2023 Free Agency

[Pullo Vision]

Whether waiver pickups or NFL draft prep, people are looking to the free agent class.

The WR class looks pretty weak. The top players by snap counts- Parris Campbell, Mack Hollins, Allen Lazard, Deandre Carter, Juju Smith Schuster. Further down are guys like Jakobi Meyers, Mecole Hardman, Greg Dortch and Darius Slayton. The weak class could affect how teams approach WR draft prospects.

The flip side is oline- the draft looks weak there, so teams like Chicago (with a league high 100 mil cap space) could be aggressive in FA there. Options- https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents ... ive-line//. PFF connects GB OL Elgton Jenkins to Chicago's OC Luke Getsy, if he doesn't get tagged.

The RB class is crazy juicy- Saquon, Singletary, M Sanders, Mostert, Montgomery, J Wilson, Pollard, K Hunt, Jacobs and that's just the top. If the FA and draft classes will affect how teams approach WR and Offensive Line, you'd think that plethora of RB talent will affect rookie RB draft slotting.

Curious what teams/positions/players people are keeping an eye on. For me, Dallas' RB spot is interesting. Pollard is a UFA and while Zeke is locked in, there's been speculation his play has been so poor they should cut him. I don't think they can afford to, but these people argue the cap hit wouldn't be severe. It'd be fun if they let Zeke go and commit to Pollard, but I don't see that happening. A few weeks ago, Jerry Jones emphasized Zeke's superior pass blocking skills as a reason to keep him on the field over Pollard; it'd be interesting to see which FA RBs are best there.

[thebadferret]

Jerry Jones

watch him draft Bijan Robinson to have the next hot toy.

[Jigga94]

Re: Zeke, the Cowboys could cut him next year and save 5M or so with a 12M dead cap. I think they ride him out another year or 2 though. Jerry loves him. Maybe they try and bring back Pollard for cheap but I think he goes elsewhere as a 1b.

This FA WR class might be why some teams threw even more $ at them the past 2 years.

[Pullo Vision]

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

The weak FA WR class should mean Houston can get strong returns in a Cooks trade.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

I’ve been a Darius slayton truther. He’s legit talented. I think he’s be great with the Chargers.

[kadun2]

How bout Chark? Will the lions try to keep him. I’m sure other teams would be interested, especially with how he has been playing lately.

[halfbaked88]

Re: Zeke, the Cowboys could cut him next year and save 5M or so with a 12M dead cap. I think they ride him out another year or 2 though. Jerry loves him. Maybe they try and bring back Pollard for cheap but I think he goes elsewhere as a 1b.

This FA WR class might be why some teams threw even more $ at them the past 2 years.

It's not just Jerry loves him.

Zeke is an RB with an ability to simply absorb carries. And he does that well enough to drive an offense. That kind of grinder is useful for a team with an elite defense that wants to keep it balanced and limit the workload their QB has to expose himself to.

Yes explosiveness is gone. But I see people continue to say Zeke sucks. Well, compared to old Zeke, derp. But he's going to get touches and he's going to be involved. Obviously he's going to be paired with somebody else. That same thing can be said for almost every RB.

He is 27. I would not be surprised to see him play FIVE more years at this level of production and just plod his way through the league into his early-mid 30s. If not in Dallas then on another team. Or another 3 teams. Latavius Murray and many other RBs have done that.

And I bet they weren't near the college athletic prospect Zeke was.

[ericanadian]

Re: Zeke, the Cowboys could cut him next year and save 5M or so with a 12M dead cap. I think they ride him out another year or 2 though. Jerry loves him. Maybe they try and bring back Pollard for cheap but I think he goes elsewhere as a 1b.

This FA WR class might be why some teams threw even more $ at them the past 2 years.

If the cut him as a post June 1st that drops to a cap hit of under $6M. I don’t think they’ll cut him, but depends on what they feel they need.

[killer_of_giants]

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

yeah, cutting your best players is always a good idea.

[Jigga94]

Re: Zeke, the Cowboys could cut him next year and save 5M or so with a 12M dead cap. I think they ride him out another year or 2 though. Jerry loves him. Maybe they try and bring back Pollard for cheap but I think he goes elsewhere as a 1b.

This FA WR class might be why some teams threw even more $ at them the past 2 years.

It's not just Jerry loves him.

Zeke is an RB with an ability to simply absorb carries. And he does that well enough to drive an offense. That kind of grinder is useful for a team with an elite defense that wants to keep it balanced and limit the workload their QB has to expose himself to.

Yes explosiveness is gone. But I see people continue to say Zeke sucks. Well, compared to old Zeke, derp. But he's going to get touches and he's going to be involved. Obviously he's going to be paired with somebody else. That same thing can be said for almost every RB.

He is 27. I would not be surprised to see him play FIVE more years at this level of production and just plod his way through the league into his early-mid 30s. If not in Dallas then on another team. Or another 3 teams. Latavius Murray and many other RBs have done that.

And I bet they weren't near the college athletic prospect Zeke was.

I am in agreement. Zeke fell off his RB1 status (in terms of PPG) years ago, but he still compiles RB1 numbers if he stays 100% healthy. As long as he plays, I think he gives you decent RB2 numbers most weeks. If Pollard walks like I expect, Zeke could get some of that work back, but I'm sure they bring in someone else. I wouldn't guarantee 5 years like this, but 1-2 more seem given.

