HappyDays

It all rests on Allen. If he is a top 10 QB everything else will click together. If he doesn't develop none of their other moves will matter. I could see him being a total bust or becoming an MVP candidate. So I'm not entirely calm yet. I expect free agency and the draft to be particularly exciting this year, but mostly I'm anxious to see what steps Allen will take in his sophomore season.

I thought the opposite based on what his lawyer was saying about emails they'd reviewed. If they're settling now they must know they'll lose the case. I think they're more than happy to pay him and get his name out of the headlines before the league year begins.

It's nice to have a GM that does his homework and knows how to use the rules to his advantage.

I don't evaluate film like you do so I'm not going to try and rank him. Ideally you'd want to rank him with other run stuffers. He is obviously not a top 10 DT and he isn't being paid as one. He isn't even a top 20 DT, but some of those in the top 20 are on rookie deals so you can't really compare their salary. In any case it depends on what you mean by difference maker. Do teams specifically game plan around him, no. Did he improve the run defense, I think the answer is a definite yes. This was brought up earlier in the thread, Carolina's rush defense declined when he left and ours improved after we signed him. I know there are other factors - Milano improved, Shaq looked better, Taron Johnson defended the run well - but the biggest difference we made was adding Star. And that was with Edmunds struggling against the run most of the year. Here's Football Outsider's defensive line rankings: https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/dl They give us the 9th best in run blocking, and #1 overall in stuffed percentage. On 2nd level yards we ranked 24th. That signals to me that Star did his job well, but when rushers made it through him the LBs didn't do their jobs. In 2017 they had us 28th best in run blocking and 10th in stuffed percentage. Looks to me like Star was a difference maker.

I guess that's where the disagreement lies. He isn't being paid like a difference maker. He has the 15th highest average salary out of every DT. He is right between Dontari Poe and Cory Liuget on the salary list. I'd say that's a fair estimation of where his value lies. And the most recent contracts will always be slightly higher than the ones before. To me, Star is perfect value because I don't need an elite run stuffer in the modern NFL. Average to slightly above average is all I'm looking for, and that's exactly what our run defense was in 2018. $10 million per year isn't that much anymore. The salary cap increase this year alone pays his salary. The real difference makers are making over $15 million per year.

I agree but yeah the market isn't there this year. If someone like AJ Green is available could see us swinging a trade for him. But I'm hoping they straight up buy an offensive line. I don't trust rookie linemen and we could use to replace everyone except Dawkins and maybe Teller.

I would definitely bring him in to compete with Zay. He still has something left in the tank and he fits the process. He can actually catch the ball consistently, which is a plus. If we went into 2019 with Foster, Zay, Garcon, and a 1st or 2nd round rookie I would feel very comfortable with that group.

Not sure I agree. Overall they will build through the draft but they aren't saving all that free cap space for 3-4 seasons from now. I would expect them to go for one or two big names in free agency this year and it just so happens that the biggest names are on the offensive line. Beane came right out and said he would love a veteran center protecting Allen. They don't want to rely on a rookie for that job. I expect them to go pretty hard after Paradis or Morse even if they have to overpay. Being smart with the salary cap allows you to overpay a couple free agents per year. I really think they are trying to build the team like that Patriots. Draft your own, establish your system, but go for a big free agent now and again when it fits a need.

I had the same line of thought when I first considered the idea, but this would be like throwing a grenade into the locker room. Poyer is a leader on our defense. He's friends with White and Hyde. Trading him away and bringing in the guy that slept with their friend's wife would be the end of this regime. I'm done dreaming about Antonio Brown coming here. It has as much chance of happening as the Redskins signing Reuben Foster's girlfriend.

Man I would love Antonio Brown here. We would deal with his diva attitude in exchange for his top 5 WR skills for the next couple of seasons. But that can't happen because Jordan Poyer's Instagram model wife slept with him the day before their wedding. What a ridiculous world we live in...

The trolls here are fighting for real estate. Bad takes aren't enough. You need to have the WORST takes to really prove your mettle.

My prediction is Arizona trades for him with their 2nd round pick.

If he's an average guard he's an upgrade.

I don't care what percentage of guys do it again. That logic has been used to defend all sorts of ridiculous laws. By all accounts Simmons has been a model citizen and it happened several years ago. Maybe he'll screw up again but I won't assume anything.

I guess this could be a desperation move in September or October if all else fails.