Do you suppose any of these Panthers FA would want to come to AZ?

Gandhi

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All-Pro offensive guard Andrew Norwell could potentially be a huge signing. If he hits the open market he would most likely be the best and most coveted offensive guard, and probably offensive lineman in general. The competition would no doubt be steep but the same could be said about Mike Iupati before they signed him. Obviously, it could potentially make a difference in getting him that they now have Steve Wilks, and that they might also sign offensive line coach Ray Brown.

I guess it is still up in the air if they will move on from Mike Iupati and Jared Veldheer.

The reason why the Panthers might let Norwell leave though he is a great player and very important part of their strong offensive line is that last year they gave their other outstanding offensive guard, Trai Turner, a huge contract extension as well as signing left tackle Matt Kalil to a big deal in free agency. On top of that they already have center, and brother of Matt Kalil, Ryan Kalil on a big contract.
 

Chopper0080

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I think these four players are in play, but we do have to consider the price tag attached to them.

1-Andrew Norwell - LG - 26 (expected price, 5yrs - 55 mil)
-Best option to improve our line in 2018...similar to when we signed Iupati.

2-Julius Peppers - DE - 38 (expected price, 1yr - 3.5 mil)
-Could be a one year option to help the defense install.

3-Star Lotulelei - DT - 28 (expected price tag, 5yrs - 45 mil)
-If we wanted to add a size player as a 1T who understands the system.

4-Andrew Gachkar - OLB - 29 (expected price tag, 1yr - 800k)
-Defense install addition at a position where depth is needed.
 

Harry

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Norwell is the prize. He’ll cost $11-12m, but worth every penny of it. Wilks is on record as saying he wants to run. It’s accurate to say Norwell is better in pass protection. Still he’s at least average in run blocking with enough speed/quickness to pull and trap. He plays on the left and would be a great fit with Humphries. He also plays with attitude which hopefully would rub off Humphries. The good part is O-linemen are grouped for franchise tag purposes, so it would cost $15-16m to tag him. He’ll be on the market.
 

JeffGollin

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Norwell is the prize. He’ll cost $11-12m, but worth every penny of it. Wilks is on record as saying he wants to run. It’s accurate to say Norwell is better in pass protection. Still he’s at least average in run blocking with enough speed/quickness to pull and trap. He plays on the left and would be a great fit with Humphries. He also plays with attitude which hopefully would rub off Humphries. The good part is O-linemen are grouped for franchise tag purposes, so it would cost $15-16m to tag him. He’ll be on the market.
Begs question: Is a FA more likely to follow a position coach to a new club than he'd be likely to follow a HC?
 

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Keim loves his OL and will certainly try to land Norwell. Also don't forget his longtime OL coach is now with us. If we don't go after Cousins, I fully expect us to land Norwell. Keim got Iupati too who had a strong market.
 

MadCardDisease

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Keim loves his OL and will certainly try to land Norwell. Also don't forget his longtime OL coach is now with us. If we don't go after Cousins, I fully expect us to land Norwell. Keim got Iupati too who had a strong market.

Norwell is a fantastic guard but he is going to command a huge contract. IMO he is the crown jewel of the 2018 free agent offensive linemen. I would love to have him on the Cardinals though.

If we cut Iupati that will only cover about half of what it will cost to bring Norwell in. It still would be worth it IMO.

There will be a ton of competition for Norwell. I can see the NY Giants going after Norwell hard as they need OL help in the worst way. Plus NY GM Dave Gettleman was the guy who originally brought in Norwell as an UDFA when he was with the Panthers.

Of course the Cardinals have former Panther OL coach Ray Brown on our side as well as Wilks at HC if they do go after Nowell. So the Cardinals have a shot as well if they want to get into a bidding war.
 

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Keim loves his OL and will certainly try to land Norwell. Also don't forget his longtime OL coach is now with us. If we don't go after Cousins, I fully expect us to land Norwell. Keim got Iupati too who had a strong market.

