tm1119
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This is just me looking at spotrac.com free agent tracker...this is some hope left to significantly improve the team without spending big $. Just a matter of if the front office is willing to actually try to improve the team...
WR-
Michael Crabtree- Reliable veteran with sure hands. Knows how to get open and makes tough catches away from his body. Good redzone threat because of his great ball skills and hands. Not a burner and getting a little long in the tooth. Would be a great fit for us at WR2 on a short term deal
Terrell Pryor- Not sure what his deal was in Washington...Overall he's really not a particularly skilled WR regardless of what stats he put up in Cleveland. What he does bring to the table is a bid body and athleticism. He can use his size to bully CB's and has a pretty big catch radius. Not a true burner but can be a deep threat. Wouldn't offer him big $, but if he were to sign a cheap 1 year prove it deal I'd be interested.
Mike Wallace- 31 but still productive and even if he's lost a step he's still pretty damn fast. 1000 yards in '16 and 700+ last year with really bad QB play. Would be a really nice compliment WR2 in our offense. Again, it would have to be a short team that is reasonably priced.
If I could get any of those guys on a 1 year deal for $6M or less I would definitely pull the trigger.
There is also Maclin, Decker, and Mathews who have been productive NFL WR's but are all injured and Decker is getting old. Maybe check on Mathews's health as he's still pretty young.
G-
Justin Pugh- This is the obvious 1...but I think he'll be out of our price range. 27 year old former 1st round pick has t rex arms and should be an OT, only if really needed due to injury. He is a very solid blocker when he has his hands on the d lineman though and could make a really nice guard. Would likely require a multi year deal for a decent chunk of change.
Matt Slauson- 32 so I could see our FO not being interested...he's a reliable plug and play guard that you wouldn't have to worry about tho. Can probably be had on a reasonably 2 year deal
Alex Boone- A lot of starts under his belt in the NFL. Big powerful guy that is a people mover in the run game. Known for a nasty attitude. Can struggle with quicker interior pass rushers. Sign a 1 year deal for under 2 mil last year, might get a little more but shouldn't be much more.
Like I said, don't expect us to be able to sign Pugh, but if would could get Slauson or Boone on a 1 or 2 year deal for 2-4 mil a year it would be a smart move. Even if they are just depth/compete with a rookie..or Cooper.
OT-
Cam Flemming or La'Adrian Waddle- Both Pats free agents. Both big boys who can maul in the run game. Better suited as RT's but may not kill you in short spurts at LT. 25 and 26 years old still.
Austin Clark- Vet backup with 50+ starts in his career. Don't want him as a starter but won't kill the team if he has to play in small doses.
Marshall Newhouse- Same as above. Can also play G.
Not much here really...swing OT is a problem that may have to be addressed in the draft. Which is scary. 1 of the Pats guys would be nice, but not sure if someone will overpay for them as a starter. Luke Joeckel and Greg Robinson are both still young and former high picks. Just not sure either are very good...
LB-
Navarro Bowman- Not sure how much is left in the tank, but if he can stay healthy he should be a good presence in the middle of our D. Probably only a 2 down guy, but thats fine. Could be a Rolando McClain like MLB for us...without being a headcase. Probably can get him on a 1 year deal for not much $.
Kevin Minter- Started 2 years in a row for a pretty good AZ D. Not the most talented guy and would rather have him as a good backup, but could definitely do worse as a 2 down MLB. Still only 27 and can probably get him on a cheap multi year deal.
Marquis Flowers
Jon Bostic
Kevin Pierre-Louis
Jelani Jenkins
All 4 of these guys are under 26 and had some legit talent coming out of college. All have seen some playing time and are at least competent. Bring some young and athletic ability to the LB corps. Strictly depth though, should not be signed as starters.
I'd sleep better at night if we signed Bowman or Minter, but can definitely see us signing 1 of the 4 I listed (or someone worse) and drafting a LB and calling it done.
There's also some old guys like DJohnson, Cushing, and Dansby out there as well. I wouldn't hate it, but I'll be surprised if the Cowboys are interested.
DT-
Bennie Logan- Big strong guy that excelled with the Eagles but was a dud for KC. Will sign for much less now and would be well worth the risk. Might not rack up the sacks but could make a difference in our D by occupying multiple blockers and keeping LB's clean. Honestly not sure what he'll sign for...possibly a 1 year deal to get his value back?
