Offensive Guard Evan Mathis

[FanofPelicans]

OG Evan Mathis is an interesting option to consider for the Fins. He has played at a high level for years. He is an instant starter at a position of uncertainty for the Fins. It's not an easy choice to sign him though. He was going to make 5.5 million this year with a 1 million dollar signing bonus from Philly from his previous contract. That's a lot of money for an OG. Would he be happy with what the Fins could pay him? I don't know. Plus he is 33 years old. Would Mathis sign a one year contract? Does that even work for the Fins' current salary cap? I don't think the Fins really know what they have from the young OG's until full pads come on & they practice more and then have preseason games. The Fins are in win now mode so it's worth looking into.

 

[FlyerFinFan]

Yep kick the tires tax free money may lure him to Miami. But you are right we don't know what they currently have yet they may not need him.

 

[FanofPelicans]

Mathis has some ties to the Fins. Lazor was a QB coach at Philly and Mathis is a zone blocking OG which is what the Fins run as an offense. The Fins have a chance to sign him but the contract has to make sense for the Fins. On a similar note my first impression of Douglas was that he moves real well yet the more I learn about him the more I realize he's a strong guy. If his weight room strength can covert to playing strength he could be the starter at LG the Fins are looking for. It will also be interesting to see how much Thomas has improved. I think with a focus at OG rather than also playing tackle he has a better chance to develop. I don't read too much into him getting beat by players like Phillips in an OTA because I think Phillips will beat a lot of guards on Sundays because he wont have to be dealing with double teams like he did in college. With all due respect to other defenses, I think the Fins' guards will not face any greater challenges on gameday then what they face in practice with guys like Suh, Mosely, Phillips and others.

 

[FanofPelicans]

Yep kick the tires tax free money may lure him to Miami. But you are right we don't know what they currently have yet they may not need him.

Mathis is a proven commodity. When healthy he is nearly certain to improve the team's running game. His pass protection ability is consistent also. It would take a well designed contract but if the Fins were able to get it done it could be great for the team.

 

[psaboy]

Anyone have any updated news on this, I think if they can get for decent price they should grab, not sold on what they have on guard position now, could be major issue this season

 

[FanofPelicans]

psaboy, I think that the reason that he is still unsigned is because he & his agent are asking for the top price. He has a history of not missing games until last year. He's a consistent talent but he's also a 33 year old player who just missed half a season with injury. He seems fully recovered yet there is some risk with signing him to a multi year guaranteed contract. I think he'd make a big time impact at OG if/when he stays healthy yet most teams are probably hoping that they can develop the young players on their roster in hopes that they can find serviceable talent longer term with much less financial risk. Tannehill has never had a great oline and he still gets progressively better every year. I just hope whoever the Fins' OG's are that they don't hinder what could be a very good year for the offense. The Fins are stacked at WR & have the best group of RB's that they have had since THill has been here.

 

[FlyerFinFan]

Looks like the Fins will see what they have before signing anyone. Hopefully they know something we don't and feel confident that the status quo can do the job. We're getting close to finding out some answers.

 

[psaboy]

psaboy, I think that the reason that he is still unsigned is because he & his agent are asking for the top price. He has a history of not missing games until last year. He's a consistent talent but he's also a 33 year old player who just missed half a season with injury. He seems fully recovered yet there is some risk with signing him to a multi year guaranteed contract. I think he'd make a big time impact at OG if/when he stays healthy yet most teams are probably hoping that they can develop the young players on their roster in hopes that they can find serviceable talent longer term with much less financial risk. Tannehill has never had a great oline and he still gets progressively better every year. I just hope whoever the Fins' OG's are that they don't hinder what could be a very good year for the offense. The Fins are stacked at WR & have the best group of RB's that they have had since THill has been here.

Thanks for the insight fan, hopefully as season gets closer to starting and he is still unsigned, price will go down. I still think the line is the weak link here and could limit the chances for winning season/playoffs

 

[FlyerFinFan]

Thanks for the insight fan, hopefully as season gets closer to starting and he is still unsigned, price will go down. I still think the line is the weak link here and could limit the chances for winning season/playoffs

The price should drop as there will be other G cuts as the preseason starts. Fins should have a few options if needed.