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Not sure I agree with the TE room or the RB room. No Vidal?!
In 9 of 10 seasons as NFL OC, Roman has had a FB with 400+ snaps on offense. I know what the Ravens did with Ricard, but are they really going to use McFadden as a semi-fulltime FB? The Ravens didn't use Ricard as FB and another position, they switched him to FB. Are they really going to take McFadden away from OL entirely?
I guess my point there is that I'm skeptical they won't roster a traditional FB or a 4th TE who can play some H-back.
Other serious questions seem to be:
- Stick as QB2?
- Vidal vs. Spiller? (Patterson is trending toward a lock.)
- 6 or even 7 WRs? Who is WR6 and, if relevant, WR7? It seems to be assumed Davis is a lock... is he?
- Smartt on final roster?
- Sarell or Leatherwood? (Answer could be both if they truly plan to use McFadden as a FB/TE.)
- 4 or 5 Edge players? If 5, Rumph or Morris-Brash?
- 5 or 6 IDL players? If 6, who is IDL6, Hinton or Clark or other?
- Who is safety 4, Woods, Jefferson, or UDFA?
@tau837 Jordan McFadden brings talent at the offensive line position and will end up being our #6 or #7 offensive lineman. That is a very valuable spot on this team. Interesting thing about Ricard is that he was a defensive lineman in college and somehow the Ravens saw him as a fullback. With that said he has only touched the ball 55-times in 7-years. He is pretty much a battering ram blocker and only has 10-carries and no rushing touchdowns in his career. He does have 45-receptions over the 7-years. I am guessing that he gets left uncovered in most situations. McFadden, depending on his athletic ability should be able to add something in the running game for sure. I am just not sure about his athletic ability to ever be able to catch passes. Roman didn't seem worried about Ricard catching passes as he only averaged about 7-catches a season and 1-carry a season. He is essentially a 300-blocker. If McFadden is on the bench not getting reps I would rather he contribute on certain run packages and create a power running game. With that said, if we sustain any injuries on the offensive line he could be quickly pulled into that role.
Looks like it is Stick, but if he struggles in the two remaining preseason games I can see him being changed out.
I would be shocked if Vidal is not on the final 53 and if he isn't I don't believe that he will go to the practice squad. He will end up on another roster.
The third TE spot is shaky. Smartt has his limitations, but Parham cannot be counted on to stay healthy/available. I would rather move on at this point.
I don't see how Leatherwood makes this team. I am not sure how a guy from that college program that looked so good has now become so bad. I am still not excited about Foster Sarell either.
I would much prefer Morris-Brash over Rumph. Rumph can't stay healthy and is a poor pass rusher. He just never developed.
I would rather have Jerrod Clark over Hinton. Younger and more upside in my opinion. Hinton has already hit his ceiling.
JT Woods was on the NFI for most of last year and none of us no why. It is very strange. And he can't tackle. Unless he can show that he has immensely improved his tackling he will be replace by someone currently on the roster or someone the Chargers pick up at the 53 man cut.
@tau837 My feeling is that with the relationship and familiarity with Jefferson at S, Woods could be a late round pick swap type trade candidate since this regime has no ties to him and he was a day 2 draft pick from a good program, so he probably has some perceived value on the market. Same for Vidal. This regime drafted him, so Spiller seems like the easier cut. I would rather see Clark on the DL since he is still an ascending player. We know what Hinton is already and this is probably his ceiling, but the difference between the two is negligible at this point so I wouldn't be shocked to see either on the 53 and the other stashed on the PS. I really think Parham is on the outside looking in at TE. Smartt has repeatedly made plays at practice and his name seems to keep popping up. Davis getting a bunch of reps at WR might look like they are trying to incorporate him more, but I have the feeling they were trying to flesh out if he can be anything more than a KR, I wouldn't be buying a home anytime soon if I were him. I have said it for over a year, Stick is a waste as QB2 or 3. He does not really possess the same skill set as JH, so he is not a plug and play backup, plus he offers nothing as far as veteran mentorship. His extended playing time in real games last season was all you needed to see. While Tannehill might be to rich, someone like Hoyer, who is still available, might be the better option IMO. If you are a team with playoff aspirations you cannot punt on backup QB since QB injuries are frequent in the league and backups see more time than expected. Especially if we develop a strong rushing attack as planned, you need someone who can come in for a few games and have enough to grind out a win or two to keep the team afloat while JH is out. If it is ever a season ending injury to JH, the backup won't matter. The season is sunk at that point.
@evolz3737 Some whitespace would be helpful in quickly reading your posts. 😉
Jefferson hasn't been good for about 5 years now. I hope they don't keep him on the final roster.
I don't see why Woods would have any trade value at all. Maybe a 7th round pick at best.
Understand and agree with the Vidal perspective, but reporting has said that Patterson has been playing with the first team in absence of Edwards and Dobbins, and Spiller has been playing special teams (core 4?). That's why I stated it as an open question.
Smartt seems to be trending well, which I find puzzling. He's not very good. Parham offers more potential IMO. Parham has perhaps been disappointing to date, but what has Smartt done in comparison?
Tannehill >> Hoyer IMO, especially for a Roman offense. Hoyer would certainly be cheaper, but IMO that should not be the priority in this decision. If it would be at a reasonable cap hit in 2024 and 2025, I would be in favor of the Chargers signing Tannehill to a 3 year contract, where they have an out after 2 years... in which case, they would cut Stick, who could be the practice squad QB instead of Duggan or the others.
"Jefferson hasn't been good for about 5 years now. I hope they don't keep him on the final roster."
"I hope Tony Jefferson makes the roster. He lacks straight line speed but plays fast still. You’re only as fast as you process plays, anticipate, and play with confidence. That’s something he possessed over the others." I just wrote this in response to Ryan's preseason game breakdown.
Jefferson has always been an underrated player who played like Adrian Phillips, having to prove himself every year. A cerebral type of player, very instinctive, tough, decisive, a sure tackler, and very good run supporter. I won't be surprised if he becomes the 4th safety on the roster who fits Jim Harbaugh's "bully" defense.
@tui1hit Unless he has quite a remarkable career revival, it will not be a good thing if he has to play defensive snaps.
He last had a good season in 2018. 6 years ago. He has played 566 defensive snaps since 2018 and played 0 snaps in 2023. His performance over that 2019-2023 span was generally poor. His coverage was solid in his last couple years, but on small sample size. His run defense has been awful. Does that seem like a guy you want as S4?
I grant that he may very well be a strong locker room presence. Just not sure it makes sense to dedicate a roster spot for that reason alone if he isn't expected to make an impact on defense. Also, note that S4 would normally play special teams... I don't see Jefferson doing much of that, which would be another negative.
I get your points but why did they signed him though if they knew he has no chance of making the roster? He's got a chance, maybe not great, but I won't be surprised or disappointed if he makes it.
@tau837 I know you said you didn't initially watch the preseason game v the Seahawks. Not sure if you've watched since, but I think Tui might have been bouyed by 2-3 plays during the goal-line stand where Jefferson was impactful and the Defense managed a 4th down stop.
Arguably that doesn't carry much weight and your broader data points remain relevant. But this might explain why your 'he hasn't been good for years' comment may be jarring to read for any fan who just watched Sunday's game. Jefferson looked alright out there (at least this week!).
@tau837 Lately I have been writing most of the replies on the desktop. For some reason the replies seem way longer when reading them on the mobile. I will try to put breaks in on the desktop making it spaced out better on the mobile. Didn't notice it until I read it back on my cell.
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