The 2025 Free Agency Thread

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Commander Wraith said:
I haven’t beaten him up over it, but I do question if there’s more he could be doing regarding his hamstrings. And that applies to teams as well. Proper stretching and warmups - not just going through them, but understanding exactly what they’re supposed to feel like. Same for cool downs and recovery. And then there’s finding additional avenues to help - yoga, acupuncture, chiropractors, or whatever. Maybe he is - he’s a pro athlete who’s had professional staffs supporting him… but I still wonder.
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Latimore.. he is what he is at this point. Even good GMs make mistakes.. Latimore's health was always the issue.... problem being is that his health in the future is going to become only more of an issue.. not less. At this point any additional injury has an impact on his overall performance. On top of that he is now considered " a grabby" player so he also gets a lot of PI calls.(some unfounded) Even if he is in a much better place this year health wise.. you cant rely on him staying on the field, so Amos pick was key. As good as Chubb was.. at this point, he is not worth the roster spot and the money he will undoubtably command
 
I think that’s a reasonable take/concern. We’ll see. It’s one of the decisions you’d love to be able to ask Adam Peters about over a beer…
 
SkinsLife said:
Latimore.. he is what he is at this point. Even good GMs make mistakes.. Latimore's health was always the issue.... problem being is that his health in the future is going to become only more of an issue.. not less. At this point any additional injury has an impact on his overall performance. On top of that he is now considered " a grabby" player so he also gets a lot of PI calls.(some unfounded) Even if he is in a much better place this year health wise.. you cant rely on him staying on the field, so Amos pick was key. As good as Chubb was.. at this point, he is not worth the roster spot and the money he will undoubtably command
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I don’t disagree with most of your points. And your concerns are valid.

I’ll just take issue with your first state… “he is what he is at this point.”

Lattimore is going into a contract year. Probably his last big contract… if he can earn it. There’s way too many anecdotes of guys keeping healthy and playing out of their minds in contracts years.

I’ve witnessed too many stories who have been healthy their whole careers… and then become injury prone as soon as they sign their big contracts. And subsequently get released a couple of years after.

I’ve also witnessed many stories of guys with checkered pasts (stats/injuries) who just needed a change of scenery to revive their careers.

You plan for the worst and you hope for the best. This team is talented. It’s deep. It’s experienced. It’s slightly flawed and there’s a long and hard road ahead. It’s quite the gauntlet. The team is built to be competitive with any opponent… and as a fan, that’s all I can ask for. If this team comes close to the type of results from last year… it’s going to be impossible to temper expectations for the next decade.
 
It doesn't really compare for Chubb, but I don't see Lattimore as a mistake. The team had unexpectedly found itself in a playoff run but with only a single good corner in Sainristil. Benjamin St. Juste was a clear liability, and nobody else could even pass for a starter. The team had an immediate problem and tried an immediate solution. He made it through the playoffs, he didn't fumble the ball 3 times, he accomplished his mission. Now we have two more corners who will hopefully make Lattimore a luxury more than a necessity.

Getting back to Chubb, I'd take a chance on him. If he survives the preseason, I'd take him over McNichols, Robinson, and Rodriguez in a heartbeat. On their average days, they can be replaced by nearly anyone on the street. Robinson has some good days, but his bad ones outweigh the good ones too much for me to think we need him. If he gets it together for another team, good for him I guess. He didn't do it here when we needed it.
 
Wearing my burgundy-colored glasses, I am going to predict there are two reasons why we should see a better Lattimore this season than last.

1) Coming in midyear, Lattimore had to learn a new defense. DB is a position that is dependent not only on doing your job, but knowing where everyone else is supposed to be. So, him having time to really gel with the defense and understand it will help. I think even veterans face a learning curve.

2) Good players can get better when their rep gets dinged. Lattimore deserves the criticism he's getting because of injuries and play, but hopefully, that motivates him to train differently and different conditioning could help with his injuries.
 
I’m not sure you can ‘train’ your way out of chronic hamstrings. That sounds reasonable, but if trainers had foolproof methods to prevent them and keep them from reoccurring, they wouldn’t be such common injuries for NFL players. It’s sort of like people believing ACL tears can be ‘prevented’ by proper training.

I expect pushback on this. But again - if the best trainers in sports can’t prevent them - are they even preventable at all?
 
Boone said:
I’m not sure you can ‘train’ your way out of chronic hamstrings. That sounds reasonable, but if trainers had foolproof methods to prevent them and keep them from reoccurring, they wouldn’t be such common injuries for NFL players. It’s sort of like people believing ACL tears can be ‘prevented’ by proper training.

