Turning the page to last player acquisition phase of off-season

_sturt_ · May 1, 2022

Oh_Canada said:
when they inevitably fail

It's went both ways. 2016 famously was a season when every UFA they'd signed was a strikeout. 2021 was arguably one of their best overall UFA groups in this CBA era.

rambo2 · May 1, 2022

Oh_Canada said:
He’s going to sign a few has-beens to save face, than when they inevitably fail he will point to the failures as proof free agency is a waste of time.

Anthony Barr is a possibility and he isn't a has been. They won't have much room on the roster for much.

ESisback · May 1, 2022

_sturt_ said:
Hard for me to trust the LG slot will be won by a 21 yr-old, unless that 21 yr-old had Tyron Smith-like credentials coming out of college. I like Tyler to win the position eventually, maybe even this season, but it feels like we're asking a lot to pencil him in, or even to say he's the odds-on-favorite.

Trai Turner made $3m last season. I'm inclined toward something like that.

I like Turner too. I’d do it, but who knows about Cap Boy?

_sturt_ · May 2, 2022

As the day wore on, I've more or less talked myself into Keelan Cole as the most plausible UFA WR add.

Jarvis Landry would be too expensive, and is generally thought to be on the cusp of signing with the Saints anyhow.

Will Fuller would be too risky, given how his health has seemed an issue year after year after year... but would be tempting if the price was to be dirt cheap.

Whereas Keelan Cole was thought to be ratcheting up his regard moving from JAX to NYJ last year, that didn't happen. He didn't take off (you like what I did there?) as anticipated based on his body of work as a Jag. But the price would almost certainly be adequate, and he's capable of this....

... which was no fluke, if you remember this...

So, season-opener, you've got Lamb, and two of Tolbert, Washington and Cole. Think that could be enough until Gallup gets back.

Verdict · May 2, 2022

_sturt_ said:
Yah.

Have to believe that the same philosophy that says, "Sam Williams gets a shot at taking the starting RDE opening... but... we've got DA and Fowler signed, too"... is the same philosophy that says we have to have to start the season with at least one other viable vet option at each of LG and WR... and by "viable" I mean not someone who has shown enough that, in theory, he could be a fall-back position, but rather someone who has been in recent memory a starter.

Me, I like Trai Turner if the price is right for left guard. And as already said, I like Jarvis Landry for WR... but self-evidently, the price may be too high.

Second options, and likely cheaper, are Ereck Flowers and Keelan Cole.

Someone might say, "Well but the defensive line, by design, rotates players. So the philosophy might not translate to WR where there's less rotation, or the offensive line where they try to keep it static."

To which I would reply, but that only makes it more imperative... ie, since you really want to be able to count on one guy as your #2 (or #3 after Gallup returns) WR, and one as your starting left guard all season.

I am not “for” or “against Trai Turner. But if you can get a marginal starter quality player at guard for a reasonable price you “might” be able to flip that player fir a pick right before the trade deadline, 1. If the price was right in the front end and 2. You can fit the guy on the 53. The latter might be the bigger issue.

conner01 · May 2, 2022

john van brocklin said:
Idea, Sign a new mascot in free agency !!! LOL

There ya go

john van brocklin · May 2, 2022

conner01 said:
There ya go

That seems to be a pretty universal desire here

tm1119 · May 2, 2022

_sturt_ said:
Safety
Hooker
Kearse
Mukuamu
Wilson

Think, at most, you have 5 safeties on the opening game roster, and already you have these 4, 3 of which are highly likely, then 4.5 guys who will get a shot in training camp to impress: Coyle (2021 PS guy who was signed), plus Bell (FAMU), Thomas (GaTech) and Van Zandt (TCU) all fairly highly regarded UFDAs. Then, the 1/2 is Nahshon Wright who some consider a hybrid CB.

Not seeing it.

But LB is a different story....

Linebacker
Parsons
Vander Esch
Cox
Gifford

Last season had these plus 3 others (Jaylon, Neal and Bernard), so it's likely 7, or at least 6 LB slots will be occupied on the opening game roster. Drafted Harper in the 6th, and signed UDFA Hansford. (Drafted Clark, too, but of course, he's already ticketed for PUP at minimum.) Have a futures contract guy, Devante Bond who didn't play at all in 2021.

Not difficult to imagine adding another vet LB. However, Harper and Hansford likely will get every chance to fill Bernard's primarily-special-teams role. Cox was always considered the Jaylon Smith replacement. So, that leaves an opening for someone to claim Keanu Neal's function. There remains ample options on the market, and I wouldn't anticipate the salary number on this one to be daunting.

