This Years FA so far

One thing I keep coming back to about Vea is the % of DL snaps taken by Hicks.  If I remember right, he played around 80% of all DL snaps last year.

If that keeps up we will burn out Hicks in one or two more seasons.  He is a really big dude and takes a real pounding.  If taking Vea could reduce Hicks' snap count down to something like 60% to 67%, would it extend his career by a couple of years?

Can't argue with any of that.  Initially I thought about him as a guy to look at if we trade down but he ranks top ten now by quite a few sites.  Nelson, Edmunds and Vea are all pretty unique players and I'd have to admit Vea is far more of a sure thing now than Edmunds may be. 

He's the kid who seems to fit the profile of a guy Pace will fall in love with yet after our issue with White and Floyd and their issue with injuries part of me sees Pace looking for more surety and either Nelson or Vea would provide that.  From what I've read I guess we could play him at NT or as a 5 tech/DE.

Imagine a DL where Goldman is the smallest guy.  LOL

Might not have to. Vea could probably play DE as well albeit they might want him to play a little lighter if he did.

But at their present weights you'd have Hick; 6'5/332lbs, Vea; 6'4"/347lbs, Goldman 6'4"/320lbs.   Jeezuz, try running against that.   The 999lb DL.  Half a ton of run stoppers and pocket crushers.  Like it, I like it. 

Well, for some reason I wanted to share my thoughts on this years FA. Not like they matter to anyone but well... I had this keyboard in front of me and one thing led to another...

I was pretty vocal last year about FA being a fail and took some heat for it. But no matter how bad decisions are, there will always be a few that will find reasons or justifications for those decision in order to justify them. That will never change.

This year I am pretty high on Paces moves in FA. No one is going to hit on everything and even this year Pace is no exception. First, the things I don't like because it is a short list.

1. Getting rid of Sitton. There still might be a reason for this, but as of yet I still don't see it. I don't feel like he was overpaid for his production and he was a very good G. We are trying to make sure that T can succeed and making the line weaker is counterproductive. I can understand of he had a replacement in mind, but the line is pretty serious stuff. To ditch a guy before the replacement is in place can really wreck your season. Even if there really is a plan and even if it ultimately succeeds, the way he went about it is high risk and I don't like it.

2. Tyler Bray. I get that he is third string, but I don't think much of him. I don't necessary have real heartburn with this because he is third string, but I wish Nagy would have gone outside his comfort zone with this choice. He already brought in Daniel to make sure that he had a vet mentor that knew his system. I'm not sure that someone that knew his system was all that important for the 3rd string since he brought in Daniel. I think he should have gone with a kid that he felt had upside, and he probably feels that way about Bray. It's just that I don't share that vision.

Now the good.

1. Allen Robinson. My first choice for available WR. I was good with Watson also, but I liked Robinsons attitude as well as his build and productivity. His injury may bite us, but I think he will be good. This is a blue chip player which is what you want if you are going to use FA to accelerate your rebuild. And at this point in the rebuild, we can't do it on the draft alone. Just too many things we need. So a blue chip guy in a need position in a multi-year contract. This is what I was looking for last year and never got. I like it.

2. Trey Burton. Yet another high performer in a position of need as well as being a focal point of the O that will be put in place. It also provides yet more targets for a budding QB that needs the cushion as he develops. Burton is a guy that is from the Super Bowl champs and played a role in winning. He is a guy that played behind Zack Ertz and so it is fair to say that he has not been able to realize his true potential and we will see the best Trey Burton that has been on the field to date. When called upon, he has produced, and he will be called upon more often in Chicago. Once again, a high quality player in a multi-year deal

3. Taylor Gabriel. Every team that hopes to succeed by throwing the ball needs a guy that can take the top off the defense. This guy can do that. Or he can draw the coverage that allows Cohen to take the top off the defense. All of a sudden, with this speedy, shifty guy, the D has it's hands full with Robinson, Burton, Shaheen, Gabriel and Cohen. It is a multi-pronged monster. Add in Nagy creativity and unpredictability (after years with Fox, I will be ordering a  defibrillator to have at the ready for those exciting moments I am expecting). It will give DCs nightmares. The guy can run, cut and catch. Another difference maker in a multi-year deal.

4. Cody Parkey. All I can say is kickers matter. A lot. More than they get paid. These guys will win or lose more than a few games for you each season. Once again, a position of need and Pace picked a good one.

5. Chase Daniel. Another good choice. Maybe not in terms of a guy that can come in and win games (McCown was my choice there, but the Jets smartly resigned him), but perhaps he can also do that. e has great value in that he is a vet that can help T grow, he is a guy that understand that is his first priority and embraces that and he knows Nagys offense. The acquisition makes sense and while he sadly does not have the neck measurables that Glennon did, I hope he can still succeed.

6. Aaron Lynch. First, no draft or free agency is going to get you all top tier talent for every player you get. Lynch is not top tier, but he is better than just a guy. So as we get down to filling holes, he is a good signing. Somewhere in between with upside under a bunch of coaches that will help him get there. Again, a good signing IMO

What do the rest of you think?