Problem is there are a few teams with ridiculous amount of cap available to throw at players. Norwell would be a good place to throw it. Plus, I think Carolina is expected to have more cap space than us, so not sure they'll let him leave. I agree though, it would be nice.

Go Cards!!!
 
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I think these four players are in play, but we do have to consider the price tag attached to them.

1-Andrew Norwell - LG - 26 (expected price, 5yrs - 55 mil)
-Best option to improve our line in 2018...similar to when we signed Iupati.
One thing about Norwell that makes him a desirable aquisition is being only 26 years old, a club could anticipate a good 8 to 10 years of high productivity from him.
 

gmabel830

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Norwell is a fantastic guard but he is going to command a huge contract. IMO he is the crown jewel of the 2018 free agent offensive linemen. I would love to have him on the Cardinals though.

If we cut Iupati that will only cover about half of what it will cost to bring Norwell in. It still would be worth it IMO.

There will be a ton of competition for Norwell. I can see the NY Giants going after Norwell hard as they need OL help in the worst way. Plus NY GM Dave Gettleman was the guy who originally brought in Norwell as an UDFA when he was with the Panthers.

Of course the Cardinals have former Panther OL coach Ray Brown on our side as well as Wilks at HC if they do go after Nowell. So the Cardinals have a shot as well if they want to get into a bidding war.

Question then becomes should we cut Veldheer/Iupati and replace with Norwell/cheap RT? Or, keep Veldheer and find cheaper guard replacement for Iupati? Or cut both and replace with two above average free agents but not a top line guy like Norwell?
 

JeffGollin

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Question then becomes should we cut Veldheer/Iupati and replace with Norwell/cheap RT? Or, keep Veldheer and find cheaper guard replacement for Iupati? Or cut both and replace with two above average free agents but not a top line guy like Norwell?
Or rather: Question becomes: "Which offensive linemen do we need to win with (as starters or backups) and, if we have roster holes to plug, who in free agency is available for us to sign?"

More of an art than a science (Remember that last season, we thought we had plenty of OL depth only to be racked with injuries). I suspect the trick is to "manage" depth issuesa both surplus or lack-of - (like having a Plan B playbook that simplifies assignments so that backup linemen aren't hung out to dry).

My own personal bias is that experienced offensive linemen (even if only average) are like gold and shouldn't be cut unless we have an equal or better replacement. i also believe we should overpay for quality OLs if that's what it takes to build a really good wall.
 

Snakester

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I'd sign Norwell and then draft Will Hernandez in the second round. That takes care of both guard spots for years. I let Iupati go but keep Veldheer to pair with Humphries. Unless we take a tackle in the first round there is no way I let Veldheer walk. So far Humphries has not shown that he can stay healthy and I don't want to have two backups at tackle again. That means that we are only paying real money to only Norwell and Veldheer on the line which is very doable.
 

Chopper0080

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I'd sign Norwell and then draft Will Hernandez in the second round. That takes care of both guard spots for years. I let Iupati go but keep Veldheer to pair with Humphries. Unless we take a tackle in the first round there is no way I let Veldheer walk. So far Humphries has not shown that he can stay healthy and I don't want to have two backups at tackle again. That means that we are only paying real money to only Norwell and Veldheer on the line which is very doable.
I would rather draft Mason Cole in the second round to shore up the C position.
 

wit3card

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This. It seems like center is our weakest position on the line.
Since forever. Sendline was servicable at best.

I would have liked to see Boehm on his natural position, since C is a something total different than RG or LG ... but old BA didn't show us anything. So ... who knows about him.

But AQ Shipley isn't the answer for sure, he isn't a great C, he isn't good at run blocking not at pass blocking and not at managing the O-line.
 

RugbyMuffin

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Since forever. Sendline was servicable at best.

I would have liked to see Boehm on his natural position, since C is a something total different than RG or LG ... but old BA didn't show us anything. So ... who knows about him.

But AQ Shipley isn't the answer for sure, he isn't a great C, he isn't good at run blocking not at pass blocking and not at managing the O-line.

Shipley is gone. No way the current regime keeps him. Shipley's best asset was his link to Arians.
 
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