Position Battles: Wide Receiver

[gimmesix]

No doubt Butler is a flawed guy. Definitely has the case of the dropsies from time to time and his mental lapses at times have cost us.

But all this chatter about how he's likely gone for guys like Andy Jones and/or Noah Brown cracks me up. We do it every offseason, where we take apart a guy on the roster for not being good enough despite the fact he's only a minor role player. We did this with McFadden last year. He was a bum, a retread, didn't need him, with Morris signed he was expendable and yet McFadden looked like the better player when push came to shove.

Some guys just simply aren't popular with guys. Butler seems like one of those guys. Maybe Brown beats him out. Great. No skin off my butt. But for what he is, a 4th or 5th WR who has size and some speed? He's perfectly fine.

Grass-is-greener syndrome will always work against players we've seen. We know their flaws while we don't with the new guys and just have hopes for them.

As far as McFadden and Morris goes, I think most just figured McFadden wouldn't be able to stay healthy, which he didn't. He proved the previous year that he could play when he's healthy so the backup most expected to be cut (or not re-signed) was Dunbar.

 

[gimmesix]

I remember one example where he got caught from behind. Against the Saints in 2015. Weeden hit him on a deep ball and he got tripped up, but it wasn't because he got outran, when he caught the ball he kind of stumbled allowing the defender to dive and trip him up.

Yes, if it's a straight foot race where he has a lead, I don't think many are going to catch him because it's hard to make up ground without an angle even if you are slightly faster than the player you're chasing.

 

[HellCrowe]

I expect Noah Brown to beat out Butler

bub Butler has those mishandles with some balls that should be caught

I'm not so sure Brown is his biggest competition. From just reading up on him, everything is based on potential. Doesn't mean he can't. Just means he has to WOW more so than Rico and Andy Jones did last year.

 

[HellCrowe]

No doubt Butler is a flawed guy. Definitely has the case of the dropsies from time to time and his mental lapses at times have cost us.

But all this chatter about how he's likely gone for guys like Andy Jones and/or Noah Brown cracks me up. We do it every offseason, where we take apart a guy on the roster for not being good enough despite the fact he's only a minor role player. We did this with McFadden last year. He was a bum, a retread, didn't need him, with Morris signed he was expendable and yet McFadden looked like the better player when push came to shove.

Some guys just simply aren't popular with guys. Butler seems like one of those guys. Maybe Brown beats him out. Great. No skin off my butt. But for what he is, a 4th or 5th WR who has size and some speed? He's perfectly fine.

There is always talk. Every position. Every off-season. Churning the bottom of the barrel doesn't hurt. If Butler wins so be it but there is competition. It's not like he's solidified himself as one of our untouchables so comes the territory of replacement chatter.

 

[casmith07]

Whitehead is toast.

Good riddance. I like him as a person, but I don't like his game.

The WR lock depth chart, for me, is Bryant, Williams, Beasley, and Switzer.

We'll most likely carry 5. Whitehead won't make it. It'll come down to Noah Brown trying to beat out Brice Butler, and I expect Noah Brown to do it.

 

[xwalker]

Butler has speed?

How do you not know that Butler is fast?

He ran a 4.37 forty at his Pro Day.

 

[xwalker]

sort of expect 6WR this year because 3 RBs instead of 4.
if switzer can handle nfl hits, then expect him to replace whitehead.
although we will likely carry 9 OL though so you never know.

It will be difficult to carry 6. They'll also want to carry and extra DL and DB. If TE Hanna is healthy, they will not want to cut any of the 4 TEs. They can go 6 LB whereas, they've kept 7 most years. It's possible they only carry 8 OL.

 

[xwalker]

Sub-4.4. According to the draft profile on him, he had a low of 4.27 and a high of 4.48. Of course, that was not at the combine, so pro day numbers are usually a little inflated.

Those low/high numbers on NFLDS are pre-draft estimates. They keep them there after the draft for some reason.

 

[waldoputty]

It will be difficult to carry 6. They'll also want to carry and extra DL and DB. If TE Hanna is healthy, they will not want to cut any of the 4 TEs. They can go 6 LB whereas, they've kept 7 most years. It's possible they only carry 8 OL.

I get 54 when you have 6 WR, 9 OL, 10 DL, 6 LB and 10 DB
injuries may decide in camp
FB could be backup backup LB

9 OL
2 QB
3 RB
1 FB
4 TE
6 WR
25


6 DE
4 DT
6 LB
6 CB
4 S
26

3 special teams

 

[Sydla]

It will be difficult to carry 6. They'll also want to carry and extra DL and DB. If TE Hanna is healthy, they will not want to cut any of the 4 TEs. They can go 6 LB whereas, they've kept 7 most years. It's possible they only carry 8 OL.

Their 53 man roster to start the 2016 season only carried 8 OL and as you said, they carried 7 LBs and only 5 WRs. They did carry two FBs to start in September which likely isn't something we may see this year.