2019: RB5 - 19.5 PPG, RB3 overall
2020: RB17 - 14.9 PPG, RB9 overall
2021: RB17 - 14.8 PPG, RB7 overall
2022: RB21 - 13.4 PPG, RB21 overall

[Cameron Giles]

The RB class is crazy juicy- Saquon, Singletary, M Sanders, Mostert, Montgomery, J Wilson, Pollard, K Hunt, Jacobs and that's just the top. If the FA and draft classes will affect how teams approach WR and Offensive Line, you'd think that plethora of RB talent will affect rookie RB draft slotting.

Honestly, I think the opposite. I think the RB draft class this year will hurt a lot of players, as well as just traditional thinking for RBs.

Of course RBs like Saquon, Jacobs, and Sanders will find themselves back in a starter role next year. I think there's a chance with Pollard too if Dallas moves on from Zeke.

But, I think everyone else is kind of screwed. Teams usually don't spend big on RBs in free agency anymore. The players who get paid are the top tier backs. It will more than likely be a lot of one or two year deals for those Singletary, Wilson, Hunt, Montgomery RBs. Some of them might be third-wave free agents that sign after the draft.

[Pullo Vision]

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

I’ve been a Darius slayton truther. He’s legit talented. I think he’s be great with the Chargers.

Me too. Big effin fan. Been scooping him wherever I can once the memory of his rookie year production faded away.

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

yeah, cutting your best players is always a good idea.

One analyst person based their argument on how Palmer could progress this year to step into the starting lineup. Another sounded sour on the top 2/3 WRs full stop, not just Allen- lack of speed and injuries, with a side of age. A 3rd pinned the issues on scheme and questioned if OC Lombardi should be let go.

Could also argue cap- currently 7mil over next year with 39 players under contract. Allen and Mack are the current the biggest cap saving cuts.

[killer_of_giants]

I've heard multiple pods/analysts say that the Chargers lack speed at WR, and suggest a potential solution is cutting Keenan Allen. Doing that would also clear 15mil in cap space.

yeah, cutting your best players is always a good idea.

One analyst person based their argument on how Palmer could progress this year to step into the starting lineup. Another sounded sour on the top 2/3 WRs full stop, not just Allen- lack of speed and injuries, with a side of age. A 3rd pinned the issues on scheme and questioned if OC Lombardi should be let go.

Could also argue cap- currently 7mil over next year with 39 players under contract. Allen and Mack are the current the biggest cap saving cuts.

cap is always a problem, until it isn't. i'm exaggerating of course, but they can also restructure contracts and push back cap issues for a while. not sure if it works out with herbert needing an extension soon. but there's a lot of wizardry and shamanism going on in there.
scheme and OC can be a result of personnel, among other things, but you don't just cut a player if you don't like an offensive scheme. easier and cheaper to just tell the OC to piss off.
palmer is a good player but he's different from allen.
while 28 and 30 is basically a death sentence in dynasty, it isn't that bad in real life. injuries will always be an issue in football, and both williams and allen have been relatively healthy for four or five years before this season. they might take a bit longer to recover now, but i don't know if that's such a big factor.

they can use some speed in that offense, that much is true. but cutting your best receiver still won't help the offense.

i'm not saying it won't happen, it's happened before, but there's always a lot more talk about possible surprise releases, than actual releases.

[YouMightDieTryin]

LAC will probably be looking to restructure KA somehow. He's worth the money, but I'm assuming they'll rework it as a bonus to get below the cap. Palmer is shaping up nicely, but they're lacking that long speed. One addition (and hopefully a healthy one) puts this offense in a scary tier.

[Pullo Vision]

yeah, cutting your best players is always a good idea.

One analyst person based their argument on how Palmer could progress this year to step into the starting lineup. Another sounded sour on the top 2/3 WRs full stop, not just Allen- lack of speed and injuries, with a side of age. A 3rd pinned the issues on scheme and questioned if OC Lombardi should be let go.

Could also argue cap- currently 7mil over next year with 39 players under contract. Allen and Mack are the current the biggest cap saving cuts.

cap is always a problem, until it isn't. i'm exaggerating of course, but they can also restructure contracts and push back cap issues for a while. not sure if it works out with herbert needing an extension soon. but there's a lot of wizardry and shamanism going on in there.
scheme and OC can be a result of personnel, among other things, but you don't just cut a player if you don't like an offensive scheme. easier and cheaper to just tell the OC to piss off.
palmer is a good player but he's different from allen.
while 28 and 30 is basically a death sentence in dynasty, it isn't that bad in real life. injuries will always be an issue in football, and both williams and allen have been relatively healthy for four or five years before this season. they might take a bit longer to recover now, but i don't know if that's such a big factor.

they can use some speed in that offense, that much is true. but cutting your best receiver still won't help the offense.

i'm not saying it won't happen, it's happened before, but there's always a lot more talk about possible surprise releases, than actual releases.

Completely agree, cap is a weak argument. I'd rather ditch Williams over Allen, in terms of field play.

LAC will probably be looking to restructure KA somehow. He's worth the money, but I'm assuming they'll rework it as a bonus to get below the cap. Palmer is shaping up nicely, but they're lacking that long speed. One addition (and hopefully a healthy one) puts this offense in a scary tier.

Could definitely see a restructure. But, theoretically, Allen could play hardball and force the Chargers to either keep the contract or cut him. That'd give him a chance to crack into a weak FA WR market.