NFL 2018 Offseason Thread

I'm sad to see any hope of Saquon in Indy dashed today. I mean, it too good a deal to pass up. They're just losing 3 spots and gaining a lot of picks. But still, a Luck/Saquon pairing was going to be so goooooooood.

*Legion* wrote:

It's odd that the Jets would sign both McCown *and* Bridgewater if they were going to do this.

Feels like someone is likely to be cut in camp.

Trade bait. They're thinking Eagles and Bradford.

Of course, they gave way more money for McCown and Bridgewater than I think makes sense, but I guess there's a plan.

BoogtehWoog wrote:

I'm sad to see any hope of Saquon in Indy dashed today. I mean, it too good a deal to pass up. They're just losing 3 spots and gaining a lot of picks. But still, a Luck/Saquon pairing was going to be so goooooooood.

Unfortunately for Indy they need to fill entirely too many other holes, like an entirely new defense.

They still have the 6th pick, so it's not totally out of the realm of possibility they can still get Barkley. Chances are they go defense.

Agreed, garion. There's a lot of things that Indy needs, so potentially losing out on Saquon sucks, but it is worth it to shore up all the other areas. Still, I just don't see a guy like Saquon making it past 3rd pick. He's almost guaranteed to go by 2nd pick.

If Cleveland trades out of 4 to Buffalo, then the top of the draft could look like:

1. Cleveland: QB
2. NY Giants: QB
3. NY Jets: QB
4. Buffalo: QB

5. Denver: a few options here.

Minkah Fitzpatrick would fit at either FS in place of Darian Stewart, who is OK but can be improved upon, and Aqib Talib is gone (though Roby has become good enough to give a shot at starter) so there's room in nickel to put him too.

Their line could really use a guy like Quenton Nelson. Ron Leary is good, but the other guard spot is dumpster fire city.

Bradley Chubb isn't likely with Von Miller there and 2015 1st rounder Shane Ray on the other side, but trading out for a team that wants an edge rusher badly could happen here too (maybe SF moving up from 9?)

And of course, they could grab Barkley themselves. But if not, he could absolutely be there at #6.

Or, Indy takes one of those picks they just got from the Jets, and trade them to Denver to move up one spot to #5, and take who they want.

Colts release Johnathan Hankins.

Victim of scheme change. He's not much of a pass rusher, but he's one of the better interior linemen against the run. He's a 2-gapper and the new DC is from the Monte Kiffin lineage, so he's probably a devotee to 1-gap attacking defense.

Puts a good player on the market for teams that need to shore up their interior.

Cowboys cut Orlando Scandrick, who had requested his release.

Puts another CB on the market, albeit one who opposing QBs had a 112.9 passer rating while targeting last year, the 5th highest among CBs.

MMQB's cover story is all about Cousins' FA and it's actually quite interesting. I had no idea that his agent set things up to be a silent auction. That's pretty ballsy.

garion333 wrote:

MMQB's cover story is all about Cousins' FA and it's actually quite interesting. I had no idea that his agent set things up to be a silent auction. That's pretty ballsy.

Also interesting in the part below is the last few blockbuster trades to move up in the draft not really working out all that well for either party. We'll see if Wentz ends up the franchise QB the Eagles hope he will be but it really shows just how speculative the draft really is on both sides of these deals.

At the risk of being a filthy skimmer, The Draw Play takes a look back at the career of the Brown's Joe Thomas. It is truly a work of art.

If I were a Browns fan, I would seriously get a print and frame that. That's too good.

I may. He has been my favorite new Brown, and I am sad to see him go.

The Raiders have signed a new backup QB. It's former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Josh (no Milkman put your pants back on) Johnson.

Yes I basically do this joke every year, because every year Josh Johnson continues to have an NFL career while Josh Freeman doesn't, despite being a year younger than Johnson. (I'll bring up Freeman's lack of an NFL career again when Blaine Gabbert signs somewhere)

Josh Freeman is "fired up" about his opportunity in Montreal though.

*Legion* wrote:

The Raiders have signed a new backup QB. It's former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Josh (no Milkman put your pants back on) Johnson.

Yes I basically do this joke every year, because every year Josh Johnson continues to have an NFL career while Josh Freeman doesn't, despite being a year younger than Johnson. (I'll bring up Freeman's lack of an NFL career again when Blaine Gabbert signs somewhere)

Josh Freeman is "fired up" about his opportunity in Montreal though.

