DrDawkinstein

Sounds more like the pass rusher was the one willing to take our money.

Like Gilmore said when he went to New England,, "Now my family will be able to watch me play". It's why AJ McCarron is in the XFL, he wanted his sons to see him play, not just sit on the sideline in the NFL. These guys are all humans with families of some sort. Being seen definitely makes a difference.

Sealed the deal for the Rams, and was given the SB MVP trophy of SB50 when the Broncos won despite Manning only passing for 120 yards, they still held the Panthers to only 10 points.

Anyone with half a brain can make any stat say anything they want. Stats dont tell the whole story. Especially in a rotational position like DE. Shaq is more reliable. He is almost always in good position. He makes plenty of plays at the edge, and turns the play back inside. AJ flies upfield and takes himself out of the play so the Bills are playing with 10 guys. Heck, there was one game late last season (maybe Chicago) Shaq took over and single-handedly sent their offense off the field in back to back possessions, just by playing his role. edit: And I LIKE Epenesa, and hope he has a chance to keep developing with us. But as of today, he has no business starting over Shaq on anything other than "potential". Which isnt a real thing.

Shaq Lawson was a consensus All-American, and double-digit sack starter on a Clemson team that played for the National Championship, which got him drafted in the 1st round. Both AJ and Boogie are late 2nd round picks from small programs that couldnt even win their conferences. Shaq disappointed a bit in the beginning of his career here, but he should absolutely be far more talented than either of the other two.

My take is, when I'm down to my DE4, I want someone I can count on even if they arent the most talented. I need steady and consistent over boom/bust like AJ and Boogie. We know what Shaq is... and that's exactly why I like him.

Every SB Champ team has a large number of average players behind their stars. No one is saying Lawson should start. We're talking about DE4 or DE5 here. So yeah, Lawson should get a lot of love for that level of position. He'd be one of the best DE4s in the league. And while I like Epenesa and hope for the best for Basham, as of today, Lawson is a better, more well rounded option than either of them. As a matter of fact, I'd say Lawson is practically a combination of both of those players. Can set the edge unlike Epenesa, and can chase down guys in the backfield unlike Basham.

I dont have the data or old post handy, but I could swear someone went back and looked at how Carolina's DL worked when McD was DC, and IIRC they found he started similarly with a heavy rotation. But as the team was built out and they got guys in place, for example in 2016 when they went to SB50, he rotated far less. I think DTs will always need to rotate. Big guys doing a LOT of work. But the DEs could find more time if they produce with more consistency (Rousseau).

Sarcasm? We literally signed the pass rusher that won SB50 for the Broncos, and was given the SB MVP trophy, over our current HC's team.

Most of these dudes are happy to not sign and not have to go through OTAs and camp, and wait until a team is desperate right before the season to sign and walk right onto the field. Good job by Beane to get Floyd under contract so early.

I'd keep Lawson over Basham.

Liked this player since his UGA days, and should still have something left in the tank. Good signing to shore up the DL while we wait for Vin to return.

Here are the OBJ details. 1yr/$15M, but spread out over 5 years for a cap hit of ~$3M/yr I'd bet Hopkins will get more since he has been healthy and playing, and probably more than 1 year, but it will be structured with void years as well.

It would help to include the OBJ contract details in the first post so we know what we're comparing.