What position need is the highest priority?

[Boone]

I mentioned in another thread today that conventional wisdom is that we must focus primarily on fixing the defense this offseason, but that one could argue that the need for a top tier bookend opposite Terry, a real pass catching threat at TE, and a true every down homerun threat RB are equally important. It is obvious that we cannot fix the defense and fill all of those needs in one free agency and in one limited draft.

What position need is the highest priority?

 

[KDawg]

I mentioned in another thread today that conventional wisdom is that we must focus primarily on fixing the defense this offseason, but that one could argue that the need for a top tier bookend opposite Terry, a real pass catching threat at TE, and a true every down homerun threat RB are equally important. It is obvious that we cannot fix the defense and fill all of those needs in one free agency and in one limited draft.

What position need is the highest priority?

I don't see the option for "yes"

Meaning, a lot of them.

I think for our offense it is an elite running back. I think they can do more for us than most people here are willing to admit. And I think that back can take a TON of pressure off of Jayden to use his legs.

Defensively, based on Daronte's scheme - it's a pass rusher.

But I'd rank possession pass catcher (TE or WR), safety, linebacker (outside or inside, depending on what they do with Luvu) in that next grouping of highly important.

Then corner and guard.

But I think some upgrades in some spots change the math.

I think Sonny Styles would help us in multiple ways, so he as an individual has more value to the defense than a mid range LB UFA, for instance.

Delane at corner is a major upgrade at corner and likely more valuable than an ILB.

But in general:

Code Red:
RB, Pass Rush

Code Really Close to Red:
Possession pass catcher, safety, linebacker

Code Priority Changes with a Better Player:
Corner, Guard

And, as I'm sure many are sick of me saying... all of this changes if we don't get Tunsil re-upped. OT becomes a code red immediately in that scenario.

 

[Boone]

Well, the premise of the poll is that we can't fill all of our needs in 1 offseason, so I'm holding people's feet to the fire. You don't even get multiple vote options

What's the most important piece. I asked you in another thread just now to sell me on why a RB would be more impactful than a WR...

 

[KDawg]

Well, the premise of the poll is that we can't fill all of our needs in 1 offseason, so I'm holding people's feet to the fire. You don't even get multiple vote options

What's the most important piece. I asked you in another thread just now to sell me on why a RB would be more impactful than a WR...

I answered you there, so I won't get into that here.

I can't choose between RB and Pass Rusher. But those are the code red spots on O/D for this offseason. For now. *looks at Tunsil situation*

 

[Boone]

Not to derail my own poll thread, but I think it is a valid question/factor... I don't know why folks (including John Keim from what I've read) are so confident we will be able to get Tunsil on a new long-term deal. Although Peters may have 'won' on the deal Terry ultimately signed, I think it's a stretch to say so because his unavailability and then injury once he was available helped to derail the 2025 season and helped create all of the turmoil that ensued.

Tunsil strikes me as a guy who above almost everything else, wants to get paid. He's going to want to be the highest paid LT in the league even though his stats say he is a top 5 LT. I just have a lot of doubts based on Peters conservative style that they will be able to meet his expectations/demands. The only issue I have with what Peters did with the Tunsil deal is that they didn't make the trade contingent on his signing a new contract immediately. For me, given the draft capital we gave up, that would've been a non-negotiable. I understand Tunsil and his agent may not have been willing to do that - but I wouldn't have pulled the trigger on that trade without that being part of it.

 

[KDawg]

Not to derail my own poll thread, but I think it is a valid question/factor... I don't know why folks (including John Keim from what I've read) are so confident we will be able to get Tunsil on a new long-term deal. Although Peters may have 'won' on the deal Terry ultimately signed, I think it's a stretch to say so because his unavailability and then injury once he was available helped to derail the 2025 season and helped create all of the turmoil that ensued.

Tunsil strikes me as a guy who above almost everything else, wants to get paid. He's going to want to be the highest paid LT in the league even though his stats say he is a top 5 LT. I just have a lot of doubts based on Peters conservative style that they will be able to meet his expectations/demands. The only issue I have with what Peters did with the Tunsil deal is that they didn't make the trade contingent on his signing a new contract immediately. For me, given the draft capital we gave up, that would've been a non-negotiable. I understand Tunsil and his agent may not have been willing to do that - but I wouldn't have pulled the trigger on that trade without that being part of it.

I absolutely agree. With all of it. Trading for Tunsil was an absolute fantastic move. Not getting him extended upon the trade was not - and I would have rather not traded for him at all than lose him for nothing.