Josh Johnson was drafted in 2009, and has 177 career pass attempts. He hasn't thrown a single pass since 2011. Faded embers of my broken and crushed Freemancrush aside, I understand Josh Freeman getting a shot in Montreal far better than I do Josh Johnson somehow winding up on another NFL roster.

Obviously I only made the post to force the Freeman comments, but I think the thinking here is that Josh Johnson is going to be the QB the Raiders have by the phone for emergencies, not someone that makes the final roster.

Johnson was drafted by Gruden, and he's an Oakland native. Good chance he's living in the Bay area, and would be close by in the event that the team needs to sign a QB if one goes down to injury. Lots of teams have those guys that go to camp for them, get released, then wait by the phone.

Connor Cook is the QB2 on the Raiders, and I don't see Johnson unseating him. I also expect the Raiders will use a draft pick on a QB, someone that probably ends up on the practice squad. So then the Raiders would have Carr and Cook active, a PS rookie, and Johnson as their emergency call-up.

I do think all this means EJ Manuel won't be re-signed.

Teddy Bridgewater's "up to $15m" contract is in fact a deal with $5m salary, $500k signing bonus, a $500k workout bonus, and $9m in NLTBE (not likely-to-be-earned) incentives.

In other words, it's a contract that does not in any way guarantee he'll be on the week 1 roster.

It was of course negotiated and signed before the Jets were able to trade their way up into definitely-can-draft-a-QB position. (Apparently they tried moving all the way up to #1)

McCown has an additional zero on his signing bonus, $5m, and is far less likely to exit the roster. Whomever goes #3 overall, almost guaranteed to be a QB, isn't going anywhere either. That'd leave Teddy as by far the most expensive QB3 in the league, or they keep Bryce Petty for $840k in that role instead. (Or, since these are the Jets, keeping Christian Hackenberg isn't off the table either, who is also still under contract at $1.27m this year).

There's a good chance Bridgewater isn't on this roster, and I wouldn't rule out a draft weekend trade after the Jets secure a QB they want at pick #3. (Which seems crazy, given that he's a guy they picked up off the street that any other team could have signed). But even with all their cap space, I have a hard time seeing a team with a QB3 as their 8th highest cap figure in 2018.

Then again, as we saw with Hack, they like QBs that are too inaccurate to put on the field, so maybe they draft Josh Allen and keep him 3rd on the depth chart all year long.

Are you ready for non-NFL professional football?

Nope, not the XFL.

Nope, not The Spring League.

It's the new Alliance of American Football! With Bill Polian! And games broadcasting on CBS Sports! And no kickoffs!

It's slated to start its inaugural season February 2019, preempting the resurrected XFL by a year, which I'm sure is gonna go over real well with Vince McMahon.

Allen Hurns out in Jacksonville. Guess all that FA money had to come from somewhere!

*Legion* wrote:

There's a good chance Bridgewater isn't on this roster, and I wouldn't rule out a draft weekend trade after the Jets secure a QB they want at pick #3. (Which seems crazy, given that he's a guy they picked up off the street that any other team could have signed). But even with all their cap space, I have a hard time seeing a team with a QB3 as their 8th highest cap figure in 2018.

Then again, as we saw with Hack, they like QBs that are too inaccurate to put on the field, so maybe they draft Josh Allen and keep him 3rd on the depth chart all year long.

You've gotta believe the Jets are gonna give Bridgewater a shot at starting this year, then decide to trade him or trade the QB they draft.

I imagine the plan is roughly to have an embarrassment of riches at QB with all sorts of outs for the Jets:

1. McCown is going nowhere this year. He's 100% going to make the roster. He's a great teammate and mentor to whoever they draft. His salary is set appropriately for the team to carry him all year no matter what. Even has starter potential if injuries, trades, etc., hit the team again.
a. I have to believe they offered him so much money so he wouldn't go anywhere. They're placing a big valuation on McCown's mentor ability.

2. Bridgewater is their ... bridge to the rookie. If he plays well, he'll start until the rookie is ready, then he's trade bait or a FA after the season.
a. If Bridgewater's knee is toast, he's a cheap cut.
b. If Bridgewater's good, then he's the perfect trade bait. Week 8 trade deadline is a boon here, plenty of time for rookie to get reps and see what Bridgewater has to offer.
c. If Bridgewater stays around this year, shows he can still play and signs a big contract next year, he nets the Jets a compensatory pick.