Shamar Stephen- Started 16 games for a very good Vikings D in '16, didn't start last year, but still played a role in all 16 games as a rotational DT. Doesn't offer much in the pass rush, but is a big guy who is stout vs the run and can occupy multiple blockers. Best as a rotational 1 tech off the bench, but only 27 and can probably be had very cheap on a multi year deal.
David Parry- Colts drafted him and he started 16 games his 1st 2 years in the league and played well. Got into trouble with an ugly scene involving alcohol and the cops. He served his suspension last year and should be looking for a 2nd chance somewhere. He went to Stanford so has to be a smart kid, good chance the incident was a 1 time bad night but obviously have to do our due diligence before. Worth a shot on a very cheap 1 year deal imo.
Not a whole lot here honestly...Stephen and Parry are even reaching a little. Veteran guys like Clinton McDonald, Tony McDaniel, and Tom Johnson could easily fill a role for us with productive snaps but I doubt we'll be interested. Thankfully this is a deep draft and I feel pretty confident we can get a decent part time starter, as long as we are willing to draft 1 in the 1st 4 rounds.
S-
Tre Boston- Probably too expensive but he's still young, athletic and a playmaker. The safety market hasn't really broken out yet, but I assume when it does Boston will be 1 of the 1st to get a pretty big contract.
Morgan Burnett- 29 year old vet with a whole bunch of starts in his career. Not the most spectacular guy but very solid all around. Can play the run game, but is a smart enough vet to be in position most of the time. Not a game changer, but would fill a whole for at least a couple of years as a solid starter. if we could get him on a 3 year deal with only 2 guaranteed at a reasonable amount I'd be interested. Not sure how his market will play out.
Ron Parker- Another solid starter. About the same as Burnett but should be slightly cheaper and is 1 year older. Could be a decent consolation prize at S if he's fairly cheap.
Eric Reid- Could easily be a starter for us...Jerry would have to get over some other stuff tho, probably won't happen.
Kenny Vaccaro- Not the biggest fan of his because he can't cover..but could he be a slightly better version of what Barry Church was? I think it's possible.
This is a really important position to address as I don't want a rookie starting with an already very young secondary. Would love Boston but I'd have no problem settling for Burnett or Parker to solidify the position for at least a year or 2.
As you noticed I left out the top guys I think will be way out priced for us....Did I forget anyone? If so add them.
And post who you'd like to get. My very reasonable shopping list- Newhouse, Minter, and Parker. Draft WR, LB, DT, and G/T in some order in the 1st 4 rounds.
WR-
Michael Crabtree- Reliable veteran with sure hands. Knows how to get open and makes tough catches away from his body. Good redzone threat because of his great ball skills and hands. Not a burner and getting a little long in the tooth. Would be a great fit for us at WR2 on a short term deal
Terrell Pryor- Not sure what his deal was in Washington...Overall he's really not a particularly skilled WR regardless of what stats he put up in Cleveland. What he does bring to the table is a bid body and athleticism. He can use his size to bully CB's and has a pretty big catch radius. Not a true burner but can be a deep threat. Wouldn't offer him big $, but if he were to sign a cheap 1 year prove it deal I'd be interested.
Mike Wallace- 31 but still productive and even if he's lost a step he's still pretty damn fast. 1000 yards in '16 and 700+ last year with really bad QB play. Would be a really nice compliment WR2 in our offense. Again, it would have to be a short team that is reasonably priced.
If I could get any of those guys on a 1 year deal for $6M or less I would definitely pull the trigger.
There is also Maclin, Decker, and Mathews who have been productive NFL WR's but are all injured and Decker is getting old. Maybe check on Mathews's health as he's still pretty young.
G-
Justin Pugh- This is the obvious 1...but I think he'll be out of our price range. 27 year old former 1st round pick has t rex arms and should be an OT, only if really needed due to injury. He is a very solid blocker when he has his hands on the d lineman though and could make a really nice guard. Would likely require a multi year deal for a decent chunk of change.
Matt Slauson- 32 so I could see our FO not being interested...he's a reliable plug and play guard that you wouldn't have to worry about tho. Can probably be had on a reasonably 2 year deal
Alex Boone- A lot of starts under his belt in the NFL. Big powerful guy that is a people mover in the run game. Known for a nasty attitude. Can struggle with quicker interior pass rushers. Sign a 1 year deal for under 2 mil last year, might get a little more but shouldn't be much more.
Like I said, don't expect us to be able to sign Pugh, but if would could get Slauson or Boone on a 1 or 2 year deal for 2-4 mil a year it would be a smart move. Even if they are just depth/compete with a rookie..or Cooper.
