2021 Roster Updates

I thought it was 4 pm, guess it's noon

 
I'm at work but i'll be in and out of the chat TODAY as things get rolling in the 'legal tampering period' if anyone wants to join me.
 
Graphics work here is top notch :)

 
That's a shame but he can be replaced. Curious what kind of numbers it took?
 
Pretty big raise for a guy who made less than 2 million in 2020. I have mixed feelings. I sort of hate creating new roster holes and losing a young guy whose shown he can play. But I get they have a budget. Seems like a weird year to go cheap on contract offers though, given we've got more money than most.
 
I wanted him back and $10 mil apy was what i figured it would take. Now the question is how much was Darby and how much can be generated by pass rush?
 
Losing Darby isn't the greatest of scenarios, but the fact is that a #2 corner is someone you should arguably be able to replace on a team with a potentially dominant defensive front.

Ultimately, I think what we are seeing in two offseasons under Rivera is that this staff potentially values specific positions more so than others and sees specific roles as being the ones where you invest big money into. When you think back to last year, we paid decent money to Fuller and made a push for Cooper. It could be argued that spots like CB1, WR1, and depending on how things transpire this offseason, the defensive front, WR2, and QB are where they are going to want to allocate the money for big dollar, long term contracts. In other areas like interior o-line, LB, TE, etc, they might be more interested in bargains that fit the scheme. At the end of the day, the economics of the game dictate that you cannot pay everybody and sustain long term success.
 
His durability (or lack thereof) and the fact that last year was really his first standout season, that probably kept them from making that kind of offer. I sort of get tired of our generously bringing in guys on 1 year deals and having them walk for bigger money after we've given them an opportunity, but that's just the way it is in the NFL. I also think you're dead-on that they value certain positions more than others and view some as 'plug and play' to an extent.
 



Davis off the board.... the first deal I've seen that I dont understand why we dont match / beat. That's $12.5 mil per year.

This could subscribe to the Boone theory that FA prefer to go elsewhere.

This MAY open the door for Juju though, I figured he would be the one to end up in NY.
 
Samuels gone too - scratch that - damn Twitter fakes!
 
Here is an interesting tidbit...not including guys who resigned with their team, 41 of the 47 moves thus far in free agency have been made by teams who missed the playoffs last year. Of the 6 moves that playoffs teams from a year ago have made so far, 5 of them involve protecting or rushing the passer.

www.spotrac.com

2022 NFL Free Agents Tracker

Tracking the status and signings of all 2022 NFL free agents.
www.spotrac.com
 
Although it may seem so to WFT fans since we've literally done nothing other than lock up our kicker for a year, Day 1 of free agency was hardly the frenetic feeding frenzy we were lead to believe it would be. I also don't see teams cutting talented vets left and right to make cap room. I don't know how some of these teams not only aren't cutting vets, but are signing free agents, but I guess we have to believe in some magic 3 card molly stuff is going on to produce cap space out of thin air?
 
KPL signs a deal with the Texans. 2nd guy to leave DC today.
 
The Ryan Fitzpatrick signing suggests to me If he was let out the door in New England, Cam Newton would have landed in Washington and was target 1A at the QB position this offseason. All that being said, Fitzpatrick checks some of the same boxes that Newton would have for Washington and none of us should really be surprised that we went this route at the end of the day. The Fitzpatrick news did not make me jump out of my chair with excitement by any means, but it is a bridge move I can buy into for many reasons:

1. Emphasizes Team Progress Goal - despite what Twitter will want to make you believe, this team is still a season or two away from being a legitimate contender in the NFC Conference. People want to talk Super Bowl, but the reality is that this team needs to first figure out how to put together successive playoff seasons for the first time in forever. Consistency is key and should be the number 1 goal going into 2021 for this group. With a young nucleus of players, it's imperative that we build on the late season success we had a year ago and keep this train moving forward so to speak. Reclamation projects like a Mariota, Trubisky, Darnold, etc., would have potentially jeopardized the ability for this team to continue growing if they were thrusted into a prominent role and everything hinged on them finding their game/fulfilling their potential in such a short time frame. I am not sure Rivera wanted to potentially sacrifice overall team growth for the development of one guy. Fitzpatrick is a known commodity and for the most part you know what you are getting. You can trust him - something that I think is big for Rivera. You can plug him in and at least give yourself a chance of maintaining what you established a season ago against what looks to be a much more difficult schedule.

2. Promotes Competition - when we resigned Heinicke, Rivera insisted that he would have a chance to compete for the starting job. By bringing in a Fitzpatrick, you are keeping that window open for the quarterbacks currently on our roster to grow, improve, and potentially seize the opportunity in training camp. It's all there for Allen and Heinicke for the taking - how bad do they want to start? Fitzpatrick is the type of guy that is used to teams trying to force him out of a starting role. He's been there, done that, and seen it all. He will be a good teammate as well if one of the incumbent QBs here forces him to the bench. A win-win for all parties involved.

3. Versatility/Leadership - Fitzpatrick has played every role you can ask a QB to play in his career. He's started, spot-started for a game here or there, come off the bench in a pinch, etc. He will be able to fulfill whatever role this team asks of him. More importantly, ex-teammates like Mike Gesicki have offered glowing reviews of Fitzpatrick's leadership and love of football. This is hugely important. You saw a HUGE difference in the way that the guys in our huddle carried themselves a year ago in the games Smith started vs. the games that Haskins started. Smith's leadership generated instant buy in from our offense and Haskins inspired very little confidence from others. Fitzpatrick gives you some of that credibility that you want your quarterback to have. He brings a much needed veteran presence to the quarterback room. In this regard, we can pick up from where we left off a year ago with Smith with a guy that has some of the same intangibles, but better physical abilities at this point.

4. Patience (Perception vs. Reality) - the number one reason why I can buy into a veteran bridge quarterback is because I personally think it screams that Rivera has a clear sense of where this team is truly at. There is no false sense of reality or "one player away" mentality floating around like there wrongly was many times in the past with previous leadership groups. While the move for Fitzpatrick does not by any means erase the possibility of drafting and developing a QB in the draft, I think it eliminates the possibility of trading way up in the draft to acquire a Fields or Lance. We are well aware of the cost that this would entail in terms of draft capital. A Fitzpatrick-type player affords you the opportunity to save that draft capital and use it wisely to continue developing and growing the team around the QB position until the perfect long-term option is identified in upcoming years.

Ultimately, we need to remember that there is not a single quarterback strategy during this offseason that can be classified as the ideal option for the WFT. It's just the nature of the QB landscape this year. All that being said, the safe veteran option for the short term was the right call.
 
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