SCBills

Nah, not about to criticize Beane for signing Von to (essentially) a 3 year deal. Defensive Line is THE most important part of your Defense - and is critical to post-season success. Year 1 didn't work out. It is what it is. I still believe Von will give us above average DE play with elite flashes in big moments for the next 2 years. To me, that's worth the monetary investment at that position. What we should do with the DL this off-season, however, is clean up the mistakes and prepare for the future.. -Ship Oliver and Basham out of here for whatever we can get. -Extend Daquan Jones. -Work out a way to get Jerry Hughes back. -Draft a space eating DT. -Bring back Shaq and Phillips. Gives us Von, Hughes, Rousseau, Epenesa and Shaq at EDGE, with Daquan, Draft Pick, Settle and Phillips inside. Also gives us Von, Rousseau, Daquan and a Draft Pick locked up past next year.

6/120 would be mind numbing... 7/120, I could live with... and it might actually make sense to give Edmunds a massively long deal given how young he is. Would allow for quite a bit of flexibility in terms of backloading and the ability to restructure down the line.

If Addison falls to 20.. I'm going to be anxiety ridden every pick waiting to see we traded up.

Can I interest you in a defensive assistant from the Panthers?

It's just a different world that we're now living in. Every decision has to be weighed against the question "Does this help us win a Super Bowl"? As of right now, we can't even get back to the AFC Championship Game. The reason for that is because KC and Cincinnati also have elite QB's and are out-performing us in recent drafts and off-season decision making... amongst other issues like being superior to us in terms of coaching and coordinators. We could be better in coaching, free agency and drafting than every other team in the AFC but the Chiefs and Bengals... but if we can't get past either of them when it matters, that's a massive problem. Von going down was a killer. There should be some grace for that. If Chris Jones goes down like Von did, KC is not in the Super Bowl. However, when we're at 3 years in a row of this.. you start to lose the fanbase when it comes to, perhaps, valid excuses (Von, Hyde, Hamlin, Kim etc.,)

Rousseau in a nice DL2 when you have an elite DL1 out there.. which we had with Von. Think Frank Clark with Chris Jones. Frank Clark isn't doing anything to scare anyone when Chris Jones isn't on the field, but when Jones has been out there the past few years, a guy like Clark becomes dangerous. With where we're drafting, it may make more sense to look for elite pocket collapsing DT's. Then we can take flyers on pass rushers to look better than they are if we constantly have top tier DT play.. and then hope we hit on one and/or have the ability to bring in a big FA every few years.

I'm looking at this off-season to see if our FO starts acting proactively. You make a great point here. The proactive move would be trading Oliver, maybe even trading Epenesa for a late round pick. Neither should be in their plans moving forward. Neither is integral to our Defense. We could desperately use a couple extra Day 3 picks. We could desperately use the 12M in cap space. Looking past '23, the only DL under contract are Von, Rousseau and Basham. If I were GM.. Extend Daquan Jones, trade Oliver and AJ, give Kingsley Jonathan a shot at DE5, bring back Shaq and Phillips and draft a DT. Von, Rousseau, Shaq, Basham, Kingsley Daquan, Settle, Phillips, DT Draft Pick Under contract for '24: Von, Rousseau, Basham, Daquan, DT Draft Pick.

I'd agree. Everyone would likely be gone. That's just how it goes in the NFL. If you can't lock down the QB position, you're a year to year HC/GM. Outside Allen, he's definitely been a mixed bag. Day 1 has been solid. Diggs, Edmunds, Rousseau (good). Oliver (bad). Elam (TBD). Day 2 has been an absolute mess. Day 3 has also been solid. Free Agency has been below average. Way too much focus on OL depth/flex and DL rotation (which has produced poor results). Not enough focus on WR and legit protection for Allen. We also have paid quite a bit for ST's depth guys.. a strange luxury to focus on when you have such an expensive roster. Jones and Von were steps in the right direction. Not much we can do when our two best DL, both acquired via FA, missed the game that ended our season. Nice point about the 5th year options. If we were always going to extend Edmunds, why on earth did we wait, knowing this likely cost us a few million when we put a better DL in front of him for much of the season in his contract year? Why did we pick up Oliver's 5th year option? That 11.5M could be used to sign a premium OL or towards a Meyers or OBJ in FA. Maybe we trade him, but this team continues to NOT do things that seem obvious to everyone, so...

