (appx. #35 overall) and a 3rd rounder (appx. #88 overall), giving us at least 10 picks...that would be 5 picks between 35 and 98 overall (a lot of good players ranked from #35 to 100)!
Pick close to this order: DT, OT, OC, DT, OG, OLB, OT, WR, CB, RB. I would be very willing to deviate from that plan if the right draftees are still on the board when our turn comes up.
I would let both Rubin and Mebane walk, unless they can get Rubin on the cheap. Rubin will be 30 and Mebane is 32. Both of them have seen better days...in their heyday, Rubin averaged 70-80 tackles and Mebane averaged nearly 60. They've experienced a steep decline and are way overpaid the last couple of years...$8.3 million for the both of them is way too much for only 20-30 tackles each and they just don't put any pressure on QB's. I would go with Hill, 2 draftees, 1 or 2 cheap young FA's on a 1-year. Maybe a couple of UDFA gems if they're out there. Compete.
I would actually let both Okung and Sweezy walk also. We need to improve our pass protection, as Wilson has proven to be an elite QB when afforded some semblance of pass protection. Okung is not that great overall and injured far too much, while Sweezy is not even average at run blocking, much less pass protection. Face it, neither of them is really all that good. I figure if some of our young guys can improve this offseason and we get 3 or 4 more traditional O-Line draftees (no more projects, we need help NOW), they could probably outperform last year's O-Line. I would NOT spend major bucks on any FA's this year. If they get 1 or 2 FA O-Linemen on the cheap, great. Compete.
I would let Irvin walk, as he will get way more than we can afford to pay him this year. Go with Pierre-Louis and Pinkins...add 1 or 2 LB's in the draft...maybe find an UDFA gem or sign a cheap LB FA to a 1-year. Compete.
Not the greatest year for drafting a WR. I would try to re-sign Kearse at $3.5 million. Maybe Richardson finally has the year he's capable of. In case Graham doesn't make it back, draft a tall WR. Our TE corps seemed to be adequate without Graham. Compete.
The good news is that if we let 4 players out of Mebane, Okung, Irvin, Sweezy and Rubin walk, we'll get some awesome compensatory picks for 2017...maybe even 2- 3rd rounders and 2- 4th rounders. The thing is, if we keep all the old guys and never give new guys a chance, our team will get old really fast. I believe in the "out with the old, in with the new" philosophy. And I honestly don't think expensive FA's/trades are the route for us...think Harvin, Graham, Cary Williams. If there was any lesson to be learned from the 2010 to 2012 seasons, it's that the way to build a successful team is through the draft. That has to be the #1 priority. I firmly believe that the reason we declined in 2015 is because our drafts in 2013 and 2014 were not very productive.
Pick close to this order: DT, OT, OC, DT, OG, OLB, OT, WR, CB, RB. I would be very willing to deviate from that plan if the right draftees are still on the board when our turn comes up.
I would let both Rubin and Mebane walk, unless they can get Rubin on the cheap. Rubin will be 30 and Mebane is 32. Both of them have seen better days...in their heyday, Rubin averaged 70-80 tackles and Mebane averaged nearly 60. They've experienced a steep decline and are way overpaid the last couple of years...$8.3 million for the both of them is way too much for only 20-30 tackles each and they just don't put any pressure on QB's. I would go with Hill, 2 draftees, 1 or 2 cheap young FA's on a 1-year. Maybe a couple of UDFA gems if they're out there. Compete.
I would actually let both Okung and Sweezy walk also. We need to improve our pass protection, as Wilson has proven to be an elite QB when afforded some semblance of pass protection. Okung is not that great overall and injured far too much, while Sweezy is not even average at run blocking, much less pass protection. Face it, neither of them is really all that good. I figure if some of our young guys can improve this offseason and we get 3 or 4 more traditional O-Line draftees (no more projects, we need help NOW), they could probably outperform last year's O-Line. I would NOT spend major bucks on any FA's this year. If they get 1 or 2 FA O-Linemen on the cheap, great. Compete.
I would let Irvin walk, as he will get way more than we can afford to pay him this year. Go with Pierre-Louis and Pinkins...add 1 or 2 LB's in the draft...maybe find an UDFA gem or sign a cheap LB FA to a 1-year. Compete.
Not the greatest year for drafting a WR. I would try to re-sign Kearse at $3.5 million. Maybe Richardson finally has the year he's capable of. In case Graham doesn't make it back, draft a tall WR. Our TE corps seemed to be adequate without Graham. Compete.
The good news is that if we let 4 players out of Mebane, Okung, Irvin, Sweezy and Rubin walk, we'll get some awesome compensatory picks for 2017...maybe even 2- 3rd rounders and 2- 4th rounders. The thing is, if we keep all the old guys and never give new guys a chance, our team will get old really fast. I believe in the "out with the old, in with the new" philosophy. And I honestly don't think expensive FA's/trades are the route for us...think Harvin, Graham, Cary Williams. If there was any lesson to be learned from the 2010 to 2012 seasons, it's that the way to build a successful team is through the draft. That has to be the #1 priority. I firmly believe that the reason we declined in 2015 is because our drafts in 2013 and 2014 were not very productive.