Hawkstorian":36viqxm6 said:
jammerhawk":36viqxm6 said:
With just 46 players in reality on the present roster the team is going to have to re-sign most all of their FAs or they will be forced into the FA market to just get the 90 man roster filled.
There are quite a few ERFAs so assuming they tender most of them, plus a few RFAs and and Clark that will bring the roster up to 65 or so. Add in 5-7 draft picks plus 12 or so undrafted guys, we're up over 80 at that point. That leaves 8-10 additional FAs to re-sign or sign. Many of those will be bottom of the roster players along with the normal churn.... in other words the roster 90-man will fill up pretty quick.
I suspect you are right but will the team be able to improve with these numbers?
There are 47 players signed or tendered excluding Chancellor who will likely be a post June 1 designated cut. The team has 11 ERFAs, 5 RFAs, and 14 UFAs and at present 4 draft picks.
If we assume they sign all the ERFAs (11), which is a stretch, and 3 of the RFAs, also a stretch, though they all might be kept with lowball offers, and they acquire another 3 picks in the draft giving them 7, there is still a huge required addition of personnel needed, as they would have only 67 players of the 90 needed for camp. To me this means they will be forced to find 23 players either from the UDFA college players or through unrestricted free agency and more short term deals which only rolls the rock down the road further. To me of the present 14 UFAs the only core players likely to be offered deals are Sweezy, Fluker, and possibly Wright if his numbers are reasonable. If we assume Kendricks isn't jailed then him in place of a too expensive Wright. At best the team is looking a needing to add 20 players to the roster besides acquiring 3 more draft picks.
As the necessary re-signing of RW looms closer the consequences of the inability to reach a deal with Clark and his franchise tender seem to me to be a huge problem in keeping core players as the team moves forward. I am hopeful that this situation can be fixed before the July 15th deadline or the team could find itself in the glue with any or all of Wilson, Clark, Wagner, Reed, and even a few others. As well the likelihood of acquiring many comp picks in the situation is significantly reduced.
In all, the expensive and failed deals with Harvin, Graham, and the critical injuries necessitating cap moves with Sherman, Avril, Bennett, Chancellor, along with the failed early pick of McDowell has screwed the team up in planning in the short term and put them in a weakened position in the acquisition/retention of talent. In that regard McDowell hurting himself has resulted in the loss of two second round picks, one for McDowell, and one for DT- Richardson plus Jermaine Kearse. We can say whatever we want about the loss of Richardson which turned out to be an ill advised trade by the team, but it is clear that the failed pick of McDowell was a very costly mistake, however unforeseeable. The team has had to spend 2 seasons plus paying for it.
JS is going to have to be very creative to find a work through on the numbers front if not on the talent front. I can't see how the team won't have to be fairly active in FA, even if it is late and at a low level.
However, as we know the draft position of any player is no guarantee of actual their ability to play, as the team often seems to be better with later picks than earlier ones.