So I guess, in all honesty, the answer to this pole is "Tunsil" at the moment, if we aren't taking assumptions into account. Everything else happens after we get him taken care of.

And if we aren't able to get Tunsil done before FA (or at least close enough that we can truly say, "it's a done deal, just minor details", then we may need to trade him to offset the blunder we made in not extending him. I don't like that scenario. But the scenario I hate the absolute most is Tunsil holding out, showing up for a few weeks, getting "hurt" and our season derailing because of a lack of draft choices and Tunsil making a business decision.

 

[Chris]

IIRC Laremy Tunsil is self-represented. Not sure if that makes the situation better or worse.

 

[Chris_Hanbuger_the Hangman]

Need a LB with speed who can close these gaps. RB's were shooting through untouched (Barkley). Stop the run is my 1st priority.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I went against the grain and voted TE. For a simple reason: we don't have one on the roster who can play, and we have to replace Ertz's production on 3rd downs and redzone, and there is literally nobody capable of doing it. TE can be the QB's best friend, and we need to get one to replace Ertz.

I get position value, and a TE is not as valuable as CB, Edge or WR. But we don't have a TE, that's why I voted TE.

As far as Tunsil, I think it will happen also. I'm not terribly concerned it hasn't happened. Part of this is that I don't think Peters is an idiot, and I think he knew exactly what he was signing up for when he traded for Tunsil. Tunsil wants to be the highest paid LT in the sport. I think it's already factored into the cap math. Could I be wrong? Yes. But that would essentially mean you could tattoo "Moron" across Peter's forehead. And I don't think Peters is a moron, so I think it gets done.

 

[bowhunter]

I went against the grain and voted TE. For a simple reason: we don't have one on the roster who can play,

You're not wrong. Any QB should have a dependable TE as his safe place, and I'm hoping that we can find that in Likely as a FA.
We have good RB, so adding Hall, Ettiene, or drafting Love is what I see more as a luxury option if we have filled other holes, moving from a "B-/C+" player to an "A" player doesn't affect our talent GPA nearly as much as it does to get rid of the Ds and Fs on our report card. For that reason on Offense we have to add a WR2.

On Defense we have to add an edge or at least someone "edgy" If Reese drops, that would be a great option, maybe even Styles. I'm not gonna hide my love for Downs, simply because I see him as an overall "extra credit" to bring up the GPA. I think he becomes our Defensive captain in year one, playing in the box, designed blitzes, run game support and overall havoc that offense would have to scheme around.
So assuming Tunsil deal gets done early, put me down for WR2 on O and Downs on D
If I have to pick only one however, it should be WR2

 

[KDawg]

You're not wrong. Any QB should have a dependable TE as his safe place, and I'm hoping that we can find that in Likely as a FA.
We have good RB, so adding Hall, Ettiene, or drafting Love is what I see more as a luxury option if we have filled other holes, moving from a "B-/C+" player to an "A" player doesn't affect our talent GPA nearly as much as it does to get rid of the Ds and Fs on our report card. For that reason on Offense we have to add a WR2.

On Defense we have to add an edge or at least someone "edgy" If Reese drops, that would be a great option, maybe even Styles. I'm not gonna hide my love for Downs, simply because I see him as an overall "extra credit" to bring up the GPA. I think he becomes our Defensive captain in year one, playing in the box, designed blitzes, run game support and overall havoc that offense would have to scheme around.
So assuming Tunsil deal gets done early, put me down for WR2 on O and Downs on D
If I have to pick only one however, it should be WR2

Curious - what makes you think we had good RBs?

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

It's someone on offense who Jayden Daniels (the future of the franchise) thinks he can lean on/rely on so he doesn't have to throw his body away to make a play.

In this draft it's just one player, which is unfortunate as it limits options if we're drafting for most desperate need. But maybe we can recreate the one player in the aggregate (cue Moneyball memes), by raising the minimum talent level at other spots. That's kind of difficult too. We'd have to hit big and land all the targets in FA...and there are 31 other teams competing for the same guys.

If Jeremiah Smith was in this draft, it'd be him. Right now it's just Love. But if we land enough guys in FA then maybe that one star player "need" has been filled in the aggregate. So the need switches to just overall roster issues. Which is pass rush.

 

[Halcyon Times]

Offensive weapons inherently make a crappy defense better by keeping them on the bench and/or make the other team one dimensional if playing from behind.

They also keep our (hopefully) franchise QB out of the medical tent.