I expect pushback on this. But again - if the best trainers in sports can’t prevent them - are they even preventable at all?
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“Foolproof” and “preventable” are the wrong terms to be using IMO, because there are a myriad of things that can be done to lessen the chance of a hamstring injury, but there’s not a guarantee. There’s a reason every team will use dynamic stretches, cool down stretches, massages, ice baths, and so on.

FYI - Women soccer players used to get ACL tears at a much higher rate than men until they realized they needed to focus on strengthening different muscles, warming up differently, etc.

I’m not sure I would assume that being a professional trainer automatically means they’re among the best. But even if we go with that assumption, the player has a massive role to play, and coaches do as well.
 
Fair points. I would still argue that a player can do ‘all of the right’ things based on the most current preventative strategies and still tear their hamstring or have chronic problems. My opinion.

On the ACL thing, there may be certain things one can do to try and reduce the likelihood or severity but in the NFL, with the size, speed, and violence of action, to a certain extent an ACL is going to give in certain scenarios and no amount of strengthening can stop it from happening. Again, my opinion.
 
NickyJ said:
Getting back to Chubb, I'd take a chance on him. If he survives the preseason, I'd take him over McNichols, Robinson, and Rodriguez in a heartbeat. On their average days, they can be replaced by nearly anyone on the street. Robinson has some good days, but his bad ones outweigh the good ones too much for me to think we need him. If he gets it together for another team, good for him I guess. He didn't do it here when we needed it.
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I am working with the assumption, Chris Rodriguez and McNichols are both already off the team. Maybe they are on the practice squad.

I’m also assuming “Bill” makes the team.

So, if they sign Chubb, they’re cutting Robinson or Ekler.

I think the coaching staff has an oddly strong opinion of Robinson. But I think he would be the odd man out. Which is why I don’t think it will happen.

But I would be fine if it did.
 
Too many of the backs have the same profile.

The #7 pick and Ekeler have open field ability but Robinson, Rodriguez and McNichols are off tackle runners who are possession players.

You aren’t going to scare teams with those 3 backs.

Now perhaps the improvement in the offensive line and placement of players across the line to fit their ability will help on its own to create more space.

But I would still be looking to add a back here and preferably a change of pace guy that can hit the edge.
 
Jayden in clutch moments is part of why I think we have a shot at the SB. As far as RBs go, hopefully Croskey-Merritt is given a real chance. Robinson is so so. Ekeler is good in short stints but seems to wear down. Rodriguez flashed more last season and the stats back it up than Robinson and by a good margin but the coaching staff doesn't seem sold. I've heard Rodriguez had a lackluster camp last year so maybe that was held against him.



 
With all the QB's we have had over the past, lets say 10 years, there have not been many if any that would have made that pass. JD shows anticipation, instinct, confidence in himself, his arm and in Crowder with that pass. He was able to build a great relationship with Terry and Ertz especially. I can't wait until he is able to do so with Deebo, Noah, Lane, Sinnott and the rest of the gang
 
I think JD HAS to trust you are going to be where you are supposed to be. I think that’s why Luke looked open a lot but didn’t get the ball. Open is great, but with the anticipation throws he makes you have to be open and where he thinks you are gonna be. If he doesn’t trust you you’re not getting any anticipation throws.
 
HOF44 said:
I think JD HAS to trust you are going to be where you are supposed to be. I think that’s why Luke looked open a lot but didn’t get the ball. Open is great, but with the anticipation throws he makes you have to be open and where he thinks you are gonna be. If he doesn’t trust you you’re not getting any anticipation throws.
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It's an interesting thought and probably on target. It's also possible that Luke was often third read and with last year's line that Daniels didn't often feel comfortable waiting for his third read to come open.
 
What's the actual consensus on Lattimore? Average, a JAG, liability, total scrub? The tone has been overwhelmingly negative it seems to me. I felt it was over inflated expectations at the time and the board would recalibrate at some point.

To me AJ Brown got the best of him but he made his plays too and brought some Dawg mentality to a physical match up, primarily one on one isolation.

I'll continue to have high expectations.

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0rder 0f 0ut said:
What's the actual consensus on Lattimore? Average, a JAG, liability, total scrub? The tone has been overwhelmingly negative it seems to me. I felt it was over inflated expectations at the time and the board would recalibrate at some point.

To me AJ Brown got the best of him but he made his plays too and brought some Dawg mentality to a physical match up, primarily one on one isolation.

I'll continue to have high expectations.

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Hard to really judge him because he came in mid-season banged up and was asked to play a different scheme. Even with his very inconsistent play, who knows if we make it to the NFC Championship Game without him still considering how much of a liability BSJ was.

Holding off judgment until we see him this year. Expectations are much higher this year and need him to be the shutdown #1 corner we paid to acquire him.
 
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