WFT Free Agency

[Chief X_Phackter]

I think it's pretty obvious they are trying to keep him. The FT was just a necessary step in that process. Doesn't mean it will work out in the end, as it takes two to tango, but they ARE trying to keep him, and paying him very well in the process.

[sdskinsfan2001]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

As for being a mercenary, do you feel that way about Fitz who also signed a 1 year deal. Scherff is elite, not withstanding WFT fan experts, and has an expectation of testing free agency. He has been a WFT player for 6 years since he was drafted by us. That is the very definition of "a home grown player"

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Considering he is 38 and was thinking about retiring, I don't think those are nearly the same comparisons. I doubt either side wanted more than 1 year.

Every player is "homegrown" until they leave. He had no choice but to be here these years, was offered a massive contract and still didn't want to stay. He will bump into my Kirk Cousins category next year. Hopefully he plays great this year for his own selfish reasons, because that will still benefit the team.

[sdskinsfan2001]

Originally Posted by Chief X_Phackter

I think it's pretty obvious they are trying to keep him. The FT was just a necessary step in that process. Doesn't mean it will work out in the end, as it takes two to tango, but they ARE trying to keep him, and paying him very well in the process.

I don't blame the team, but I would have pulled the plug on him before the 2nd franchise tag.

[Monkeydad]

Yes, we should have learned that lesson with Kirk.

If someone accepts playing on a SECOND tag, they're playing you for the money and n ot interested in sticking around long term.

[Chief X_Phackter]

It could also be that the team has decided that they are not willing to pay him long-term, but since they have the cap space, they want to guarantee that they retain his services for one more year while they continue to build a competitive roster.

No one really knows what's going on behind the scenes, we can all just speculate. Like I've said before though, I'm just glad he'll be holding down that right side for at least one more year.

[Pervis_Griffith]

Originally Posted by Chief X_Phackter

It could also be that the team has decided that they are not willing to pay him long-term, but since they have the cap space, they want to guarantee that they retain his services for one more year while they continue to build a competitive roster.

No one really knows what's going on behind the scenes, we can all just speculate. Like I've said before though, I'm just glad he'll be holding down that right side for at least one more year.

This is where I am in this process.

I am glad we have him for one more year, and hope it can work out long term .....

.... but honestly I don't want to over-invest in any guard on our roster. Spend that money on Tackle, or D-Line, or future QB. Find serviceable, competent Guards to play between a "very good" Center, and "very good" to "outstanding" Tackles.

[Scalper]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

First, while AP teams are selected by journalists, they are not like the pro bowl selections and are highly regarded as accurate reflections. But since you mention PFF, they have him as 4th, with 2 AFC and 1 NFC guards. Guess what. That is the same as the AP selections. He also was voted to the pro bowl (which i despise referring to) which is voted on by gms, players, and fans - i am also guessing WFT fans didn't flood the ballot box for Scherff. So the only group out there saying he is anything other than a top 5 G is internet mafia types.

PFF had him ranked 6th best overall G as of week 15 of NFL season. https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-top-25-...hrough-week-15
So you are plain wrong. Their season ending rankings had him lower. Internet mafia smear ignored. Broader point is, even if he is 5th best G, or 3rd, not worth the money he wants. Even his past production not worth what he wants, over whole tenure not just most recent year, and the classic mistake of past was overpaying for past production which declined in future. There are very few examples of injury prone players magically becoming healthier in their 30s, this alone is reason not to resign, instead of being duped by the glitter of All Pro selection.

Second, next man up isn't both 1M/year and 75% better. Erick Flowers and Justin Pugh are 10 and 8m respectively and maybe are hit that 3/4 mark. $1M for a guard this year (non draft) gets you a guard in the 50 to 60th best slot.

75% as good, not better. I would slide Charles, or Martin, or Larsen in at RG, accept a significant but not ruinous drop-off, and save a PILE. You don't have to spend $10M on a serviceable, above-average guard, just look at Schweitzer. Lots of teams draft solid but not elite starting Gs and have stud Ts and C.


