Draft Is cool, but free agency is first.

[BritCard]

Who do you like as sleepers in FA? Guys you think are more talented than they have been in the league so far due to misuse or bad quality around them?

I like James Washington for our other outside WR (I'm not going to say WR2 because the league has changed).

I think he has much more in the tank than he was allowed to show with the dead arm of Big Ben at QB in an offense that was check down city.

He's not super quick but he's big bodied and knows how to get open down field. Career YPC of 14+ yards. 17+ in his best year.

I think he could be had on a cheap short term deal that would be a bargain.

 

[slanidrac16]

if we wait for cuts we have to compete with other teams for the players. Just like Rodney Hudson was planning on going to KC,...but he now plays for Arizona....trade.

I see your point and maybe we could do that for one player. Our cap space wouldn’t allow us to take on 3-4 “ studs”.

 

[slanidrac16]

Who do you like as sleepers in FA? Guys you think are more talented than they have been in the league so far due to misuse or bad quality around them?

I like James Washington for our other outside WR (I'm not going to say WR2 because the league has changed).

I think he has much more in the tank than he was allowed to show with the dead arm of Big Ben at QB in an offense that was check down city.

He's not super quick but he's big bodied and knows how to get open down field. Career YPC of 14+ yards. 17+ in his best year.

I think he could be had on a cheap short term deal that would be a bargain.

He crossed my mind too. Big is a must, however, speed is essential too. That’s why I like Cedric Wilson. He’s not as big but he is fast. Actually add both of the above mentioned could make this Wr corp lethal.
The word is Kirk is expected to make 12m this year. We could probably get both of these guys for less than that.
Love your input!

 

[slanidrac16]

I like the idea of going after Cordarelle Patterson.

He definitely is a Swiss Army knife type guy but I think he is going to get paid.
He is big and versatile. One might describe him as a poor man’s Samuels.

 

[slanidrac16]

Count me in the 10%, I know my limitations.

I disagree.

 

[BritCard]

He crossed my mind too. Big is a must, however, speed is essential too. That’s why I like Cedric Wilson. He’s not as big but he is fast. Actually add both of the above mentioned could make this Wr corp lethal.
The word is Kirk is expected to make 12m this year. We could probably get both of these guys for less than that.
Love your input!

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

$12m is not a lot for a player 7 yards shy of 1000 from scrimmage. Corey Davis is getting $11.5, Curtis Samuel $11.5 and Tim Patrick $11.3. $12m is fair money for him.

But also, while Kliff's scheme isn't super complicated there are a lot of option routes where WR and QB need to be on the same page. I'm not a fan of messing to much with the WR room outside of Green and having to wait for half of them to get up to speed.

 

[Crimson Warrior]

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

$12m is not a lot for a player 7 yards shy of 1000 from scrimmage. Corey Davis is getting $11.5, Curtis Samuel $11.5 and Tim Patrick $11.3. $12m is fair money for him.

But also, while Kliff's scheme isn't super complicated there are a lot of option routes where WR and QB need to be on the same page. I'm not a fan of messing to much with the WR room outside of Green and having to wait for half of them to get up to speed.

I agree that, for our WR room, Kirk appears to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Not by a great deal, but by enough that I agree with the bolded statement.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

you cant have kirk and hopkins both making big bucks. Need to spread the money around

 

[Crimson Warrior]

Who do you like as sleepers in FA? Guys you think are more talented than they have been in the league so far due to misuse or bad quality around them?

I like James Washington for our other outside WR (I'm not going to say WR2 because the league has changed).

I think he has much more in the tank than he was allowed to show with the dead arm of Big Ben at QB in an offense that was check down city.

He's not super quick but he's big bodied and knows how to get open down field. Career YPC of 14+ yards. 17+ in his best year.

I think he could be had on a cheap short term deal that would be a bargain.

Curious as to why you say WR2 isn't as much of thing as it used to be? Honest question...

And count me in for "twitchy" guys like Dhop and Tyreek Hill (even a working-class man's version of either one of them).

 

[football karma]

I want Kirk to stay personally.

im concerned that two years in a row, Kirk has disappeared in the back half of the season

 

[slanidrac16]

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

$12m is not a lot for a player 7 yards shy of 1000 from scrimmage. Corey Davis is getting $11.5, Curtis Samuel $11.5 and Tim Patrick $11.3. $12m is fair money for him.

But also, while Kliff's scheme isn't super complicated there are a lot of option routes where WR and QB need to be on the same page. I'm not a fan of messing to much with the WR room outside of Green and having to wait for half of them to get up to speed.

Okay Brit. I respect your opinion on Kirk. I can’t justify paying somebody based on what other players are getting paid.
Kirk is not a #1 Wr. Some might question if he is more than a very good wr3.
That being said I think our Wr’s are hurt by the lack of crossing patterns. Too many time we throw deep along the sidelines after the catch is made the receiver is heading out of bounds.
We have fast guys on this team. I don’t think Kirk plays as fast as he is which very well could be because of play design.
I just think we could get more bang for our buck moving on. I’m not going to be disgusted if he is retained but I think he hit his ceiling this year.

