Off-season news 2024

[flyerhawk]

All eyes will be on the defense. It for sure wasn't the single problem in 2023, but Macdonald cut his teeth on that side as young coach in the NFL and his rep as a defensive whiz is why he's now our HC. The amount of one year deals on defensive players this off-season is fascinating to me because next off-season they'll either have another period of very high roster turnover or have to open up the checkbook to keep a few of them around. I suppose a 3rd option is the D will feature tons of 1st contract players in 2025.

We had to eat a lot of dead cap money this year. That limited what we could do this offseason and, truth be told, there weren't a lot of top players available at positions of need on defense. I think Queen is a good player but not worth the contract he got. Same with Brooks. Safety was a similar story although I don't get why Simmons is still a FA.

Truth be told, if these guys all hit then that is a problem worth having. But statistically I think that is unlikely.

I am still very curious about how Macdonald sees the safety position playing out.

The O needs to be better in 2024 than last year though. It wasn't just all defensive issues that we had. In the middle of the season, the offense was downright feeble in way too many games. 3rd down conversion rate was poor, and we only scored more than 21 points 2 times in the final 8 games. Scored 16 points or fewer in 6 games on the season. Very difficult to win with scoring outputs that low in today's NFL.

It was flawed but I think still a pretty good offense last year. IMO, the offense had issues but I think that they are much more readily addressable.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

I would've been fairly annoyed had the Rams gotten Murphy - because he's the closest thing to an Aaron Donald replacement that was in this draft (no I'm not saying Murphy is going to be Aaron Donald - just saying he has the same mold, but I'm in no way comparing Murphy at this time to the best IDL in NFL history).

I thought we would've snagged Turner, but Turner had injury concerns. I would've been very happy with Latu as well... I was not so high on taking an OL in the 1st on this draft... I'm amazed Haynes fell to the 3rd but I thought the OL class was deep enough to snag a decent prospect with the 3rd... and we spent picks on Bradford, Oluwatimi, Lucas, Cross... I mean at some point you can't keep ignoring the DL. Outside of Mafe/Hall (and Hall was barely used) we really haven't done much in the last few years to build the front 7. I don't care how good your offense is, if you're allowing the worst TOP in the NFL and they can't ever get on the field because teams can run all over your defense at will... then what's the point?

will Howell start week 1?

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

will Howell start week 1?

Doubt it, not with what Geno is getting paid. Geno played fine last year when he was healthy - he just got banged up against the Giants and missed some time and then I think played injured...

Howell could also benefit from more sitting. He's still only 23 - will be 25 around the start of the 2025 season. And now they have a lot of NFL footage to work with him on.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Erm, and with Howell having 2 years left (a big thing) you can march him out there in 2025 for CHEAP and see whether 2026 is your draft year or he balls out and you resign him for a decent size. Would kind of suck to only have a 1 year sample size, but given that I also think you could negotiate something a little more in the realm of reasonable.

 

[JMR]

We had to eat a lot of dead cap money this year. That limited what we could do this offseason and, truth be told, there weren't a lot of top players available at positions of need on defense. I think Queen is a good player but not worth the contract he got. Same with Brooks. Safety was a similar story although I don't get why Simmons is still a FA.

Yeah, I think they are setting themselves up for greater roster flexibility next year after they get a better feel for which current players are good fits and which ones are not. As far as Queen goes, his 2024 hit is a very modest $6M so I would have loved him here at that price. I just don't put much stock in AAV because it's hardly every an accurate picture of the player's true cost to the team. And speaking of Queen, it was a surprise to see none of the Baltimore FA defenders follow Macdonald, especially when they all seemed to speak so highly of him.

It was flawed but I think still a pretty good offense last year. IMO, the offense had issues but I think that they are much more readily addressable.

Well, I hope so. It was really tough watching that offense for much of the year. They did next to nothing in many games and made life tougher on the defense as well. The stats show they were middle of the road or so, but that seems a bit of an underachievement when you have that much talent at RB and WR. I remember multiple times throughout the season making the post-game observation that the offense was just broken. After the week 3 matchup vs terrible Carolina, they had only 2 or 3 games where I think I could say they performed well. There's a lot to work with there, but also a lot of work to do.

 

[Anointed One]

will Howell start week 1?

Only if Geno is hurt... MM already has said that Geno is our starter...

 

[redskinsfan1963]

Only if Geno is hurt... MM already has said that Geno is our starter...

thanks

 

[Screamin12th]

Well, I hope so. It was really tough watching that offense for much of the year. They did next to nothing in many games and made life tougher on the defense as well. The stats show they were middle of the road or so, but that seems a bit of an underachievement when you have that much talent at RB and WR. I remember multiple times throughout the season making the post-game observation that the offense was just broken. After the week 3 matchup vs terrible Carolina, they had only 2 or 3 games where I think I could say they performed well. There's a lot to work with there, but also a lot of work to do.