Third, I love when rookie salaries are brought into discussion but that is only part of why your QNelson comment is a strawman fallacy. I don't pay for pff so i could only look at this year, but hear is a cbs note . The bold is mine. You are simply wrong about Scherff in pass blocking and value overall. As for QNelson, whenever he hits FA I guarantee 17m per year will be the starting point.


Salaries matter. All teams have finite number of players they can give $15M+ deals to. The decision to replace a high-priced veteran who is never consistently healthy with a much lower priced rookie player is not absurd. It is the reality of NFL economics. So rookie salaries compared to veteran salaries are not absurd, they are part of NFL dynamic. I want to look at this team in 2 years and see McL, entire DL, etc., locked up, not lose our best young players to make room for a 32-year old G on IR making $18M a year with $20M+ dead cap if we cut him. The question is not can we afford Scherff this year, but whether he is the optimal use of resources long term. The answer is no. RG is the lowest leverage position of the entire starting 22, you don't pay a RG who is never healthy $18M.

Nelson not a strawman fallacy. The crux is whether Scherff is worth what we are paying him and what he wants for a long-term deal. This is the crux of argument, not a refutation that distracts from argument as you mistakenly think. You ascertain value, in economics, via market pricing, and opportunity cost, cost of opportunities forsaken or parity products; we have no free market pricing as Scherff not URFA. Nelson, a G much more easy to argue worth $18M, is younger, consistently healthier than Scherff, and consistently better. Example of player perhaps worth what Scherff wants, with traits Scherff lacks.

Finally, yes you can get a mauler in the draft in the 3rd thru 5th round, and I expect the WFT will draft with that in mind but you don't let the strength of your OL walk first when you can afford not to.

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When the strength of OL is RG you have problems. Build it the right way, Ts and C, then Gs.

Scherff is okay in pass blocking when he gets his hands on people, but there are far too many plays where people blow by him untouched, pass rushers. He is naturally a slow-footed power blocker. This doesn't mean he sucks, but when you are talking about $18M for a G he should be total package. Scherff is not, especially not consistently year after year.

He has missed almost a third of games due to injury. In his prime. It is not absurd to think that climbs to 50% or higher in his 30s. Even if the pass blocking limitations don't concern you, he has strengths, the injury risk is too great to justify a fully guaranteed one-year deal (franchise) or a long term deal for tons of guaranteed money and injury guarantees. I don't hate Scherff, he is good, but not worth the price he is commanding. The smart choice is to be the Belicheat of old, let an aging injury risk walk, and let some other chump team overpay him to be on IR.

[Scalper]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Scalper your take lacks consideration of the context within which McLaurin plays. The QB play he’s gotten the last two season has been bottom five in the NFL by any measure, advanced or otherwise. And he has done it with very little help around him with respect to other skill position players drawing the attention of the defense.

When we got Fitz, Chad Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum both commented on how this puts Terry on a rocket trajectory to the top. He gets open better than almost any WR out there, that’s what separates him as a true number one. Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, these weren’t the biggest receivers either, but they’re in the HOF because they got open better than anybody.

I considered context. In terms of flourishing, I hope so. I love McL, he has heart of a Lion. But from analytical perspective, you still need a big WR to get it done. Rice had some SOLID #2s. Let's hope one of our long-strider #2s steps up this year and its a moot point. The thing Rice and Largent had, besides talent and heart, was QBs that placed the ball consistently very accurately so that they could catch and continue running. Something to consider for people often smitten with all these run-happy QBs, is accuracy, a function of mechanics, but also in some cases a talent you can't teach. McNabb and Newton to me are some of all time worst accuracy examples, in terms of just watching them play. Cousins is pretty bad that way on long balls. How many times do you see receivers slow to get ball or adjust too much, allowing tackle by DB, rather than catching without breaking stride? Maddening. Brady despite being a turd cheater throws a nice deep ball lot of times, impeccable mechanics, give him credit. Montana didn't have strongest arm, but he was cool as liquid helium, and an incredibly accurate passer with great anticipation.