 

[kerouac9]

Who do you like as sleepers in FA? Guys you think are more talented than they have been in the league so far due to misuse or bad quality around them?

I like James Washington for our other outside WR (I'm not going to say WR2 because the league has changed).

I think he has much more in the tank than he was allowed to show with the dead arm of Big Ben at QB in an offense that was check down city.

He's not super quick but he's big bodied and knows how to get open down field. Career YPC of 14+ yards. 17+ in his best year.

I think he could be had on a cheap short term deal that would be a bargain.

He's probably JAG, but there are worse things than betting on the Steelers' ability to scout WR prospects. I wouldn't be surprised if Pittsburgh extends him before free agency starts and lets JuJu hit the open market.

The problem with putting chits in on guys like this is what we need is a reliable outside receiver — even if we re-sign Kirk. If you miss on Washington and he's Antoine Wesley, then you are no better off.

What about Keelan Cole (NYJ)? He's been stuck in JAX and NYJ and played over half the snaps for the Jets.

 

[QuebecCard]

I disagree.

And you would be wrong.

 

[BritCard]

Curious as to why you say WR2 isn't as much of thing as it used to be? Honest question...

And count me in for "twitchy" guys like Dhop and Tyreek Hill (even a working-class man's version of either one of them).

Because teams like to spread the ball around. The days of outside guy #1 is WR1 and outside guy #2 is WR2 is over. Kirk was WR2 on this team last year from the slot.

Washington would likely be WR3 at best here.

 

[BritCard]

im concerned that two years in a row, Kirk has disappeared in the back half of the season

Dude, 2 years in a row this offense has disappeared in the back half of the season.

 

[BritCard]

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

Okay Brit. I respect your opinion on Kirk. I can’t justify paying somebody based on what other players are getting paid.
Kirk is not a #1 Wr. Some might question if he is more than a very good wr3.
That being said I think our Wr’s are hurt by the lack of crossing patterns. Too many time we throw deep along the sidelines after the catch is made the receiver is heading out of bounds.
We have fast guys on this team. I don’t think Kirk plays as fast as he is which very well could be because of play design.
I just think we could get more bang for our buck moving on. I’m not going to be disgusted if he is retained but I think he hit his ceiling this year.

I just don't think this is at all realistic.

Mike Williams was the WR2 receiving leader this season with 1146 yards. (He's UFA this year actually and would really suit this team but likely cost too much)

Tee Higgins was next with 1091.

Then Mike Evans (Godwin had more targets and yards) with 1035.

Then Kirk with 982.

Christian Kirk was the 4th ranked WR2 in the league last year.

I'm not sure those here that think he is some kind of WR3 and not worth $12m have been watching what he's doing.

 

[gmabel830]

I think the temptation to Run It Back is going to be extremely strong. We may see one or two marquee free agent signings, but I'd be surprised to see too many. According to OvertheCap we only have $7.8MM in space going into this offseason (thanks again, Keim).

Gah! Get used to seeing Jordan Phillips and Devon Kennard on the 2022 roster, because there's little chance you can replace them for the money you'd get back cutting either of them.

You're better off trying to find a way to extend Humphries (LT) and Pugh (LG) and keeping the left side of your line together for the next three years. You could open up maybe $20 million in cap space by doing so.

You could also restructure Rodney Hudson's deal, but that would nudge his 2023 cap number to around $14 million and create around $10 million in dead money on his voidable 2024 year. That would free up another $8 million or so in cap space.

Priority free agents to retain:
Chandler Jones
Zach Ertz
Maxx Williams
Christian Kirk
Colt McCoy

Preferred free agents to retain:
Dennis Gardeck
Zeke Turner
James Conner
Max Garcia
Antonio Hamilton
Chase Edmonds
Antoine Wesley

How would you like to reunite WR Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins? Fuller can fly and has the size (6'0") to play on the outside. He's coming off a failure to prove much on a one-year prove it deal with the Dolphins, but could be the scratch-and-dent free agent for $3-5 million that can have a high impact.

How about rolling the dice on another Steelers interior OL in RG Trai Turner? Turner is just 29 and coming off a one-year deal with Pittsburgh where he played over 90% of their snaps.

Man, pickings are slim out there at RT (did you know Bobbie Massie is still playing in the NFL? He played over 70% of the snaps with the Broncos last year!) and CB.

Good stuff throughout here.

I agree replacing Phillips & Kennard with free agents is not a wise strategy, but they are both rotation players at this point that could be replaced with the right draft picks (cue symbol taps).

I'd extend Humphries but I'm not sure Pugh has 3 more quality years in him. I'd probably keep him around on current contract and draft a potential replacement after next season in middle rounds.

