There has been a lot of talk about the free agents lost and the lack of signings but a look at the position groups shows that this team might actually be better than the last following the draft and free agency.
CB - lost Gilly gained Diggs - backups gained some experience. If Diggs is fully healed this group could be better than last years even with no additions.
S - lost Kearse Thomas and Bell gained experience. Wilson and Hooker still here. Could easily be better than last year.
LB - lost Vander Eshe gained Hendricks and Overshown and will likely draft another plus Clarke will likely be moved to his natural position. I believe this group will be clearly better.
DT - lost Hankenson and Gallimore. Mazi and OSA are the starters and we will likely add 1 in the draft. If Mazi shows any improvement and the draftee does anything this group could easily be better
DE - lost Fowler and Armstrong. Sam Williams is the key here. It’s time for him to step up. If he reaches his potential even this group could be better. I suspect a FA will be brought in late here as well.
Punter kicker and long snapper will be the same
WR - lost our number 3 but he provided nothing. Tolbert gained a year of experience. We will likely add another. Cooks is more familiar with the offense and the chemistry with Dak seemed to improve as the year went on. This group could easily be better
TE - lost no one. Shoenmaker should contribute something and Stephens will be back. This group should be better.
RB - lost a pretty good one but he was recovering from injury and had his worst year as a pro last year. Will likely add one in the draft early. I fully expect the rushing attack to be improved.
QB - as much as we like to speculate Dak will be here so no change here.
OL - we lost two starters here and this is the one group that could possibly be worse but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s see what it looks like following the draft. C can easily be improved. Replacing Tyron is harder but his availability was always in question. The key to this group might be the RT. If he can return to form him and Martin were opening huge running lanes at one time. I can remember Dak taking a QB sneak for about 20 yards because the right side of the line just blew people up. Even this group has a shot at being improved.
There is hope. IMO
A couple of months back I tried to view the roster in a similar manner. Then, after 10 minutes, reality smacked me upside the head.
Most would consider Diggs being back an upgrade over Gilmore, but remember, Gilmore was brought here to
pair with Diggs and the Cowboys were dang lucky that move was made. Picture a scenario where Bland gets injured and ruled out for the season with the current next man up being either Nashon Wright or the highly coveted Eric Scott Jr. Yikes…that’s scary.
At DE I felt pretty good when a rested Armstrong and/or Fowler came into the game. Now, we’ve got the talented Sam Williams and that’s about it. So, if Sam’s playing for an injured Micah or D-Law (bound to happen), who’s the next rotational man up? Don’t think we’re scaring anyone with Golson, Wheat, or Fehoko coming off the edge. Be prepared for Micah’s body to start the seasonal wear-down a week or two earlier due to excessive playing time.
At DT Hankins wasn’t a world-beater but I had a modicum of comfort knowing he was there. Now it’s up to Big Maz and OSA and some guy named Carl Davis Jr. God help us!
At O-line let the shell game begin. Who we gonna get, and who’s playing what position? There isn’t a scenario the guarantees us a better O-line following the draft for at least the 2024 calendar year. If 31 teams went comatose and we drafted Barton and Mims, you still couldn’t guarantee that those two would make the team better than what we had last year.
At TE could Schoonmaker be any less effective? No. So that group should at least hold the status quo just like the receiving group. Can’t imagine Tolbert being less effective than Gallup last season but as a trio they’re not making DB’s shake in their boots. Thank goodness for CD.
RB please. We’ll be drafting one and who knows how that’s going to work out.
In recent weeks we’ve all jumped at drafting various positions discussed in the Draft Forum. Coveting players at as many positions as you have draft selections is usually a recipe for draft disappointment. If we exit Detroit with 3 legit players, that will be a home run. For arguments sake, let’s say our first three picks are Guyton, Brooks, and Sweat (cuz we need a 2nd rounder off injury & a Tipsy McStagger that dropped). It could be argued (on paper) that the starting line-up may be able to produce similar results to last year. However, be prepared for the spiral once one or two get injured or if our draft picks perform like last year’s crop.
Bottom line – optimism is well and good, but the reality is probably going to sting just a bit. You may want to temper the expectations just a tad.