3. The QB they draft will be given the opportunity to work himself into 1st team reps.
a. Josh McCown will be given zero 1st team reps, barring injuries to other QBs.
b. Bridgewater will get most/all the 1st team reps early on, barring issues learning the system.
c. If rookie plays well, has no issues learning the playbook/language/etc., then preseason QB fight is a go.
d. If rookie needs more time, then Week 8 trade deadline is helpful.

4. Petty and Hackenburg are practice squad. They're rounding errors on the cap, whether on the team or not.

*Legion* wrote:

Are you ready for non-NFL professional football?

Lord, no. Watch rugby if you need an offseason tackling fix. Aviva Premiership out of England is now on the NBC Sports network (which also just showed most of Six Nations except for England-Ireland, grrr). World Cup is next year, and I'm sure it'll be shown on some US network.

garion333 wrote:

You've gotta believe the Jets are gonna give Bridgewater a shot at starting this year, then decide to trade him or trade the QB they draft.

I just don't see Bridgewater getting the first team work over McCown after McCown's season with them last year, barring injury. I don't see how they can justify it.

McCown would need to be dumpster fire bad in camp. Otherwise, he's the guy that was a 94.5 rated passer in your system last year, and Bridgewater is the guy that has never done that and also hasn't played football in 2 years.

Seems to me McCown is all the bridge they would need. Play him until the rookie is ready to play midseason, when you're already out of the playoff picture. Again, this assumes the Jets draft someone that they won't refuse to put on the field in year 1.

Obviously I like Teddy for his starter potential and want him in a Jags uniform trying to end BORTLESMANIA, but as far as week 1 readiness and ceding the job to a rookie by midseason, it seems like McCown is in a better position to fill that role, given his health and existing command of the system.

I'm not sure where Teddy's playing time comes from. Some QB2 or QB3 reps in camp and preseason, and maybe if he looks sharp enough in those, he could be trade bait. Your point on the compensatory pick is well taken. It just feels like the team has two bridge guys that are going to get out of the way for the rookie, and regardless of which one it is, one of them is a QB3 that costs about as much as the rest of their conference's QB3s combined.

Or just maybe the Jets are the team that's rumored to have a "perfect grade" on Saquon Barkley, and they aren't drafting QB at all.

Enix wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Are you ready for non-NFL professional football?

Lord, no. Watch rugby if you need an offseason tackling fix. Aviva Premiership out of England is now on the NBC Sports network (which also just showed most of Six Nations except for England-Ireland, grrr). World Cup is next year, and I'm sure it'll be shown on some US network.

I don't understand rugby. There's a bunch of guys clumped together and there's no stoppages for is-that-a-catch instant replay. I just don't get what I'm seeing.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/c7NIS38.jpg)

What in the hell was he on?

garion333 wrote:

What in the hell was he on?

Apparently a high is the one thing Zay Jones can actually catch.

You can watch the draft on ESPN, NFL Network, FOX, and now ESPN2/ABC. I mean...why? It's nice to have a choice, but unless you go batsh*t crazy with the secondary channels the way ESPN's megacast of the College Football Championship Game goes, you're not really adding anything new except a different set of talking heads.

Talking heads in regards to the draft is pretty much the biggest offseason thing in the NFL, so everyone wants a cut of that. Fox was smart imho of simply offering to push NFL Network's program. (Thank you for getting Mike Mayock more exposure, Fox. He isn't my end all be all on the Draft, but I still like the exposure.)

ESPN having two sets of competing streams for the 1st round is stupid, as is "ESPN, will have all seven rounds, with ABC simulcasting the final four rounds (4-7) on Saturday." Woot! You get to watch the sh*tty rounds on ABC!

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
garion333 wrote:

What in the hell was he on?

Apparently a high is the one thing Zay Jones can actually catch.

/rimshot

You speak the truth. Carolina probably should have lost that Week 1 game.

Enix wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
garion333 wrote:

What in the hell was he on?

Apparently a high is the one thing Zay Jones can actually catch.

/rimshot

You speak the truth. Carolina probably should have lost that Week 1 game.

*Legion* wrote:

... there's no stoppages for is-that-a-catch instant replay. I just don't get what I'm seeing.

I don't understand much of it either but that hands down is the best part. Oh, and the tackling is better (usually).