The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[skinsinparadise]

Yeah I am okay with just adding one legit WR2 . I know others think we need two but Williams was a good add and Jaydens relationship with Dyami may be underappreciated

I'd only want two if the one they got was a total wildcard but otherwise 1 is fine with me.

Diggs to me seems the much safer bet.

If its Aiyuk, if he can find his old form it would be great. I just don't know. And i am worried he never gets his get out of jail card from SF.

Feels like they are betting all their eggs on Aiyuk as the last piece.

And no I don't feel they'd be beyond cool if its Dyami or Burks or whomever is the starting Z. Of course they would say they are if that's how it plays out. But their actions are clearly that they don't love this WR room.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Yeah I am okay with just adding one legit WR2 . I know others think we need two but Williams was a good add and Jaydens relationship with Dyami may be underappreciated

I think but of course don't know that Antonio will be good from the jump. Dyami didn't really have a good season with Jayden, but did have two good playoff games -- he's better IMO than Chris Moore but I've seen enough where I think he's meh as a starting Z.

If I had to pick one among these guys who to me are all #4 type WRs as their starting Z: McCaffrey, Burks, Dyami, Van Jefferson.

I'd probably run with McCaffrey. Main reason why is i am big on intangibles when it comes to players making that next climb. And within that group, McCaffrey to what I've heard has the highest intangibles -- work ethic.

It's the same reason why I am not buying in to the idea of count on Sinnott to have a breakout season. And i do think Sinnott will be better. And i am not saying its the opposite extreme either where I expect him to bust. But just listening to his interviews and hearing what others have said about him, I don't get the vibe that he has the burning desire to be excellent. It's not that its the opposite where I've heard he's lazy. It just seems very ordinary to me as to the rap around Sinnott.

And don't get me wrong I am not sold on McCaffrey either. But if I am forced to bet on a younger player taking a big leap I am betting on the dude that is driven to be great -- and I get some of those vibes around Luke.

 

[Simeon]

While I understand the 2 new coordinators as a potential handicap for the season, I guess i think about jt differently than others. It seems like there is a sentiment that makes us unlikely to compete for super bowl but more likely for playoffs. I tend to think they make us likely to struggle early in the season but get better throughout as everyone grows into new responsibilities. We should be at our best if we make the playoffs. I think our super bowl odds should be improved with new (hopefully more successful coordinators), but our playoffs odds should go down if we struggle early. I expect a rough start on both sides of the ball. The question, like for most teams, is can we avoid injuries and catch lightning in a bottle at the end of the season.

Agree. It’s true they are both new coordinators and Blough in particular has probably got a steep learning curve. It’s also true that if we make the playoffs that would also be their first time as coordinator in a playoff game. But they would no longer be that inexperienced; they would each have a year’s experience coordinating NFL games.

In other words I agree we might be a lot better by year’s end and if we do well enough to get in the playoffs I think we could make a real run. Injuries are the wild card: if JD is unavailable or we get hit too hard in important positions with insufficient depth (WR, CB, etc) then game over.

 

[skinsinparadise]

To me, all these projections are harsh, as are most of the projections. But lol, i hope 2024 style they play with an edge and shock the world.

NFL projection model ranks all 32 rosters following 2026 draft: Are Rams team to beat?

Which teams have what it takes to make a Super Bowl run?

www.nytimes.com

NFL projection model ranks all 32 rosters following 2026 draft: Are Rams team to beat?​

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, we have a pretty good idea of how each team’s roster will look come September, barring some blockbuster trades.

But who are the real contenders? Let’s turn to my NFL Projection Model to see which teams have the goods to challenge for a Super Bowl in 2026.

My model has compiled all the rosters as they stand after the NFL Draft and ranked them from best to worst. To do this, the model uses various metrics and assigns a projection to each player to show their impact on a single game. Of course, positional value is quite important, which means, for example, that quarterback Josh Allen is worth a lot more to his team than running back Bijan Robinson, even though both sit atop their respective positions.

After summing up the impact of each roster, we can then rank them 1-32:

22. Washington Commanders​

I was low on the Commanders heading into last season, and I'm low on them again this year. My model is not a fan of their wide receivers room, and the offensive line grades out as average.

But, as has been the case for some time now, my real concerns reside with Washington's defense. I don't know what there is to like about this group — the defensive line is below average, and the cornerbacks group is one of the worst in football. Yes, rookie linebacker Sonny Styles should provide immediate help, but I'm not sure he'll be enough to make this unit better than 25th or so in the league.