100% this. The talent level on offense should make them a hard out but it was too easy to often for teams to stop them last year. This rubs me the wrong way and has now given me a rash lol. I expect more of the same in 2024 unless Grubb gets the running game dialed up. They CAN NOT rely on Geno winning games, that's just not the type of QB he is. He is middle of the pack at best and is capable of winning games IF the team is dynamic in other areas.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

100% this. The talent level on offense should make them a hard out but it was too easy to often for teams to stop them last year. This rubs me the wrong way and has now given me a rash lol. I expect more of the same in 2024 unless Grubb gets the running game dialed up. They CAN NOT rely on Geno winning games, that's just not the type of QB he is. He is middle of the pack at best and is capable of winning games IF the team is dynamic in other areas.

Agree on the talent and limitations of Geno and that Grubb has to have a more dynamic run game. But we also need a healthy O-line and for the young guys in the middle of it to be ready and capable of being good to very good. All the talent at RB and WR won't mean shit if the line gets dominated. Hopefully Cross and Lucas are healthy all year.

 

[Screamin12th]

2022 the Hawks gave up 2.7 Sacks per game ( 9th in scoring ), 2023 Hawks gave up 2.2 Sacks per game ( 17th in scoring )

Hawks were 10th in sacks allowed against. In other words in the top 10! Now i am not saying we had a top 10 Oline LMAO not even close what i am saying is Sacks were not the main reason our offense SUCKED! They were 15th in yards lost because of those sacks so +5 ... that sucks.

what really hurt us is 16th in completion percentage, 14th in passing yards per game, 20th in TD Passes, 15th in passer rating, 17th in scoring. even with a loaded WR group.

If sacks were directly tied to all those stats then they would be better seeing as we were a top 10 team in least sacks allowed against. If Howell becomes our QB those sack numbers will go up even higher. Raise your hand if you ever screamed at the TV just saying " Just step up into the pocket it was clean!!" or " Throw it away you had all the time in the world to THROW IT AWAY!" o/ I did a couple dozen times the past 5+ years lol.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

2022 the Hawks gave up 2.7 Sacks per game ( 9th in scoring ), 2023 Hawks gave up 2.2 Sacks per game ( 17th in scoring )

Hawks were 10th in sacks allowed against. In other words in the top 10! Now i am not saying we had a top 10 Oline LMAO not even close what i am saying is Sacks were not the main reason our offense SUCKED! They were 15th in yards lost because of those sacks so +5 ... that sucks.

what really hurt us is 16th in completion percentage, 14th in passing yards per game, 20th in TD Passes, 15th in passer rating, 17th in scoring. even with a loaded WR group.

If sacks were directly tied to all those stats then they would be better seeing as we were a top 10 team in least sacks allowed against. If Howell becomes our QB those sack numbers will go up even higher. Raise your hand if you ever screamed at the TV just saying " Just step up into the pocket it was clean!!" or " Throw it away you had all the time in the world to THROW IT AWAY!" o/ I did a couple dozen times the past 5+ years lol.

Well Geno was injured a couple games and it was pretty obvious playing injured (or not 100%) in a few others thanks to the tackle in the Giants game.

The other thing that hurt a lot of our offensive productivity was having the worst TOP defense in the NFL... offense was never able to get in any rhythm. Offense would come out and start out fine (scoring or moving nicely), then our defense would proceed to allow an 8 minute drive by the opposing team which still resulted in a score... forcing us to play catch up.

 

[Screamin12th]

The other thing that hurt a lot of our offensive productivity was having the worst TOP defense in the NFL...

You DO know that the offense had the worst ToP right? They go hand in hand. Had they sustained better then the defense could rest more. Hawks converted on only 33% of 3rd downs on offense, or 1 3rd down conversion in every 3 tries. Thats AWFUL! They converted 38.3% 3rd downs in 2022 and it was bad that year! The Hawks offense was one of the WORST at converting 3rd downs and that puts your defense on the field more. It's no shock that when the offense converted 3rd downs at 40% or better the Defense played better. These 100% go hand in hand. The Hawks also had one of the WORST redzone offenses in the NFL! Again this has a direct knock on "scoring" lol.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

You DO know that the offense had the worst ToP right? They go hand in hand. Had they sustained better then the defense could rest more. Hawks converted on only 33% of 3rd downs on offense, or 1 3rd down conversion in every 3 tries. Thats AWFUL! They converted 38.3% 3rd downs in 2022 and it was bad that year! The Hawks offense was one of the WORST at converting 3rd downs and that puts your defense on the field more. It's no shock that when the offense converted 3rd downs at 40% or better the Defense played better. These 100% go hand in hand. The Hawks also had one of the WORST redzone offenses in the NFL! Again this has a direct knock on "scoring" lol.