Kearse essentially plays his own position in Nickel as LB/TE coverage specialist. Which means we have 3 safeties on the field in nickel, which is 60+% of the time.

Even when Hooker and Wilson were healthy at the end of the year Kazee was still playing a good amount of snaps and he hasn’t been replaced yet. We can’t be 1 injury away from Mukaumu playing a significant role, someone has to be signed.

_sturt_ · May 2, 2022

Think people get Kearse and Keanu Neal confused (still).

Kearse is a legit S.

And Jabril Cox is a legit pass defender at LB... covering TEs quite a bit.

And I think you give a drafted second-year player a legit chance to justify his roster slot in training camp. I'm not scared of Mukuamu getting a chance to fulfill whatever it is that our scouts and our defensive coordinator thought they saw in him.

And I think Bell and even more so Juanyeh Thomas will impress. Without knowing what signing bonuses were paid (... that's the real tale tell sign... ) I feel confident that Thomas is the most likely UDFA to stick.

atlantacowboy · May 2, 2022

He's going to use the cap space to extend somebody's contract. We aren't going out and signing first or even second tier FA's.

conner01 · May 2, 2022

john van brocklin said:
That seems to be a pretty universal desire here

We’ve needed an upgrade for years lol

_sturt_ · May 2, 2022

atlantacowboy said:
He's going to use the cap space to extend somebody's contract. We aren't going out and signing first or even second tier FA's.

Hard to believe that.

Stephen's pre-draft comments pointed toward more signings... "we're not done" (paraphrasing).

And it's just not that reasonable even if Stephen hadn't said what he said.

tm1119 · May 2, 2022

_sturt_ said:
Think people get Kearse and Keanu Neal confused (still).

Kearse is a legit S.

And Jabril Cox is a legit pass defender at LB... covering TEs quite a bit.

And I think you give a drafted second-year player a legit chance to justify his roster slot in training camp. I'm not scared of Mukuamu getting a chance to fulfill whatever it is that our scouts and our defensive coordinator thought they saw in him.

Nope, not confused. Check the snap counts. Quinn had 3 safeties on the field a lot and Kearse is the 1 that comes down and plays in the box/over the TE. He’s more versatile that just a S

_sturt_ · May 2, 2022

That's fine, @tm1119 , but... again... Cox. And the rest. Cox will make it less necessary to dedicate Kearse to TE coverage. S is not the priority at this point that WR, OL and LB are.

CowboyFanInLexKy · May 2, 2022

jazzcat22 said:
Spend it on a new Rowdy outfit. Completely revamped. Like in the trash dumpster.

Oh no.... Did Stephen go dumpster diving for that too?

john van brocklin · May 2, 2022

conner01 said:
We’ve needed an upgrade for years lol

IN THE WORSE WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

john van brocklin · May 2, 2022

CowboyFanInLexKy said:
Oh no.... Did Stephen go dumpster diving for that too?

That would explain a lot ! :lmao2:

CowboysExchange · May 2, 2022

_sturt_ said:
To my memory, it is true that there's typically been some budget held back as, in effect, a rainy-day fund if some player were to be cut unexpectedly that they want to go get.

prolly when some of these 2nd year starters we reached on don't pan out and we have to pay a premium for a mediocre guy

JohnsKey19 · May 2, 2022

_sturt_ said:
As the day wore on, I've more or less talked myself into Keelan Cole as the most plausible UFA WR add.

Jarvis Landry would be too expensive, and is generally thought to be on the cusp of signing with the Saints anyhow.

Will Fuller would be too risky, given how his health has seemed an issue year after year after year... but would be tempting if the price was to be dirt cheap.

Whereas Keelan Cole was thought to be ratcheting up his regard moving from JAX to NYJ last year, that didn't happen. He didn't take off (you like what I did there?) as anticipated based on his body of work as a Jag. But the price would almost certainly be adequate, and he's capable of this....

... which was no fluke, if you remember this...

So, season-opener, you've got Lamb, and two of Tolbert, Washington and Cole. Think that could be enough until Gallup gets back.

I'd be OK with Fuller. You just need him for the first 6-8 weeks while Gallup is rehabbing and the rookie Tolbert is getting accustomed to the NFL game.

Mobinvans · May 2, 2022

rambo2 said:
So what? It is true. The 49ers beat the Cowboys and they beat the Rams twice. They still lost in the playoffs just like all of the other teams. The Rams could have easily lost and the Cowboys could have won. There isn't much difference at all.

You say what’s the difference?…that makes almost zero sense

The Rams won the Super Bowl and went to the Super Bowl just a few years ago….:

We haven’t even been to a NFC championship game in 27 years

Turning the page to last player acquisition phase of off-season

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