OT-
Cam Flemming or La'Adrian Waddle- Both Pats free agents. Both big boys who can maul in the run game. Better suited as RT's but may not kill you in short spurts at LT. 25 and 26 years old still.
Austin Clark- Vet backup with 50+ starts in his career. Don't want him as a starter but won't kill the team if he has to play in small doses.
Marshall Newhouse- Same as above. Can also play G.
Not much here really...swing OT is a problem that may have to be addressed in the draft. Which is scary. 1 of the Pats guys would be nice, but not sure if someone will overpay for them as a starter. Luke Joeckel and Greg Robinson are both still young and former high picks. Just not sure either are very good...
LB-
Navarro Bowman- Not sure how much is left in the tank, but if he can stay healthy he should be a good presence in the middle of our D. Probably only a 2 down guy, but thats fine. Could be a Rolando McClain like MLB for us...without being a headcase. Probably can get him on a 1 year deal for not much $.
Kevin Minter- Started 2 years in a row for a pretty good AZ D. Not the most talented guy and would rather have him as a good backup, but could definitely do worse as a 2 down MLB. Still only 27 and can probably get him on a cheap multi year deal.
Marquis Flowers
Jon Bostic
Kevin Pierre-Louis
Jelani Jenkins
All 4 of these guys are under 26 and had some legit talent coming out of college. All have seen some playing time and are at least competent. Bring some young and athletic ability to the LB corps. Strictly depth though, should not be signed as starters.
I'd sleep better at night if we signed Bowman or Minter, but can definitely see us signing 1 of the 4 I listed (or someone worse) and drafting a LB and calling it done.
There's also some old guys like DJohnson, Cushing, and Dansby out there as well. I wouldn't hate it, but I'll be surprised if the Cowboys are interested.
DT-
Bennie Logan- Big strong guy that excelled with the Eagles but was a dud for KC. Will sign for much less now and would be well worth the risk. Might not rack up the sacks but could make a difference in our D by occupying multiple blockers and keeping LB's clean. Honestly not sure what he'll sign for...possibly a 1 year deal to get his value back?
Shamar Stephen- Started 16 games for a very good Vikings D in '16, didn't start last year, but still played a role in all 16 games as a rotational DT. Doesn't offer much in the pass rush, but is a big guy who is stout vs the run and can occupy multiple blockers. Best as a rotational 1 tech off the bench, but only 27 and can probably be had very cheap on a multi year deal.
David Parry- Colts drafted him and he started 16 games his 1st 2 years in the league and played well. Got into trouble with an ugly scene involving alcohol and the cops. He served his suspension last year and should be looking for a 2nd chance somewhere. He went to Stanford so has to be a smart kid, good chance the incident was a 1 time bad night but obviously have to do our due diligence before. Worth a shot on a very cheap 1 year deal imo.
Not a whole lot here honestly...Stephen and Parry are even reaching a little. Veteran guys like Clinton McDonald, Tony McDaniel, and Tom Johnson could easily fill a role for us with productive snaps but I doubt we'll be interested. Thankfully this is a deep draft and I feel pretty confident we can get a decent part time starter, as long as we are willing to draft 1 in the 1st 4 rounds.
S-
Tre Boston- Probably too expensive but he's still young, athletic and a playmaker. The safety market hasn't really broken out yet, but I assume when it does Boston will be 1 of the 1st to get a pretty big contract.
Morgan Burnett- 29 year old vet with a whole bunch of starts in his career. Not the most spectacular guy but very solid all around. Can play the run game, but is a smart enough vet to be in position most of the time. Not a game changer, but would fill a whole for at least a couple of years as a solid starter. if we could get him on a 3 year deal with only 2 guaranteed at a reasonable amount I'd be interested. Not sure how his market will play out.
Ron Parker- Another solid starter. About the same as Burnett but should be slightly cheaper and is 1 year older. Could be a decent consolation prize at S if he's fairly cheap.
Eric Reid- Could easily be a starter for us...Jerry would have to get over some other stuff tho, probably won't happen.
Kenny Vaccaro- Not the biggest fan of his because he can't cover..but could he be a slightly better version of what Barry Church was? I think it's possible.
This is a really important position to address as I don't want a rookie starting with an already very young secondary. Would love Boston but I'd have no problem settling for Burnett or Parker to solidify the position for at least a year or 2.
As you noticed I left out the top guys I think will be way out priced for us....Did I forget anyone? If so add them.
And post who you'd like to get. My very reasonable shopping list- Newhouse, Minter, and Parker. Draft WR, LB, DT, and G/T in some order in the 1st 4 rounds.