I do screamin.. but the number of times I saw our defense allow the 3rd worst NFL 3rd down conversion % was maddening..

 

[JMR]

Clearly the D needs improving, but let's not forget we played EIGHT games against offenses that finished in the top 8 for scoring. We played 4 games against the top 3 NFC seeds, 3 of them on the road. We also played the AFC top seed on the road. That's absurd. It ended up being a really difficult schedule.

 

[Screamin12th]

Clearly the D needs improving, but let's not forget we played EIGHT games against offenses that finished in the top 8 for scoring. We played 4 games against the top 3 NFC seeds, 3 of them on the road. We also played the AFC top seed on the road. That's absurd. It ended up being a really difficult schedule.

Yeah the D was pretty bad but they were up against some good teams/offenses. The Offense didn't help the D much at all. The D would make a stop then the offense would go 3 and out or maybe 5 plays putting the defense right back on the field only to then allow a score. It didn't help that we didnt run the ball much to eat up clock.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yeah the D was pretty bad but they were up against some good teams/offenses. The Offense didn't help the D much at all. The D would make a stop then the offense would go 3 and out or maybe 5 plays putting the defense right back on the field only to then allow a score. It didn't help that we didnt run the ball much to eat up clock.

I get what you're saying and I think that last sentence is a huge key which is why I talked about the Oline. Just using the sacks and pressures allowed doesn't really cover what the problem really was and that was interior line. They didn't consistently open holes for our RBs and a lot of the pressures on the QB were generated right up the middle. This isn't some lame defense of Geno either because he was afraid to throw guys open. The line was not good, period vs. good Dlines. Also, our offense ran up and down the field at will vs. the Cowboys and Lions and our defense totally shit the bed. We were lucky to beat the Lions. I know in a lot of game, the offense did as you said for large stretches but it wasn't just one thing or another. They work hand in hand.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

I get what you're saying and I think that last sentence is a huge key which is why I talked about the Oline. Just using the sacks and pressures allowed doesn't really cover what the problem really was and that was interior line. They didn't consistently open holes for our RBs and a lot of the pressures on the QB were generated right up the middle. This isn't some lame defense of Geno either because he was afraid to throw guys open. The line was not good, period vs. good Dlines. Also, our offense ran up and down the field at will vs. the Cowboys and Lions and our defense totally shit the bed. We were lucky to beat the Lions. I know in a lot of game, the offense did as you said for large stretches but it wasn't just one thing or another. They work hand in hand.

Well, I also had a problem with how Carroll ran Walker. It seemed like he just jammed him up the middle, no stretch plays, tosses, etc. He ran Walker like Lynch and Walker is anyone but Lynch... he needs to be off tackle running.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Well, I also had a problem with how Carroll ran Walker. It seemed like he just jammed him up the middle, no stretch plays, tosses, etc. He ran Walker like Lynch and Walker is anyone but Lynch... he needs to be off tackle running.

I agree that Walker isn't that guy but even Marshawn ran into walls when the interior line played shitty. I re-watched SB48 recently for fun and Marshawn literally had only 2 decent runs the entire game. And that was vs. just an average defense missing 4 starters. No team is consistently good at running the ball with crappy play from guards. I'm hoping Haynes can get up to speed quick and be at least good in that regard. Not sure if Bradford will pan out. Hope he improves and can be pushed by Haynes. Tosses and stretch plays are fine as a change of pace to throw off defenses but you can't make a living all the time that way. You need the guys up front to get a push and open holes in the middle.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

I agree that Walker isn't that guy but even Marshawn ran into walls when the interior line played shitty. I re-watched SB48 recently for fun and Marshawn literally had only 2 decent runs the entire game. And that was vs. just an average defense missing 4 starters. No team is consistently good at running the ball with crappy play from guards. I'm hoping Haynes can get up to speed quick and be at least good in that regard. Not sure if Bradford will pan out. Hope he improves and can be pushed by Haynes. Tosses and stretch plays are fine as a change of pace to throw off defenses but you can't make a living all the time that way. You need the guys up front to get a push and open holes in the middle.

True. And everyone saying "Seattle should've run the ball (I know that was SB49 but kind of to your point)" failed to realize Seattle was only 1 for 4 in goal line situations that season because of lackluster guard play. We haven't had a great guard since the 'curse of Hutchinson' *sigh*

Bradford already has an ankle injury in OTA lol. I think Haynes will start immediately - and he should anyway. He was the best 'pure guard' in that draft. How he fell to us in the 3rd was unbelievable - guess we can thank the ridiculous run on OL in the 1st. Tomlinson MIGHT find something in Seattle.. he played fine for SF and fell off in New York the last couple years - but it's the Jets so....

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Nwosu is practicing without any limitation so that's a positive in OTAs.