WFT Free Agency

David Mayo - C

Mayo was drafted by panthers. Played OLB in college I believe, for a non-dominant program, journeyman who has also played for Niners and Giants who just released him. Not athletic enough for OLB in pros, moved to ILB usually, at least from what I remember watching, could be wrong. Mayo is one of those players whose athletic measurables are average at best, but who has good instincts and a relentless motor. On some plays he lays the lumber pretty hard. His 40 time at combine was like 4.7 or 4.8, glacial, and he has put on 20 lbs. or so since entering pros I think. I just remember him looking way bigger in recent years than I remembered, which probably didn't help his already marginal speed. Of course, a MLB earns his money in a limited range between the tackles, so it is a position you can get away with lack of speed if you had to pick one.

At this price point, in a weak FA LB class especially now that best players signed, not a ton of viable options. You could ask a philosophical question here. Why are we signing the all-ex-Panthers squad? One view is that lesser risk because you know the players, and further down the list you get in FA more projection and risk involved, players with obvious flaws. You know how they will practice and prepare and perform in your locker room, which is huge. The other view is that a FO without brilliant scouting chops is falling back on what they know too much and bringing in their old guys instead of truly scouting everyone. Or perhaps RR is overruling and going with guys he knows.

Mayo is not the long-term answer you want as a thumper MLB, but is a solid backup who could start and log tons of tackles. He is at best a low end starter. He will never quit on you, but simply does not have the athleticism you want at position. Best case is a London Fletcher 2.0, but that is probably wayyyyyyyyyy optimistic. You could read this as us wanting to draft a MLB, or as us understanding you can't add a $30M+ contract at every position of need. Either way, you can't give the signing of a guy this athletically limited, even at bargain basement pricing, anything more than a C.

Tyler Larsen - B-

Larsen is listed as OL, and could play G, but is a pure C. He started for Panthers at C when other players were injured for like half a season. He is naturally big, and fairly lean, but just doesn't seem to have that nastiness you want in a great OL or the strength his build would suggest. He is short armed and athletically limited, but plays with very sound technique, and without it he has no chance. He seems to do okay anchoring against power, but is lead footed and useless in space. You seem to see guys beating him on the edges or pushing him sideways, if I remember correctly. He seems to do much better against 0 technique guys than 1 technique (or 2 technique who stunt inside).

As I have stated repeatedly, I prefer an OL heavy on Ts and Cs. It is MUCH easier to to move a T who can play in space to G (as long as he has some strength) than to ask a G without natural foot quickness to play T (see Scherff), if mid-game injuries strike. It is much easier for a C used to snapping the ball to move to G, than to ask a G to learn to snap. Thus your backup spots should be C and T focused. It also generally harder to block the edge with infinite space than a narrow region between T and C. While you obviously need pure guards, I would rather have Charles backing up G as well as T than Martin backing up T as well as G.

We have 9 OL on roster: Lucas, Schweitz, Roullier, Scherff, Moses. Then Charles (T), Sharp (T), and Ishmael (C). Also Martin (G). That is 9 linemen. Will we carry 10? Seems improbable. Does coaching staff not like something they see Martin or Ismael? Or is this just an opportunity signing, a guy RR knows started and played well who could be upgrade over Martin or Ismael? I would guess the latter. Larson almost 30 though.

Martin and Ismael can't be smiling about this signing, Martin especially. RR had 2 centers injured year Larsen started. Could he be looking for a 3rd center, remembering the headaches? Ten OL to be sure Fitz, a geezer, and Heinecke, injury prone, or some rookie QB they are targeting, are protected? Simply let people compete? I would guess they view Larson as at least a minor upgrade over Ismael, and if they cut him costs are minimal, good Cs are hard to find, better to have an extra just in case since a player the know and like became available. But who knows.

I give this a B-. Athletically limited player who should get C grade no matter what the price, but one who started half a season and did okay against some good competition, which is more than you can say for Ismael. Thus grade bumped up to B-. If you cut him, may have burned some small signing bonus against cap, but trivial. A respectable signing at one of the toughest positions to fill, shows FO serious about improving all areas of roster, including back end, not just glamour starting positions. Can't fault taking a flyer on a guy with no long-term harm to team if he fails, and letting him compete. This is the kind of signing you love to see, as shows FO really picking through the weeds talentwise.