 

[waldoputty]

Their 53 man roster to start the 2016 season only carried 8 OL and as you said, they carried 7 LBs and only 5 WRs. They did carry two FBs to start in September which likely isn't something we may see this year.

we added cooper and the RT, while losing free and leary - so we have 9 and hard to cut anyone
OT - Smith, RT, Cleary, Green
OG - Collins, Martin, Loonie, Cooper
C - TFred

 

[stilltheguru88]

How do you not know that Butler is fast?

He ran a 4.37 forty at his Pro Day.

Because I watch him play on sundays.

 

[xwalker]

Their 53 man roster to start the 2016 season only carried 8 OL and as you said, they carried 7 LBs and only 5 WRs. They did carry two FBs to start in September which likely isn't something we may see this year.

I think they leave those last couple open such that they could be at one of multiple different positions. If a WR is super impressive, then they could keep an extra one.

 

[xwalker]

Because I watch him play on sundays.

So watching him play caused you to be wrong. I don't understand that logic.

 

[xwalker]

I get 54 when you have 6 WR, 9 OL, 10 DL, 6 LB and 10 DB
injuries may decide in camp
FB could be backup backup LB

9 OL
2 QB
3 RB
1 FB
4 TE
6 WR
25


6 DE
4 DT
6 LB
6 CB
4 S
26

3 special teams

They've kept 11 DL at some points in time. Most (maybe all) of the time they've kept 7 LBs. Until the last year or two, they were keeping 10 OL often.

You never know. There have been some bizarre decisions over the years. Once, maybe the 1st year with Wade Phillips they only kept 3 CBs. They ended up adding some spare CBs during the season, but that was a really odd decision.

Injuries both long term and PUP will have some affect on the decisions.

 

[stilltheguru88]

So watching him play caused you to be wrong. I don't understand that logic.

I'm not wrong at all. If you see 4.37, by all means. I see a 4.6 guy on game day

 

[Sydla]

I'm not wrong at all. If you see 4.37, by all means. I see a 4.6 guy on game day

LOL.

 

[LatinMind]

Aside from our overhauled defense, the wide receiver competition will be a good one. We have 3 locks: Bryant, Beasley, & Williams. We then have our specialty guys in: Whitehead, McDuffie, & Switzer. Then there are the big bodied backups: Butler, Brown, & Jones.

I am going into camp hoping Switzer pans out and wins out the KR/PR/WR role. He is already a better wide reciever than Whitehead and *Knockonwood* looks to be the most capable Beasley backup in case of injury.

I see Switzer getting more headlines but feel Butler/Brown/Jones is the bigger competition. Jones did work in camp last year but faltered when it counted-- in game. Butler is what he is, possibly faster than the two, occasionaly will make highlight places, a big guy who plays small (and I mean that in every possible way). Brown is the new toy and we'll have to wait and see but given all the information gathered, l see him as this years Andy Jones.

I think Andy Jones has a chance. He has a years worth of experience which could spell trouble for Butler who is on a 1 year deal. Jones was an undrafted guy so he needed some grooming, Tested @4.5 40/ 41 inch vertical, possesion, hand catcher, & like I said, did well last year in camp. All reasons I am rooting for him. Brown will end up on the P.S. to compete next year.

McDuffie and Whitehead are pretty much gone. For being suspended and the other because the team drafted his replacement.

Here is your active core

Dez
TW
Beasley
Butler
Switzer

 

[Deep_Freeze]

They've kept 11 DL at some points in time. Most (maybe all) of the time they've kept 7 LBs. Until the last year or two, they were keeping 10 OL often.

You never know. There have been some bizarre decisions over the years. Once, maybe the 1st year with Wade Phillips they only kept 3 CBs. They ended up adding some spare CBs during the season, but that was a really odd decision.

Injuries both long term and PUP will have some affect on the decisions.

We have seemed to go long in places of weakness or places where we are trying to develop players in the past.

I would expect us to go long at DL or DB.

 

[waldoputty]

They've kept 11 DL at some points in time. Most (maybe all) of the time they've kept 7 LBs. Until the last year or two, they were keeping 10 OL often.

You never know. There have been some bizarre decisions over the years. Once, maybe the 1st year with Wade Phillips they only kept 3 CBs. They ended up adding some spare CBs during the season, but that was a really odd decision.

Injuries both long term and PUP will have some affect on the decisions.

i cannot think of more than 10 and that includes 2 injury risks (dlaw, tapper) and 1 mental risk (moore)
right injuries may rule the day.
DL: taco, dlaw (injury-risk), mayowa, collins, thornton, tcrawford, paea, tapper (injury-risk), irving, moore (mental-risk)

i cannot think of more than 6 LBs
jaylon, lee, wilson, hitchens, nacho, wilber
the fb would be the emergency backup and no LB was drafted