So,
WR
OL: I don’t think the RBs are dog meat and yes I think a dominant OL is a weapon
TE (unless you’re going to draft them and just keep playing the other guy into a retirement home)
RB: no clue if there is a dynamic RB beyond Love (I’ll let KDawg/SP figure that out) but if there is, yes

Didn’t answer the poll bc it depends on how the draft falls (imho). Even if there is a “code red” at a position I don’t want to pass up on a good player for “well, we gotta get one so let’s take this schlub”

At some point I’d expect the coaches to figure it out with whatever they have.

 

[burgold]

I picked edge, but if we were talking offense I'd probably go with tight end.

These days, a good tight end makes life miserable for a defense. They usually can't be covered by a linebacker and corners are too small. Safeties are often too far away and have to protect against the deepest shot. Plus, a good tight end can help with protection, too. I think Ertz's decline and injury hurt the offense as much as anything. Daniels had no outlet, no safety blanket. Right now, we have a blocking te with 50:50 hands and a H-back third year bust. So, unless Yankoff becomes the guy, we really have no one at tight end. Conversely, I think we have something at RB and while we need more at WR at least we have one and we saw once Terry, Deebo and Burks were all on the field that the receiving corp looked okay. Mind you, I'm not sure we bring Deebo back and I'm really conflicted about whether we should.

 

[bowhunter]

Curious - what makes you think we had good RBs?

I think Bill fits my B-/C÷ grading fairly well. Do you have him graded otherwise?

edit: It's not fair for me to answer your question with a question, So... much of my tolerance for Bill might be just plain optimism, but I saw his play as more of a bright spot than a dismal failing. I mean his 4.6 YPA is greater than than of Breece Hall ( and I think we all would love to have him here.) Is it my homerism and Lying eyes at play here somewhat?? IDK...maybe. But I feel good with JCM in the backfield. Again, I think a C+/B- grade is fair

 

[KDawg]

I think Bill fits my B-/C÷ grading fairly well. Do you have him graded otherwise?

yes.

D as pass protector
C- as pass catcher
D for vision
A for speed
D for creating seams
B- potential

Have him as a low C/D right now. His speed helps him significantly and I think with the offseason and could be a mid C by the season.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

yes.

D as pass protector
C- as pass catcher
D for vision
A for speed
D for creating seams
B- potential

Have him as a low C/D right now. His speed helps him significantly and I think with the offseason and could be a mid C by the season.

I dunno. I think that's a bit harsh. Maybe not, but I think he did better than that.

I agree he was not a good pass protector, which is why he never saw consistent snaps. I think Kliff might have even said that, or it might have been Quinn. Clearly, they want to see more. But, flip side, he was a 7th round rookie who missed a year, I'd expect some development time.

I think where I disagree most, I think he does have more potential than B-. How much higher, I'm not entirely sure, but definitely a full B, though I'd probably go B+.

I think he also did fairly well breaking tackles.

As I said, this isn't a hill I'm willing to die on, but I think, especially when you factor in he was a 7th round rookie who missed a year, he ad a really promising rookie season.

 

[KDawg]

I dunno. I think that's a bit harsh. Maybe not, but I think he did better than that.

I agree he was not a good pass protector, which is why he never saw consistent snaps. I think Kliff might have even said that, or it might have been Quinn. Clearly, they want to see more. But, flip side, he was a 7th round rookie who missed a year, I'd expect some development time.

I think where I disagree most, I think he does have more potential than B-. How much higher, I'm not entirely sure, but definitely a full B, though I'd probably go B+.

I think he also did fairly well breaking tackles.

As I said, this isn't a hill I'm willing to die on, but I think, especially when you factor in he was a 7th round rookie who missed a year, he ad a really promising rookie season.

Where did I say he didn't have a promising rookie season?

But you said it yourself... He's a 7th round rookie...

And people want to pin our run game hopes on him.

He needs to develop. And he can be a good player for us down the line. But we need more to support Jayden.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Where did I say he didn't have a promising rookie season?

But you said it yourself... He's a 7th round rookie...

And people want to pin our run game hopes on him.

He needs to develop. And he can be a good player for us down the line. But we need more to support Jayden.

Nowhere, but your B- potential grade is a little low for the circumstances is all I'm saying.

I'm not pinning anything on him, but I think he has more potential than you do, maybe.

 

[KDawg]

Nowhere, but your B- potential grade is a little low for the circumstances is all I'm saying.

I'm not pinning anything on him, but I think he has more potential than you do, maybe.

B- potential for a 7th round rookie is pretty high praise, actually.

What other backs in League history do you have as B+ players?

Right now he's Trung Canidate.