B+

Only atrocious signing is Fitz. Isn't about how good he is or plays, but the erroneous decision to emphasize stopgap over committing that spot to potential long-term answer. You have to grind through guys until you find your long-term franchise QB, and you don't do that by signing stopgaps. With a non-coach GM, doubtful we make this decision. Also don't like $10M on one-year stopgap that could have gone to locking up young talent long-term, either in house, or filling another need like LB with long-term player in his prime. Fitz might get us to the playoffs, but never the SB. We sacrificed the long-term goal of winning SB to the short with this signing and I hate it.

I have given most signings Bs or Cs, so the B+ may seem curious, but be aware A grades are reserved for exceptional value signings or HOF or All-Pro type player signings. As are hard to earn and rare, they aren't participation trophies. Our two big signings CB and WR, both solid B-ish grades, and should weigh more heavily than lesser signings.

Strictly looking at our signings, I would probably go a B, and drop it to B- for the horrendous Fitz signing. Except you have to account what we didn't do. We didn't get into moronic bidding wars for overpriced TEs like Henry. Or for WRs like Golladay and Ju-Ju the hole. And cetera. The old FO would have handed out a $100M deal to Golladay (who is not a true #1WR), and $60M+ to Henry, etc. The fact that every signing we made is sensible and judicious, not heinously above market value, not for massive terms of length, and is for younger players in prime for entire deal rather than the over-30 club, must be factored in. Even the one deal I hate, Fitz, is one year, old FO would have signed him 4 years $80M. Thus I bump up the grade to B+ for not making a single signing that is completely absurd or dumb and Cerrato-esque. There are many teams that made the kind of overpay mistakes we used to, and it is amusing and refreshing to see the horrible deals and not have one of them be made by us.

It bears repeating, however, that our one horrible decision is at the highest leverage position in all of sports, QB. I would rather suck this year and win a SB in 2 more years. Instead we'll one-and-done the playoffs this year and be no closer to having the one thing you have to have to win multiple SBs--a franchise QB. An open competition with Heinecke and two rookies would have been a FAR smarter long term approach, which again is THE DAN tax, as he had to give RR total power to lure him here. Young QBs need reps to develop, that ain't happening with Fitz starting. In a proper structured FO with GM over coach, no way we sign Fitz. This notwithstanding, we are a much better team today, with the draft still to come.

I still expect some move at FS, perhaps one more depth LB, and perhaps a TE. We make those three signings, cheap deals, roster looks pretty rounded out and have freedom to go BPA in draft. As of now only two positions of major concern remain FS and TE. Thomas goes down, we have NOTHING at TE, and we still have no true FS on roster. You figure the FO addresses this, though they may like a TE such as Moss that we aren't factoring in.

One other random question:

Who on our roster can long snap?

Might RR try and keep 3 Cs and have all of them learn to long snap? Can Larsen long snap, thereby using one ST position for a player that contribute on more than just ST plays? Maybe not, but just a random thought.

That's a question I have often asked myself..... is long snapping such a specialist skill that it requires its own roster spot. Of course the risk of not having a dedicated specialist is that you kicking game turns to crap if you try to save a single roster spot

True. The smart thing to do would be to stay away from the former Panthers backups and target backups from other teams.

I'm not sure what you mean by that comment. Nevertheless, the last two signings have the appearance of laziness. You know, sitting in the office with their feet up on the desk drinking coffee and farting.

I'm not sure what you mean by that comment. Nevertheless, the last two signings have the appearance of laziness. You know, sitting in the office with their feet up on the desk drinking coffee and farting.

Yeah, guys who’ve won Super Bowls as players, gone to one as a coach, coach a team while going through chemotherapy are well known for their lack of work ethic.....🤦*♂️

Yeah, guys who’ve won Super Bowls as players, gone to one as a coach, coach a team while going through chemotherapy are well known for their lack of work ethic.....🤦*♂️

Some don’t get it . Never will .. I agree with you Missouri !

That's a question I have often asked myself..... is long snapping such a specialist skill that it requires its own roster spot. Of course the risk of not having a dedicated specialist is that you kicking game turns to crap if you try to save a single roster spot

It's not something that can't be trained up BUT it is an ability based skill just like a QB's arm strength and accuracy, so having the right guy(s) with those skills is key. There is always at least one backup LS on every roster, so it's likely they have someone in mind, either already on the roster, or via FA/draft. Though it is a very slight worry that we have no LS currently listed on the depth chart!

I'm not sure what you mean by that comment. Nevertheless, the last two signings have the appearance of laziness. You know, sitting in the office with their feet up on the desk drinking coffee and farting.

As we know that's Ron's MO, lazy