 

[NickyJ]

Odd that that article would specifically call out the defensive line. We'll have to see if the signings work out in real game time, but I have a hard time picking that as something to be sure is below average lol. CBs, sure. But the D-Line is something I'd be raving about what they've done to fix it

 

[CapsCommies]

If we zoom out, I think AP's roster-building philosophy becomes a bit more legible.

He walked into a disaster and had to build from the bottom-up. Year 1 was about bringing in vets who raised the talent floor and also instilled culture, which for Year 1 of a total rebuild is important. Vitally, we also hit on the most important position in QB. Given what seemed liked a longer-term rebuild, we drafted for upside vs. high-floor types. Guys like McCaffrey and Magee. And then against the odds, we caught lightning in a bottle and went on a run.

Year 2 was about building the trenches and giving the group that just went to the NFCCG another chance to get the job done. We've all picked apart to death the pros and cons of the approach, but I see the logic. Results were horrible.

Year 3 is finishing building from the trenches (aka DL -> LB, OL -> TE) and filling out depth to solidify the foundation of the roster. Results are TBD.

Year 4 will be adding the weapons and finding one or two more game-breakers to finish things off. WR, CB, S. An elite talent or two. SB expectations.

We can argue whether this approach is the right one, but if AP said in his introductory press conference it would take 4 years to build a sustainable contender, I think most folks would have found that reasonable. Indeed, perhaps longer-tenured members here could dig up the appropriate thread and verify

 

[RexTomb]

To me, all these projections are harsh, as are most of the projections. But lol, i hope 2024 style they play with an edge and shock the world.

NFL projection model ranks all 32 rosters following 2026 draft: Are Rams team to beat?

Which teams have what it takes to make a Super Bowl run?

www.nytimes.com

NFL projection model ranks all 32 rosters following 2026 draft: Are Rams team to beat?​

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, we have a pretty good idea of how each team’s roster will look come September, barring some blockbuster trades.

But who are the real contenders? Let’s turn to my NFL Projection Model to see which teams have the goods to challenge for a Super Bowl in 2026.

My model has compiled all the rosters as they stand after the NFL Draft and ranked them from best to worst. To do this, the model uses various metrics and assigns a projection to each player to show their impact on a single game. Of course, positional value is quite important, which means, for example, that quarterback Josh Allen is worth a lot more to his team than running back Bijan Robinson, even though both sit atop their respective positions.

After summing up the impact of each roster, we can then rank them 1-32:

22. Washington Commanders​

I was low on the Commanders heading into last season, and I'm low on them again this year. My model is not a fan of their wide receivers room, and the offensive line grades out as average.

But, as has been the case for some time now, my real concerns reside with Washington's defense. I don't know what there is to like about this group — the defensive line is below average, and the cornerbacks group is one of the worst in football. Yes, rookie linebacker Sonny Styles should provide immediate help, but I'm not sure he'll be enough to make this unit better than 25th or so in the league.

LOL it's almost like they did no research on any of the pick ups we made in with free agency or the Brian Flores disciple we brought in as DC. To say our defense isn't markedly better on paper, even before the addition of Styles, is lazy at best, trolling at worst.

 

[Discobob]

I put absolute 0 eggs in this basket.

Who is the audience for this type of thing? I have nothing against Aiyuk (and still would like us to sign him), but I also couldn't care less about where he's shopping 🤷

For real, are there truly Brandon Aiyuk fans out there that care about his watches?

 

[skinsinparadise]

If we zoom out, I think AP's roster-building philosophy becomes a bit more legible.

He walked into a disaster and had to build from the bottom-up. Year 1 was about bringing in vets who raised the talent floor and also instilled culture, which for Year 1 of a total rebuild is important. Vitally, we also hit on the most important position in QB. Given what seemed liked a longer-term rebuild, we drafted for upside vs. high-floor types. Guys like McCaffrey and Magee. And then against the odds, we caught lightning in a bottle and went on a run.

Year 2 was about building the trenches and giving the group that just went to the NFCCG another chance to get the job done. We've all picked apart to death the pros and cons of the approach, but I see the logic. Results were horrible.

Year 3 is finishing building from the trenches (aka DL -> LB, OL -> TE) and filling out depth to solidify the foundation of the roster. Results are TBD.

Year 4 will be adding the weapons and finding one or two more game-breakers to finish things off. WR, CB, S. An elite talent or two. SB expectations.