I have no interest in a guy who may be able to do this, or may be able to do that... positional flex bla bla... enough.. just give Josh Allen a good OL. If that means taking a guy who's a slam dunk at RT, but only RT, so be it. Spencer Brown can become the swing tackle and take on the Bobby Hart role in heavy personnel. If that means signing/drafting a Guard high, just do it. If the biggest help Allen gets this off-season is a RD3 pick in OT Bergeron and us kicking him inside to cross train at Guard, I might lose it.

Take a Day 3 RB and let Singletary walk. I don't even want him back on a minimum deal. Cook Day 3 Pick Hines This team doesn't have the need, nor the luxury, to be taking a RB anywhere in the Top 100 picks.

Allen obviously saves Beane, but that's the case for any GM. Joe Douglas is in hot water with half the fanbase because he keeps missing on QB and OL despite some big hits. Trade for Diggs was a great move. Can't have a RD1 discussion without that. Outside Allen, I'd say Edmunds and Rousseau are good for where they were drafted. Neither is a bust and both are high potential guys with a floor being an above average player at their position. Oliver was a big miss. He's one of the most frustrating draft picks of the Beane era. We will likely never draft that high for a long time and we completely missed. This guy likely isn't a building block and he's not been a difference maker. Top 10 pick... wasted. Elam, I like a lot. No clue what the problem was, but Beane can't make McD/Frazier give guys playing time and allow them to play through mistakes. I'm expecting him to be very good, but it's obviously too early to tell. Now Day 2.... Day 2 is where Beane needs to get his act together.

I'd love to move Oliver and Epenesa. Both on the last year of their rookie deals. Both not likely to be extended unless they blow up, in which case we'd have a whole new set of issues to deal with. If we could get back a 4th for Oliver and a 6th for Epenesa, I'd be thrilled. Clear out Oliver's cap hit and give Kingsley Jonathan Epenesa's role. Bring back Phillips, Shaq and draft a DT. We need to get started on future contingencies for this DL anyway. Oliver, Jones, Settle, Epenesa all on the last year of their deals. Phillips and Lawson would likely be back on one year deals again as well.

Day 2 has been the issue. And it's a massive issue. I agree that RD1 has been fine. Not a ton of qualms with Beane here. I also agree that this past draft class may age very well. Ridiculous how they handled Elam, but he has a ton of talent and showed well when give the chance. Cook showed RB1 (in our Offense) potential. Shakir and Benford are, at least, solid rotation/depth contributors. Could never predict what happened with Araiza, and if the Bernard pick was OL, WR, S etc., we may well be looking at a Chiefs-like draft minus the excess picks from a trade.

When the collective fanbase is at a loss for picks like Basham and Bernard, and then Basham does nothing for 2 years of his rookie contract, while Bernard can't even see the field as a rookie when there are injuries ahead of him... I think it's beyond armchair GM's. I don't ever want to feel like we know more than our FO, yet lately, it seems like it... at least on Day 2.

I hear the Cover 1 guys hyping up Darnell Wright, the RT from Tennessee. He's a stud, but seems to be a strictly RT. Not sure if that fits our philosophy of having guys we can move around, but having Dawkins at LT and Wright at RT playing at a high level for the next few years as bookends is enticing. Frees Brown up to be the swing tackle. developed more and OL6/TE3 in heavy packages. That being said.. Brown could absolutely be the answer. He could also stay a liability.. But he is so raw, but so, so physically gifted. There, at least, has to be a contingency in place, but I wouldn't be shocked if Spencer Brown makes a huge leap if he can get a full off-season in.

I don’t think it’s crazy to say this. I like Elam’s game a lot. No idea what the problem was with McD & Frazier here. Judging by ACL timelines, if Tre is going to be that guy again, it will happen this year. Taron Johnson is a top 5 slot corner. Micah Hyde back at Safety. Let’s hope he’s back to 100. The potential of 4/5th’s of this secondary is honestly a top secondary in the NFL. We’ll see what they do at the other Safety spot.

Because no one is really making that argument. Beane is, justifiably, being called out for his Day 2 picks. That said.. Oliver was a big miss. Edmunds is an enigma. Allen and Diggs, sure. Rousseau and Elam.. too soon to tell.

