REMAINING FREE AGENTS

[Dr. Evil-er]

While recognizing of course that no one wants to play for Detroit, and trying to avoid the TP strategy of bringing in every player who is left out there?

Is Barksdale worth at look at RT given Waddle's injury status? He is certainly an upgrade over Lucas and Willams who I don't think are ready. At this point he certainly would come cheap.

What about Bowers at DE? He is 25 and offers a ton of potential upside and would also be very cheap. If Johnson goes to TB I think he could make some sense?

I would be looking for additional young guys who offer potential. Cheap to add with easy out deals if it doesn't work. certainly losing a 7th rd comp pick if we sign guys like that means nothing. They are the same type of players anyway, young with upside, same as a 7th rd pick.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Given that he was a RFA if Johnson ends up in TB would that possibly add another comp pick. I suspect that if eligible that's a 6th rd one.

 

[Old Lion]

Probably a no on Bowers. Taylor is a Jason Jones clone and needs to be out there to become just that. We have Tapp and Webster too and that new FA who is a Tapp clone. We would have to drop one of them to make room. I would be OK with it if we did that. I believe Bowers is another guy that could be a 3-4 end as well. If something happened to Jones or Taylor, it would also make sense to get him.

No for sure on Barksdale. For now anyway. Too much O-line talent in this draft. Can reexamine after the draft. I also like Lucas very much. I think once he gets acclimated he could be a better LT than Reiff.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

I think once he gets acclimated he could be a better LT than Reiff.

Do we have time for that. That's another season or two away I'd say.

I actually really like the Bowers idea. I expected to see a jump in Taylor's play in his second year but he disappointed. Jones will be a FA after the season and provides his best value inside on passing downs. Tapp surprised last year but is there really any upside there? Webster is a project and this Hunt guy is a CFL player.

Webster is PS eligible and I suspect so is Hunt. You'd have very little exposure with Bowers because you wouldn't be needing to put much of a signing bonus on what will be a cheap deal anyway. I really have no idea what it might take there, say a $600k bonus on a three year deal. That's all you guarantee as well, just $600k, basically the league minimum amount for his years in the league (guessing at that number, didn't look up the actual amount).

Even if you cut him in camp you are only on the hook for this seasons hit, which is $200k. You would have $400k next year but who cares, we should have plenty of space. Dead $ is a part of the game that good teams use well. I just think his potential upside is worth the risk at a contract like that.

 

[jdwills126]

I thought Johnson would not give Detroit a comp pick.

Barksdale's value is pretty low and he would probably come at a decent price. If not I would prefer to see the Lions become shoppers after cuts. A team that drafts well could release a solid veteran and I would much rather see a guy like that than what is left on the FA market.

 

[LionsWhyMe]

Aren't the Lions strapped for cash in the Salary Cap?

 

[jdwills126]

Aren't the Lions strapped for cash in the Salary Cap?

I think the Lions have 4.1 million in cap space and that will be for the drafted players. But the Lions can structure a deal that fits for the right guy.

My guess is Barksdale price has gone down and will go down further the closer to training camp we get.

 

[tpaulus_2]

While recognizing of course that no one wants to play for Detroit, and trying to avoid the TP strategy of bringing in every player who is left out there?

Is Barksdale worth at look at RT given Waddle's injury status? He is certainly an upgrade over Lucas and Willams who I don't think are ready. At this point he certainly would come cheap.

What about Bowers at DE? He is 25 and offers a ton of potential upside and would also be very cheap. If Johnson goes to TB I think he could make some sense?

I would be looking for additional young guys who offer potential. Cheap to add with easy out deals if it doesn't work. certainly losing a 7th rd comp pick if we sign guys like that means nothing. They are the same type of players anyway, young with upside, same as a 7th rd pick.

A.) Fuck you

2.) I think Barksdale would be worth a look after the draft if we don't improve the position that way. He's a decent RT without a doubt. Waddle is probably better is healthy, but that's a big "if" lately with him.

I think Bowers would be a good option for the d-line given his role as a hybrid DT/DE. He's been a major disappointment thus far in his career, but we have better coaching in that department than he's been exposed to, so maybe there's untapped potential to be had there.

C.) After May 10th (or 12th? Idk) free agent signings don't count against the comp formula, so signings should pick up then, as the rest of the free gents get scooped up heading into training camp.

D.) Chris Johnson, Juston Blaylock, Stefen Wisniewski, Red Bryant, C.J. Mosley, Tarell Brown, and Jarrett Bush are all guys I'd look at to plug holes for a year or two. Wisniewski is the only one of that group with long-term potential, imo, and Bush would just be to bolster our special teams coverage.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I'll second the low-risk scenario for Bowers. We wouldn't have to cut any of the guys OldLion mentioned right away, as rosters are at 90 players right now. Bring Bowers in on a low-risk deal like the good Dr. laid out above, and if he beats out one of those other guys, great, and if not, oh well, at least we had some good talent in camp pushing for a spot. We're out a few hundred grand against the cap, not really a big deal.

The other thing to consider, too, is that he has become a full-on hybrid DL in the last season-and-a-half, so he might secure a spot as the 3rd or 4th DT and not take a roster spot for any of our DTs.

I'd absolutely bring him in on a flier and let Jim Washburn go to work on refining his game...

