2009 Free Agents

our d line isnt bad but it needs to improve during passing situations. against the run their pretty good. but were are the sacks where is the pressure to get the QB to make mistakes and throw ints. somehow d line needs to be upgraded. and when was the last time our d line was health???

I don't see Carolina letting Gross go, and like you say he's a LT who would have to move to RT here. It doesn't make much sense.

Will they have enough money to keep him and Peppers?

Will they have enough money to keep him and Peppers?

Good question, I guess it would help if we knew their cap situation.

Anybody?

Good question, I guess it would help if we knew their cap situation.

Anybody?It's feasible, but they could opt to let Peppers walk anyway because they have bigger plans for that defense.

But, yeah, flat out, they can fit both those guys under the cap if they really want to. They just found two bookend tackles, theres no way Gross is getting away from them, franchise tag or else.

What's Jordan Gross' incentive for coming to DC? He's a LT who we'd want to move to RT, is going to garner LT money and the position somewhere else. We're better off drafting a LT out of college and converting him with the expectation he'd replace Samuels in a couple of years.

What's stopping us from signing Gross, put him at LT and move Samuels to RT? This would allow us to draft inside offensive linemen (Guard or Center) and have two great players at tackle.

Here's a story from the Raleigh News & Observer regarding the Panther's offseason:

Stinging loss leads to cloudy future for Panthers - NFL Wire - News & Observer (http://www.newsobserver.com/1614/story/1365564.html)

They make it sound like it may not necessarily possible to keep both Gross and Peppers...

The quarterback situation is just one of many the Panthers must address in what will be a critical offseason for the club. Two of Carolina's best players -- defensive end Julius Peppers and offensive tackle Jordan Gross -- will be unrestricted free agents in March and figure to command a ton of interest and money if allowed to hit the open market. With seven others also set to enter free agency and not a wealth of salary-cap space at the moment, maintaining the locker-room chemistry that played a big part in the Panthers' resurgence will be another challenge for the front office to face.

ProFootballTalk.com - PEPPERS WANTS OUT OF CAROLINA (http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/01/17/peppers-wants-out-of-carolina/)

If we could only find the cap space to sign him. Imagine how pedestrian we could make Peppers look once he gets paid and comes to DC.

It's feasible, but they could opt to let Peppers walk anyway because they have bigger plans for that defense.

But, yeah, flat out, they can fit both those guys under the cap if they really want to. They just found two bookend tackles, theres no way Gross is getting away from them, franchise tag or else.

They could afford it but neither Gross nor Peppers wants to be in Carolina. So, the only way to keep either of them is to tag them. Thus, keeping both is impossible.
IMO, both will be elsewhere next year and I'd love to have Gross.

What's Jordan Gross' incentive for coming to DC? He's a LT who we'd want to move to RT, is going to garner LT money and the position somewhere else. We're better off drafting a LT out of college and converting him with the expectation he'd replace Samuels in a couple of years.
Samuels could get to a few more Pro Bowls if he moved to RT and with Gross in town he could move over.

Samuels could get to a few more Pro Bowls if he moved to RT and with Gross in town he could move over.

I guess the trick is whether the team has the cap room to make such a big signing. An offensive like consisting of Gross and Samuels at tackles, a stud guard or center picked up at #13th, and two other veterans, would make a decent line.

Not sure if this was mentioned already but it appears Shane Lechler is on his way out of Oakland. I would love to have him.

Report: Raider punched punter Lechler on flight | FanNation (http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/nfl_tracker/posts/47943-report-raider-punched-punter-lechler-on-flight?eref=fromSI)