We can argue whether this approach is the right one, but if AP said in his introductory press conference it would take 4 years to build a sustainable contender, I think most folks would have found that reasonable. Indeed, perhaps longer-tenured members here could dig up the appropriate thread and verify

I don't get the vibe it was this level methodical all the way through but close to what you describe, but they rolled with the punches on some fronts.

Year 1. Overhaul a bad roster so its at least competitive. That worked.

What didn't work to expedite the rebuild is they got minimal returns for having 6 top 100 picks. Aside from Jayden, if just one of them hit big it would change the narrative, but none of these players are anything special, at least not yet.

Year 2. Build the O line. Build the secondary. And kept to the veteran theme to make a run.

1 out of 3 worked. The O line worked. Secondary -- nice try but they failed. The veteran run part 2 failed, too.

Year 3. This year. The idea clearly seemed to be: get younger and faster at LB. Overhaul the WR corp. Improve edge.

In theory 2 out of the 3 worked. Clearly, the plan wasn't to wait to take on WR in year 4 -- they offered 30 million for Alec Pierce and then according to some were the highest bidder for Doubs. And Aiyuk was supposed to be the gravy on top of that. But the plan just didn't work out.

If Peters had said in his opening press conference that it would take four years to build a sustainable contender, I’d have found that hard to swallow. That mindset feels outdated. In today’s NFL, successful rebuilds accelerate much faster—if it’s not trending the right way by Year 3, regimes are often on the hot seat, and sometimes gone even sooner.

To be fair, I think Peters has done a solid job overall, with some clear missteps. But given what he inherited, overcoming that quickly would require a great job—not just a good one. And in my view, he hasn’t reached that level.

 

[skinsinparadise]

LOL it's almost like they did no research on any of the pick ups we made in with free agency or the Brian Flores disciple we brought in as DC. To say our defense isn't markedly better on paper, even before the addition of Styles, is lazy at best, trolling at worst.

Agree, and its not just them with that take, was reading another about how this team made a lot of moves on defense but expect it to suck anyway.

I get the lack of weapons on offense which is the typical theme by the naysayers -- but the defense part to me is off. But will see.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Dubious source but it would be fun if true

 

[Anselmheifer]

Dubious source but it would be fun if true

Yes please.

The only thing that I like better about Aiyuk is his age, and that if he is great on the field, we could extend him and make him a part of our medium term plans.

Signing Diggs would change how I feel about the entire offseason and would finish out a roster that would look much, much better than that from the past 2 years.

 

[Command The Best]

Diggs to me seems the much safer bet.

Feels like they are betting all their eggs on Aiyuk as the last piece.

Yes definitely on the Diggs front, dude would explode here as the #2 and there’s no reason whatsoever to not think he wouldn’t unless unfortunately he got injured, and on the Aiyuk front I really don’t see the attraction this guy brings… what he had really 1 maybe 2 good seasons and yet he’s a head case and a major injury coming back from… again I surely hope the eggs aren’t all in his basket by the FO

 

[prodigy]

And if we really did offer that much for him, and we are on a cash budget, then we wouldn’t have a lot of our other signings. All the answers lead to more questions.

sure, but those are two separate things. I'm just saying, for me, the idea that the commanders put out an offer, with no intention to sign, to only make a public spectacle for the fans doesn't hold water.

 

[skinsinparadise]

If its good enough for Garcon, good enough for me

 

[ES1974]

Yep Diggs would be a very sound move.

 

[KDawg]

sure, but those are two separate things. I'm just saying, for me, the idea that the commanders put out an offer, with no intention to sign, to only make a public spectacle for the fans doesn't hold water.

Right. And I’m saying that means they actually offered that to him. Which means they valued him over several other players combined.

Which I do not agree with.

Here’s where someone comes in and says, “BuT u ArE InTaNet PosTa. GM GeT PAiD rEaL MonEYZ to mAkE DeCiSiONs!” (Not directed at you)

I’ll reply now: “yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re always making the best decisions. But yes, they are typically armed with better information and generally can make better decisions than we can. I agree. But that doesn’t stop anyone from discussing any topic ever in the history of man.”

 

[Dah-Dee]

Feels like if we sign Stefon it's almost a lock that we'll also sign Trevon, given their ties to the area and how close they and their families/kids are. They've talked before about playing on the same team but it actually appears to be lining up this time.

Have to admit I'm getting a little heeby-jeeby-ish about Aiyuk with some of these instagram and other things, seems like it could be devolving into something where we sign him, he ghosts us, and then pops up living out of a shopping cart down by the railroad tracks.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]