 

[Old Lion]

I'll second the low-risk scenario for Bowers. We wouldn't have to cut any of the guys OldLion mentioned right away, as rosters are at 90 players right now. Bring Bowers in on a low-risk deal like the good Dr. laid out above, and if he beats out one of those other guys, great, and if not, oh well, at least we had some good talent in camp pushing for a spot. We're out a few hundred grand against the cap, not really a big deal.

The other thing to consider, too, is that he has become a full-on hybrid DL in the last season-and-a-half, so he might secure a spot as the 3rd or 4th DT and not take a roster spot for any of our DTs.

I'd absolutely bring him in on a flier and let Jim Washburn go to work on refining his game...

That is the 1 thing I like too. He can play multiple positions. He might need to add a few pounds to be a 3 technique though. He could also be a good fit to plug inside wiith JJ on passing downs.

 

[LionsWhyMe]

I think the Lions have 4.1 million in cap space and that will be for the drafted players. But the Lions can structure a deal that fits for the right guy.

My guess is Barksdale price has gone down and will go down further the closer to training camp we get.

That's not to bad. I thought the drafted players were already figured into the Cap.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

That's not to bad. I thought the drafted players were already figured into the Cap.

To some extent they are. The current cap spending we are showing includes amounts for players whose roster spots will be lost to those rookies.

Any players drafted in 4th or later rounds won't even have an impact. What they cost is no different than the guys they replace.

Even a 3rd rd pick doesn't cost that much more. Given where we are picking from, and the number of picks we have, even if you assume that every draft pick makes the team I estimate that it will only add about $1.5m to our cap spending.

 

[LionsWhyMe]

To some extent they are. The current cap spending we are showing includes amounts for players whose roster spots will be lost to those rookies.

Any players drafted in 4th or later rounds won't even have an impact. What they cost is no different than the guys they replace.

Even a 3rd rd pick doesn't cost that much more. Given where we are picking from, and the number of picks we have, even if you assume that every draft pick makes the team I estimate that it will only add about $1.5m to our cap spending.

Looked on a link I have for Salary Cap that has a category called Draft Pool (projected) which is factored into the Cap Totals. I like simple... Detroit Lions 2015 Salary Cap Table | Spotrac

 

[gvsulaker82]

I wouldn't mind bowers. He has a ton of upside.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Looked on a link I have for Salary Cap that has a category called Draft Pool (projected) which is factored into the Cap Totals. I like simple... Detroit Lions 2015 Salary Cap Table | Spotrac

Spotrac and Over The Cap never seem to agree on numbers, despite the fact that Spotrac actually gets part of their data from Over The Cap since that comes directly from the NFLPA.

Basically we have somewhere between about $3.625m and $5.1m in space. The only number they are in agreement on is the rookie pool at $4,141,082.

Neither of those sites are providing an adjusted rookie pool though. For each rookie contract that comes on, a current top 51 contract must fall off. Depending on which site you use, OTC is counting the G. Johnson contract whereas Spotrac is not, which alters which players are the bottom 5, somewhere between $2.78m or $2.85m will be replaced by the $4.14m from the rookies.

That will make the net impact of the rookies a deduction of around $1.3-$1.36m. Once that is done our cap space is going to be somewhere between roughly $2.3m and $3.7m.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Corey Wootton would be an interesting addition to the D-line. He can play multiple positions and has had some success rushing the passer in our division...

 

[RobBase]

Hard to believe two guys who played on our online forever drum up exactly zero interest from other teams once their Lions contracts run out. And we wonder why the running game has sucked forever, when the Lions are playing with guys no one else would even sniff.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Hard to believe two guys who played on our online forever drum up exactly zero interest from other teams once their Lions contracts run out. And we wonder why the running game has sucked forever, when the Lions are playing with guys no one else would even sniff.

Exact same thing you will see when The Clown Show finally hits the unemployment line. Will never work in the NFL again.

Millenhew couldn't even get a job as an assistant to a scout and LewanDUI couldn't be a cashier at a concession stand given his horrific money management skills

 

[gandydancer]

Hard to believe two guys who played on our online forever drum up exactly zero interest from other teams once their Lions contracts run out. And we wonder why the running game has sucked forever, when the Lions are playing with guys no one else would even sniff.

Who are talking about? Godser and Peterman or Sims and Dom? Kinda of hard to drum up interest when you should have retired the season prior.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Who are talking about? Godser and Peterman or Sims and Dom? Kinda of hard to drum up interest when you should have retired the season prior.

Dom and Sims are certainly who he means there. Both want to keep playing, neither have retired. Both have agents that would be out there looking for a team but neither have been mentioned even once as linked to a team that has even brought them in for a visit.

It's sad that for a team wanting to run the ball that two starters from last year cant find even one team interested in them. What he is saying, and I complete agree with, is that when your o-line is garbage it should surprise no one that we cant run the ball.

And although I realize its getting old now but who do we draft, a TE with a very high drop %. The stupidity of that pick is beyond belief. I have said that LewanDUI lacks vision numerous times but so does Mayhew. They hadn't resigned Ravioli when the draft came along and he was a FA, Sims was coming off a shit year and was set to be a FA after the season, and although he had played well the year before you had an undrafted second year player penciled in to be the starter at RT.

Martin was evaluated as a guy who could play all five positions on the line. He would have competed to push out the losers at LG and C, and perhaps even move Reiff to the right side. At an absolute minimum he provides great depth at multiple positions and is a starter for sure this year.