Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Over the Cap is an excellent website but you have to be careful how you use it. The cap space it shows is often an illusion. For example it shows the Cards have $37 million for 2017. However that number is based solely on players under contract. A closer look reveals a good chunk of that money will go to just field all the positions.
On offense the Cards have Boehm as the only center. He wasn't good enough to unseat Shipley. If you want Shipley back or any other starting center take $1 million at least off that cap. Want a top player like Alex Mack take off $4 million. Want to replace Mathis (FA) and have a Watford (FA) level backup, there goes another $5 million. So just filling the O-line with the same range of players eats up $6 million.
Want to play with 3 tight ends on the roster? Want a veteran with even Gresham level skills? That's another $3.5 million. Niklas and Momah are under contract for next year so now you've spent $9.5 million and it's time to look at running backs. Ellington and Johnson are both gone, so it's $3 million to replace them. That puts you at $12.5 used and the receivers will need some help.
Floyd is gone. Let's say they draft 12th and Mike Williams falls to them. That's around $2.5 million. Jaron Brown re-signed for about $1.5 million. So you've now spent $16.5 million and you really just have about the same level of players or less experienced ones on offense.
That doesn't seem like a disaster, you've got $21 million left for defense. I'll look at that in depth in a few days but if they tag Jones, there goes $15 million. Now you've still got to pay for the rest of the draft picks and oh yeah replace Campbell, Rucker, Minter, Jefferson and Swearinger with your remaining $6 million.
I've left out some maneuvering the Cards can do, which I'll cover later. However the Cards have cap problems just to put the same team on the field. That's why I say it's likely time to part with Palmer. That probably means Fitz leaves as well. Trying to squeeze out one more run seems a fantasy. The Cards have handsomely rewarded their good players. However, the bill is now coming due. The Cards need an impact draft, not the gambling projections they been mostly selecting. Sometimes a few wins just make a group over confident. It's time to place more secure selections and start developing some players. However, even with a good draft this will be a hard off-season just to come out a playoff contender.
On offense the Cards have Boehm as the only center. He wasn't good enough to unseat Shipley. If you want Shipley back or any other starting center take $1 million at least off that cap. Want a top player like Alex Mack take off $4 million. Want to replace Mathis (FA) and have a Watford (FA) level backup, there goes another $5 million. So just filling the O-line with the same range of players eats up $6 million.
Want to play with 3 tight ends on the roster? Want a veteran with even Gresham level skills? That's another $3.5 million. Niklas and Momah are under contract for next year so now you've spent $9.5 million and it's time to look at running backs. Ellington and Johnson are both gone, so it's $3 million to replace them. That puts you at $12.5 used and the receivers will need some help.
Floyd is gone. Let's say they draft 12th and Mike Williams falls to them. That's around $2.5 million. Jaron Brown re-signed for about $1.5 million. So you've now spent $16.5 million and you really just have about the same level of players or less experienced ones on offense.
That doesn't seem like a disaster, you've got $21 million left for defense. I'll look at that in depth in a few days but if they tag Jones, there goes $15 million. Now you've still got to pay for the rest of the draft picks and oh yeah replace Campbell, Rucker, Minter, Jefferson and Swearinger with your remaining $6 million.
I've left out some maneuvering the Cards can do, which I'll cover later. However the Cards have cap problems just to put the same team on the field. That's why I say it's likely time to part with Palmer. That probably means Fitz leaves as well. Trying to squeeze out one more run seems a fantasy. The Cards have handsomely rewarded their good players. However, the bill is now coming due. The Cards need an impact draft, not the gambling projections they been mostly selecting. Sometimes a few wins just make a group over confident. It's time to place more secure selections and start developing some players. However, even with a good draft this will be a hard off-season just to come out a playoff contender.