I'd add Conner to the priority free agent list with how he played last year. And, if we are not bringing Green back, Wesley is not priority but probably necessary to keep around.

I like the Trai Turner idea, but don't trust Will Fuller and think that Beachum is adequate at RT if we upgrade the RG position.

 

[QuebecCard]

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

$12m is not a lot for a player 7 yards shy of 1000 from scrimmage. Corey Davis is getting $11.5, Curtis Samuel $11.5 and Tim Patrick $11.3. $12m is fair money for him.

But also, while Kliff's scheme isn't super complicated there are a lot of option routes where WR and QB need to be on the same page. I'm not a fan of messing to much with the WR room outside of Green and having to wait for half of them to get up to speed.

The 'x-factor' in Kirk's future could be Adrian Wilson as the GM of the JAGS.

 

[BritCard]

The 'x-factor' in Kirk's future could be Adrian Wilson as the GM of the JAGS.

I don't see it personally. Jags is a **** show organisation and likely career suicide.

Plus he knows when Keim goes he has the job here and its one of the easiest in the league.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

I want Kirk to stay personally. I think he's talented and he's good friends with Kyler. He's homegrown and we should be resigning our picks.

Okay Brit. I respect your opinion on Kirk. I can’t justify paying somebody based on what other players are getting paid.
Kirk is not a #1 Wr. Some might question if he is more than a very good wr3.
That being said I think our Wr’s are hurt by the lack of crossing patterns. Too many time we throw deep along the sidelines after the catch is made the receiver is heading out of bounds.
We have fast guys on this team. I don’t think Kirk plays as fast as he is which very well could be because of play design.
I just think we could get more bang for our buck moving on. I’m not going to be disgusted if he is retained but I think he hit his ceiling this year.

thats on the qb, he cant throw over the middle because he is 3 ft tall.

 

[juza76]

I would prefer juju or dj Clark

 

[QuebecCard]

I don't see it personally. Jags is a **** show organisation and likely career suicide.

Plus he knows when Keim goes he has the job here and its one of the easiest in the league.

There are only 32 of these jobs in creation, and he has no idea whether Mike B. will turn to him, if or when.

 

[QuebecCard]

thats on the qb, he cant throw over the middle because he is 3 ft tall.

He seems to get shorter and shorter each time you post on this. Looking forward to 2 ft tall.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Who do you like as sleepers in FA? Guys you think are more talented than they have been in the league so far due to misuse or bad quality around them?

I like James Washington for our other outside WR (I'm not going to say WR2 because the league has changed).

I think he has much more in the tank than he was allowed to show with the dead arm of Big Ben at QB in an offense that was check down city.

He's not super quick but he's big bodied and knows how to get open down field. Career YPC of 14+ yards. 17+ in his best year.

I think he could be had on a cheap short term deal that would be a bargain.

I liked him coming out of college but it seemed every other receiver jumped him on Pittsburgh’s roster which left somewhat concerned.

 

[Chopper0080]

I think the temptation to Run It Back is going to be extremely strong. We may see one or two marquee free agent signings, but I'd be surprised to see too many. According to OvertheCap we only have $7.8MM in space going into this offseason (thanks again, Keim).

Gah! Get used to seeing Jordan Phillips and Devon Kennard on the 2022 roster, because there's little chance you can replace them for the money you'd get back cutting either of them.

You're better off trying to find a way to extend Humphries (LT) and Pugh (LG) and keeping the left side of your line together for the next three years. You could open up maybe $20 million in cap space by doing so.

You could also restructure Rodney Hudson's deal, but that would nudge his 2023 cap number to around $14 million and create around $10 million in dead money on his voidable 2024 year. That would free up another $8 million or so in cap space.

Priority free agents to retain:
Chandler Jones
Zach Ertz
Maxx Williams
Christian Kirk
Colt McCoy

Preferred free agents to retain:
Dennis Gardeck
Zeke Turner
James Conner
Max Garcia
Antonio Hamilton
Chase Edmonds
Antoine Wesley

How would you like to reunite WR Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins? Fuller can fly and has the size (6'0") to play on the outside. He's coming off a failure to prove much on a one-year prove it deal with the Dolphins, but could be the scratch-and-dent free agent for $3-5 million that can have a high impact.

How about rolling the dice on another Steelers interior OL in RG Trai Turner? Turner is just 29 and coming off a one-year deal with Pittsburgh where he played over 90% of their snaps.

Man, pickings are slim out there at RT (did you know Bobbie Massie is still playing in the NFL? He played over 70% of the snaps with the Broncos last year!) and CB.

I like the Fuller idea as he is a guy who probably benefits from a reduced snap %. A little like Desean Jackson in that regard. If you told me we moved Rondale to the Kirk role and gave Fuller Moore's snaps I think that is a pretty good 3/4 combo if the price is right.