It has been an exciting offseason. We made the first big move trading for Deebo Samuel. Then, we weren’t done there as we went on to trade for one of the best left tackles in the league, Laremy Tunsil. The front office made it clear they were are prioritizing protecting and providing weapons for our quarterback. For the time being, we have the ability to throw money into other positions to create the best possible roster. This roster building window is finite as I believe in due time Jayden will be the highest paid quarterback of all time. Also, it can’t be understated the importance of Kliff not leaving for a head coaching job. Continuity with the same staff gives me all the more confidence that we will not see any slump whatsoever from our guy. Kliff knows a head coaching job will be there when he chooses to make that move.
I have listed out of all the acquisitions and key departures through this cycle. I can gladly say we held onto all of the contributors who I hoped to see back in the burgundy and gold. The two most important returnees being Bobby and Zach. A young quarterback’s best friend (other than Sam Hartman) is his veteran tight end, and we returned the field general on defense. The biggest departer was obviously Benjamin St. Juste. Thank the lord we never have to watch that guy play for our team again. My opinion on Jon Allen ended up being correct. It was simply a bad contract. I thank him for everything he did on the team and within the community. I was surprised we didn’t offload Payne as well. I expect that could be a trade during the season depending on how the DTs we picked up perform. I’m led to believe Newton and Kinlaw are trending toward being the starters for the next few years.
With respect to free agency, I believe we filled many holes within the roster. We picked up Jonathon Jones who will likely end up being BSJ’s replacement. It’s tough to downgrade from there. This should allow Mikey to go back into the slot where he’s best. We brought in Will Harris as a replacement for Jeremy Chinn. I was and still am a big fan of Chinn. I imagine his price tag played into the decision to let him walk. We added Harris for about half the price of Chinn. I would call that business well done by Adam.
One of the biggest issues with our defense last year was setting the edge. When you play Saquon three times in a season, this is a problem that is going to be exploited more than you would hope. Defensive end is a position I hope we address early in the draft. I was content to see us allow Dante to walk after his antics. It is one thing to believe your value is higher than what the market says. But, it is another thing to go and complain about it on social media. I will say if you’re trying to get a team to re-sign you then that is probably one of the last things you want to do. Anyways, he shipped it down to Dallas and is staying in the division. I guess all there is to say is good on him for grabbing another 6 million from the undisputed worst GM in football.
Dyami Brown and OZ will be missed, sort of. The bad taste from the OZ dropped punt against Pittsburgh still has not left my mouth. Regardless, he played well in flashes throughout the season. On the other hand, Dyami Brown was a nonfactor all year until it mattered most. It’s hard to be upset when a guy puts it together and turns 3 good games into a 10 million dollar deal. Personally, I would’ve hated us paying him that kind of money. But, I am happy for him and wish him best. I am most concerned with the status of Jameison Crowder. I would like him to come back on a team friendly deal. I don’t know why, but I feel much more secure when he is the one returning punts. He is old but reliable and that’s all I care about when it comes to not muffing punts.
There are some other names to highlight. I am glad we brought back Mariota. He delivered every time his services were needed. There was a surprising level of interest in John Bates this offseason. We all know the guy doesn’t necessarily fill up the stat sheet, but he plays a pivotal role in our run game and is another asset when it comes to protecting our young king. For those reasons, I’m happy to have him back. Another depth signing was Igbinohene. I consider him a serviceable backup. Noah Brown was also brought back. After the Hail Mary, he is welcome to stay on the roster for as long as he likes. Last but not least, we brought back a franchise player in Tress Way. No further explanation need there. Outside of the names mentioned, I do not know much about the other players we signed. We added depth in the trenches which is never a bad thing.
Now, let’s get into the draft. Our biggest position of need is without a doubt defensive end. I see us trading back at 29, but if we decide to pick there should be some quality players waiting for us. Some names to look out for include Shemar Stewart, James Pearce, Mike Green, and Donavan Ezeiruaku. I don’t expect Mykel Williams to be there. And, the only way Abdul Carter is there is if a video of him smoking crack leaks before the draft. My #1 choice out of the crew that could be there is Shemar. If we do trade back, I would like to add Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, or Landon Jackson. Of the 9 names I just mentioned, I have hopes that at least one will be playing in DC.
Another position of need is defensive back. Some names I like there are Maxwell Harrison, Shavon Revel, Will Johnson, and Nick Emmanwori. Will Johnson’s stock has taken a big hit, but I still have hopes of him turning into a lockdown guy. Similar to Shemar, I wouldn’t hate using our first round pick on him. In my opinion, I believe a trade back and grabbing Revel would be the best move. Although it’s not the deepest class, one more position of need is linebacker. We need more depth after Bobby and Luvu. I would love if we grabbed Danny Stutsman with a later pick.
The next two positions of need cater to surrounding JD5 with more weapons. We are in the market for a running back and one more receiver. I believe whoever we pick will overtake BRob as RB1 in the future. This is the deepest running back class we have seen in years. We will be able to draft a serviceable back with high upside after the first. I would love if we took Treyveon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins in the second. I would also like if we took Cam Skattebo or Dylan Sampson at 128. Looking at wide receivers, it wouldn’t shock me if we took Emeka Egbuka at 29. Although, I would much, much rather prefer going defense there. Another target I would like to pick up is Tai Felton. He led the Big 10 in yards for most of the year with terrible quarterback play.
At the end of the day, I won’t be shocked when we end up drafting a bunch of guys I have never heard of. If the defensive ends and corners go early, then I believe we will trade back. I don’t see us using our first round pick on an offensive guy. Our defense gave up almost 60 to the Eagles and we did a less than stellar job revamping the group in the free agency. The unit we have at defensive end just isn’t going to cut it. It is very important that we hit on a guy who can get after the quarterback and set the edge.
I trust whatever Adam Peters decides to do. Him and his cryptic press conference answers are close to impossible to decipher. Seems like they don’t even know what they’re doing tonight. I imagine it’s tough when there are 28 teams picking before you. Either way I look forward to welcoming five (or more) new players to the team over the next few days. Regardless of who we draft, I will be rooting for them on Sundays. I’ll report back following the draft with my thoughts on each pick. Until then, wishing everyone a good offseason. In the meantime, go Caps.
Photo Credit: Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
Returning Players
Tress Way (P)
Bobby Wagner (LB)
Zach Ertz (TE)
Noah Brown (WR)
Zane Gonzalez (K)
John Bates (TE)
Jeremy McNichols (RB)
Marcus Mariota (QB)
KJ Osborn (WR)
Noah Igbinoghene (CB)
Trent Scott (OT)
Clelin Ferrell (DE)
Jalyn Holmes (DE)
Nick Bellore (LB)
Michael Deiter (C)
Sheldon Day (DT)
Newcomers
Laremy Tunsil (OT)
Deebo Samuel (ATH)
Javon Kinlaw (DT)
Will Harris (S)
Jonathon Jones (CB)
Michael Gallup (WR)
Nate Herbig (G)
Eddie Golden (DT)
Deatrich Wise (DE)
Jacob Martin (DE)
Foster Sarell (OT)
TJ Maguranyanga (DE*)
Key Departures
Benjamin St. Juste (CB)
Jonathan Allen (DT)
Jeremy Chinn (S)
Dante Fowler Jr. (DE)
Dyami Brown (WR)
Olamade Zaccheus (WR)
Darrick Forrest (S)
Mykal Walker (LB)