Nitpicking aside, we improved, but so did every other good team. Difference is, we are starting from mismanagement deficit, other good teams aren't, so we have more room to improve. I'd love to see McL see single teams more and crush it, but I still wonder optimal mix of WR talent in today's NFL. There isn't only one right or wrong answer, would be great conversation to have with like 5 GMs and head coaches. To me X factor for whether O steps up, WR wise, isn't McL, or Samuel, or Humphries, but whether one of 3-4 underachieving long strider tall WRs can get shizznit together and be a legit #2. Let's hope so. Gives your offense a LOT more flexibility.

You made some interesting points, man. I always enjoy discussions like these when people can flip some shit without getting panties in a twist.

[Scalper]

Sammis Reyes - TE - A

On athletics alone, this guy is a 4th - 5th round pick or so. It takes a lot more than measurables to play in the NFL, however, and we've all seen lots of measurable guys fail to make the transition. That being said, we have NOTHING at TE outside Thomas. We obtained a guy who while admittedly unproven, has sky-is-the-limit athletic potential. Seeing a guy trot around in shorts catching scripted plays at a pro-day has almost no bearing on real-world NFL performance, so we won't know for a bit, but our TE situation at least immediately looks a lot less ridiculous. Guy has the size of more pure blocking TE, 6-5.5" and 260, without any bad weight, but even though doesn't have stunning straight line speed, has good fluidity and athleticism for size, as expected for guy that could play D1 hoops.

You could have drafted a whole lot of guys, and still might, rounds 4-7, with much less potential than this, higher floor perhaps, but massively lower ceiling. We gave up no draft picks, in trade or drafting directly, used no waiver wire position, and basically got what is essentially a free late round or UDFA draft pick. Guaranteed money certainly minimal, meaning if he blows we cut him with nothing lost. Not ridiculous to think he sticks as #3 TE, we've kept far bigger scrubs on the roster for years. With no risk or downside to signing, and major upside, especially given a TE this big that can move--think passing on plays that telegraph run--you have to give this signing an A.

It is an A on lower end of roster, not some Earth shaking top-5 player signing, but it all adds up. A C released by Panthers here. A decent slot WR that should cost $4M for $1.5M in Humphries there. Another C picked up on waivers. A return specialist on the cheap who you cut with minimal loss. Maybe a few UDFAs. All the sudden you have WAY more talent bottom of roster, and when injuries strike. These kinds of moves show a team that is exhausting EVERY avenue to get better, and forcing EVERY player at EVERY position to compete. We know have four respectable Cs on roster, for example, who knows who makes it, but with competition, the team wins.

There is absolute NO downside to this signing besides small potential dead cap hit (we don't know deals of contract), and with this being weakest position on roster besides FS, not absurd to think he might stick as 3rd TE. This is like getting a free 6th or 7th round pick.

[AnonEmouse]

Scalper, when you say 4 respectable C's, do you mean Center or CB? I can only see 3 C's on the WFT roster?

[Chief X_Phackter]

Maybe he's including Beau Benzschawel, who was claimed off waivers yesterday. He has been mostly a Guard though, and he has only appeared in 3 NFL games in 2 years. They must be thinking John Matsko can get the best out of him. Who knows, maybe...

Chase Roullier, Tyler Larsen, and Keith Ismael are the only true Centers currently on the depth chart.

[skinsfaninok]

KJ Wright would be a solid fit, Kwon Alexander also

[EdmundDorf]

Personally I would only class Roullier as "respectable" as in a veteran starter. The other guys basically haven't played a down outside of ST. Hard to class them as respectable.

[Chico23231]

Maybe I missed this posted, but Keim has stated the Skins do have interest in LT Villanueva from the Steelers and could be more interest post draft if he don’t take a tackle high in the draft.

I would be in favor of this move if we don’t come away with one in the draft

[GridIron26]

Originally Posted by skinsfaninok

KJ Wright would be a solid fit, Kwon Alexander also

Agreed.. I wonder how far Alexander is in his Achilles recovery progress at this time tho. I think it's likely we will wait until after the draft to sign any players that could become starters.