Ethan in Cleveland

You asked to do you a favor and look up free agent difference makers. These were just off the top of my head. And you are correct my typing is terrible. Let me change the argument. I'm trying to maintain a respectful conversation. Beane made Morse the highest paid center in the league when he signed him from KC. Were you against that signing? I'm trying to understand when the dollars spent equal a difference maker and when they do not? Morse was relatively young but was rated the 15th best center in the league with a concussion history. He ended up being a solid starter but not a great one. So was that a hit or a miss in your mind as a free agent signing?

Hmmm Let's try this exercise Reggie White Deion Sanders Tom Brady Peyton Manning Drew Breese Bryce Paup But you are correct Free agent signings never make a difference

Yes we would

Maybe they should have figured out that Moss is terrible and he should not have been getting equal touches to Singletary. And maybe they should have figured out Bates was the best option at guard. Singletary and the run game was more than adequate late in the year. If Brown does not regress the OL looks on paper better than last year and they still may add a rookie interior guy.

Well there is zero reason not to bring him to camp and let him try. In the end I don't think he will make the team. He has been injured in each of the last two years so maybe if he can stay healthy he can play at an acceptable level to start or at least be the primary interior back-up. In that second scenario a rookie draft pick or Bates starts at G and Bates or the rookie is the back-up C.

What would their plan B be? Garoppolo? He's about the only capable QB left that might be available.

That's because we weren't net negative in free agent signings. You have to be net negative first. Then and only then does the contract and I still think performance with the new team determine the value of the comp pick.

Is that true? I know the process is opaque but I thought playing time and performance mattered in determining the value of the comp pick.

Dam 9 3rd round picks. That effectively pushes our late fourth round pick down by almost a 1/3rd of a full round. If Addison and Hughes sign elsewhere Bills can still add Chandler Jones. Contract for Wallace was lower than I would have expected. However in addition to the dollar amount, part of the comp pick assessment is how much they play for their new team. So if both Trubisky and Wallace start, they might net two 4th's?

He is a better WR than he was when he was with Buffalo. But that is stupid money.

How many CB#2 that start are anything more than a fringe starter? Many teams don't even have a legit #1. I have no issue with moving on from Wallace as long as the pick a CB in round 1 or 2. For what little the Steelers paid for him, Beane had better have a good plan. Maybe Levi was gone no matter what but it's hard to believe Beane wasn't willing to pay that much for a homegrown talent.

6? Cmon man. Be reasonable. 10 was obscene but if you run a 4-3 and are in nickel most of the time you need at least 8 guys. 4 at DT and 4 at DE. I'd advocate for a 9th hybrid edge guy that cam play some stand up OLB from time to time too. I'd like to see what Basham could do rushing from the inside from time to time as Oliver's backup. The way I see it they are one more signing or a draft pick away from getting rid of Star as a post June 1 cut. And that is a good thing. I was thinking the same thing. They keep Edmunds and force him to play out his 5tg year. If the DL is better and he is still not making plays then replace him next year. As much as I want to move on from him now and his $12.7M salary, I just don't think that will happen.

Wow that is really low money. Bills must have been ready to move on no matter the cost. At this point not much in comp pick compensation for Wallace or Trubisky. CB in first round is a near certainty now.

All depends on what Beane was willing to give up. To take on that contract it would have to have been a very low draft pick. Maybe even just a swap of picks. We give a 4th and get back a 6th and McCaffrey. The injuries and the contract would have made it a bad deal. Whoever said no, Carolina or Beane, thank you!

You are correct about the timing of the signings, but If I recall all he had to do was cut Streeter and Ducasse during the season. Both players were terrible and could have been replaced with any street free agent at the time. Maybe I’m misremembering the players.

You can fill holes and still remain net negative by signing your own guys or as Beane did signing an OG that was cut. Of course there is little point to doing so when the most you can get is a 6th or 7th round pick. But this year is different. Trubisky was on the market and QB dollars are high and he stands a very good chance of playing in Pittsburgh. And then of course there is Wallace. Starting CBs get high dollar deals. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the league sees in him and what his market ends up being. If he signs a big contract it might net them as high as a third but probably a 4th is more realistic. Teams that are up against the cap need the extra comp picks to fill the holes that the inevitable salary cap cuts will create. It's not make or break a team but just like every other aspect of team deals it needs to be managed. Beane botched a 3rd round pick when Gilmore walked by signing/keeping a bunch of stiffs. After that there really has not been a significant player that left on a big contract to make a difference.

Will be interested to see what happens with Wallace. Addison and maybe Hughes could still sign elsewhere to get to net negative.

Thanks. I missed that. I thought playing out his first entire contract he was older than Phillips. DT takes a while to develop. At 24 still a lot of football left. Hopefully he can play well for a few years. Fills a big need once they move on from Star this year or next. No need to justify it. Beane drafts for need all the time and that is perfectly fine.

Agree He was a healthy scratch mid-season and if Star doesn't miss time because of COVID and his toe, Phillips may not have played the rest of the season. Way too much money for Minnesota to pay.

So far on paper, Jones and Settle are better than Butler and Phillips. They are older which might be an issue. But so far the interior DL is better today than it was at the season's end.

then he drops to 20% of the snaps in 2021? Is that not a red flag? Probably an upgrade over Phillips who really only played a few good games in Buffalo. Agree with others, this may mean no DT in the early rounds of the draft opening up a chance to grab a WR, edge, OT, or maybe another TE

Knox is going to cost a fortune.

100% agree. He got the QB. But he was set on drafting a QB so if Allen goes to Browns or Jets, Beane ends up with one of the busts. So the equation is really Luck + Drafting Allen > everything else. The problem is the everything else part of that equation gets bigger and bigger each year. Already two wasted opportunities at a SB. Im not as worried about the cap situation as others. Im more worried about the lack of all in mentality to win last year. Hopefully that changes this off-season. So far so good. Outside of overpaying for a gunner, most of the other moves have been good and its early. I posted in another thread I'm not judging Beane's off-season until we see it in totality.

This just isn't true. Poyer and Hyde are the two of the best players on defense and they were signed before Beane or Allen were on the team. Diggs was acquired via trade. Dawkins was already here and extended. Beane is no different than any other GM. He has wasted tons of cap space and dollars on bad players and he has had some really nice free agent signings. He has made some great trades and he has made some bad ones. He has drafted Allen and some good players but he has some busts too. No better and no worse than any other GM. If Jets take Allen, he likely drafts Rosen or Darnold and he would be out of a job by now.

Agreed. He is not a bust he just isn't worth the long term investment. That said some team will make the mistake and sign him to a large dollar contract