DL needs to be more stout. They were with Jones healthy. Need another like Jones. Couldn't agree more. I want Oliver out of here. Trade him for a conditional 7th, do not care. He's too small and his cap hit is way too big. DL needs more finishers in the pass rush. Von never got to show it in the playoffs. He’s all we got and he’s old and injured. Eh.. Von is a freak. I still think he could give us a strong 2 years until we reach the outs in his contract. Rousseau hasn't made the jump to elite EDGE, but with Von back in the mix, they are a strong 1-2 combo. DBs need more man talent. We need DBs that can matchup physically and put pressure on WRs. Elam is that guy. No idea what the problem was with McD/Frazier and Kaiir, but he's our most talented DB. Other than that, we have to hope White returns to Pro-Bowl caliber play. If it's going to happen, it will happen this year (following DB ACL recovery timelines) WRs need speed and players that can make a play for Josh besides Diggs. Yup. Need an overhaul. I'd let Edmunds walk, use his money on someone like Meyers, then also draft a WR1 traits guy in RD1...but I highly doubt our staff would do that. OL needs better interior OL play. Brown is a problem but talented. Coach him up. Agreed. Not ready to give up on Brown, but we need competition/contingency for him. Otherwise, sign/draft a legit Guard and then double dip for a C to develop behind Morse this year.

Meyers likely isn't happening, but it should if there's mutual interest. Let Edmunds walk and take his money, give it to Meyers. Then draft a guy with WR1 traits in RD1. Fill out the OL on Day 2 with a RT and C/G. Draft another IOL in Rd4, then a RB2 in RD5. Offense is set for multiple years and Allen has weapons and protection. Sign a mid-tier FA vet LB and mid-tier vet Safety. Transition Benford to Safety. ....and McD/Frazier, figure it out. You still have Von, Daquan, Oliver, Rousseau, Milano, Johnson, White, Elam and Hyde. How much more does a Defensive HC need?

White - Yes Allen - Yes Edmunds - Yes, but need more splash plays Oliver - Average, not an impact player Diggs - (trade) Yes Rousseau - TBD, but not an impact guy through 2 years Elam - TBD, but McDermott refused to play him despite him playing well when called upon Gotta do better than that to keep pace. Can't be missing on Oliver, Epenesa, Basham and taking guys like Bernard and Elam who barely play their rookie years.

I feel like this is such a dumb thing to hang our FO's hat on. I could care less if Beane drafts 6-7 guys per year and 3-4 of them wash out of the league if he hits on a game changer every year. He needs to hit on his Day 1 & Day 2 picks at a much higher clip.. and some of them need to be difference makers. Ed Oliver is going to be in the league for a long time. He's a Top 10 pick that does nothing to move the needle on this Defense. Perfect example of the roster construction issues we currently face. A lot of guys who can make rosters. Not a lot of guys that can take over games.

It's the fact that Beane hasn't provided Allen with the "2 out of 3" that the other QB's he's facing off against have. Burrow has an elite WR1 and an elite WR2. Mahomes has an elite WR1 (Kelce) and an elite OL. Allen has an elite WR1 and.... Knox, Davis, Shakir, MVS, Juju, Moore, Boyd, Hurst, Mixon, Singletary, Perine, Cook, Pacheco, McKinnon... throw all those guys in the pot.... each team has a similar supporting cast of guys, but it's very evident that Allen is missing the 2nd of 3 pieces (WR1, WR1a, OL) that Mahomes and Burrow have. Allen is elite. He also needs to be given weaponry and/or protection on par with those on his level. We can't really say he has a better defense, because the defense never shows up against those guys in the playoffs. Beane, thus far, has failed him.. and he's fighting his elite peer QB's with one hand tied behind his back.

Not necessarily saying do this and sign Barkley .. more so, we can sacrifice some of the defense to add on offense. Agreed, I’d rather move/let-walk some defense pieces and use the money on OL and WR.

Rank them in order: Frazier. Anarumo. Spagnuolo. Unless Frazier is #1 on that list for you, tell me why it makes sense to bring him back after 4 straight years of bad playoff defense? They’ve shown up against Lamar Jackson, Mac Jones and Skylar Thompson. They’ve been bad against Mahomes (2), Burrow and Rivers. Meh against Watson. Surely the resume of someone who warrants a new contract with this organization…. Obviously.

They drafted 2 of the 5.