AZ54

Carter got the first team Reps at RG. I think Patrick did as well. It’s still early but it’s always telling who the coaches want to give the first shot.

Last year Olines easily got our entire defense front moving sideways or backwards. We now have two players who can at least stop that. Pickens has to learn how to avoid that. Justin Jones was part of the problem but hopefully with a better rotation to support him he’ll be able to make a few more big plays.

This film breakdown of Gervon Dexter will make you feel pretty good about that pick.

This guy does some good film breakdowns. This is on Zacch Pickens and you'll see just how raw his technique is.

We’ll see. Leno got married and his performance got worse. Just like Gould he got his act together after he got cut.

Good point on Teven. His body conditioning is a good indication if he's bought into the program this year.

A couple things I'll be looking for in reports from the OTAs...(assuming these players show up) At the top of my list is Justin Fields with quick feet. That sounds odd for one of the fastest QBs in NFL history but I want to see him demonstrate quick change of direction with his feet on short passes. Snap to the right, snap to the left, just like an elite basketball defender. Keep his feet and throwing mechanics aligned as he goes through his reads and get rid of those poor habits of twisting his body and arm to hit a WR on a bubble screen or a late decision to hit the RB in the flat. Justin with continued improvement on his arm/throwing motion. He worked on that a lot last year and it showed during the season (credit where credit is due). At times it still felt like it was too mechanical, or forced, and not smooth or second nature and that led to the ball getting out late. Are the eyes and release more in sync so the ball is gone as soon as he "sees it". Velus' route running. Last year it was clear he just barely learning the details of route running. Any signs of improvement? With his talent we don't need him to be a legit #3 WR just a viable #4 WR that causes a defense headaches because he can be used in a variety of ways. He doesn't need to have every route or play in his arsenal but given the other WRs we now have, if Velus can work all levels of the field on a limited route tree that's enough to cause a defense big problems. Do we have any safety depth? It's only coverage stuff at this point so OTAs mean little but we're thin on depth behind Jackson and Brisker. 3rd TE, anybody want to win this job?

I watched Swift’s video and another one. What stood out to me is that it’s not just his base, Dexter has a lot of core strength. You don’t see him get bent backwards very often but it’s really obvious when he’s tosses OG left and right to make a tackle. He’s in control. We signed Billings to be our 1 tech and he’s stout enough to anchor even against a double team. However, I never saw a highlight where he’s tossing Oline aside like Dexter. Best case he’s working one side or the other. Or he has to give ground to get himself back to the other gap. In this role as a 2 down player Dexter will be an upgrade. If Flus can get Dexter upfield into a gap to anchor one yard into the backfield he will mess up a lot of plays. From there an Improved pass rush is just around the corner.

All I know is that he's so good after all these years they refused to give him a long term deal.

We have two of the WRs GB was targeting in trades last year: DJ Moore and Chase Claypool. First step to getting into the playoffs is winning your division and it cost us a bit to play defense on the Claypool trade and block them.

I watched the interview and Poles seemed pretty clear he's in some discussions on a trade. First for me is what is the status of the injury so 100% that's gotta be reviewed first and foremost. If we make the trade we're effectively obligated to give him a contract extension. What does that look like? I'd be negotiating that up front with his agent before any trade is made because you want some common ground. The Ravens knew what they were getting with Roquan and paid his demands although they waited until right at the end of the season. That injury concern is the main and only reason why I wouldn't make the trade. Why I would make the trade: I scanned a couple early 2024 draft rankings and the Edge class is underwhelming. Assuming Poles/Flus value length at the position The only top 10 Edge prospect (Draft Network) is 6'3" 240lbs Dallas Turner Alabama. He is way too small for what want and the first thing you see in his highlights is that he's not Will Anderson. I watched a bit of the Texas game and OTs swallow him up completely on a lot of plays. Top 20 Edge prospects: Jared Verse FSU, listed at 6'4" 248lbs. Might be a good fit if his height is accurate and he's got some quick twitch. Looks a little more compact in build. JT Tuimoloau Ohio St. 6'4". 270lbs, He's more power rusher than quickness but can bend a bit around the edge, similar style to what you saw from Tuli this year. Similar to Myles Murphy in some aspects. Top 30 Edge prospects: Jack Sawyer Ohio St. 6'5". 250lbs. Again he's more power rusher than quickness and bend off the edge. IMO Jared Verse represents the best speed rusher option followed by JT Tuimoloau who fits the big edge style Flus likes. But that's just two players, and Sawyer and Turner are guys you can find in any draft. I'm sure there will be some younger players who declare, and maybe someone else will move up, but the pool of 1st Rd Edge players doesn't appear to be very deep. It's almost like last year when Poles traded for Claypool because he saw the 2032 WR class wasn't very deep (he proved to be correct). None of these prospects is close to what a healthy Chase Young can do on the field.

That was well done.

If Foreman wins the starting job I’d say it’s more likely Roschon takes Herbert’s place as the 2nd back. They likely keep Homer on the field for 3rd and long situations for his while letting Roschon gain experience with a couple series per game.

I'd like to see a 300yd game or two before even remotely thinking about a 4000 yd season from Fields. The RB room is tough. Herbert has some value as a KR which Foreman does not. Beyond that Johnson and Homer both have more special teams value than Herbert and both can pass block and catch out of the backfield better. On game day you want your RB depth capable of as much special teams as possible plus with those two offering more 3rd down value than Herbert. A lot depends on how quickly Roschon gets up to speed but Herbert is battling with Foreman for the same role.

Seems reasonable.

Zero chance the Cards are 6th overall if anyone has seen DHop play in the last couple years. Plus DJ Moore > Calvin Ridley, Chase Claypool > Christian Kirk (watched him for years in AZ) so IMO we're better than the Jags. I'd put Kirk on par with Mooney and Claypool wins over Kirk simply because he's the better redzone target. Between the 20s I don't see much difference between Claypool and Kirk, they each have strengths and weaknesses.

D'Anthony Jones https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/danthony-jones-1.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.profootballrumors.com&utm_campaign=2023-05-07_cfb This dude does not lack confidence. This is a really long interview with DA talking about DA for the most part. If you catch 1min of it you can just multiply that by 50 to know what the rest of the video is like. I got a feeling coaches are going to set him up early against someone like Wright to see if he can be humbled a little bit. As UDFAs go I want someone like this who will come in and fight for a spot.

Who is our backup OT? I can't imagine anybody on this board believes it will be, or rather should be, Leatherwood or Borom.

Bagent has a weak arm. He’s on par with Peterman but Peterman at least knows the NFL.

More receiver than blocker, and I'm not so sure how good he is as a receiver/route runner. He's been around the Browns for a couple years so he's been working on his craft. At this point we have little competition for the 3rd TE role so he has as good a chance as anyone.

I have no idea what Corey Wooten sees but IMO there is zero chance Bell is the best of our 3 rookie DTs. Gervon Dexter had 23 solo, 55 tot tackles in the SEC Zacch Pickens had 22 solo, 42 tot tackles in the SEC Travis Bell had just 16 solo, 32 tot tackles in some conference I don't know I don't even know why we drafted him instead of just signing him as a UDFA. I've come to accept the fact we used a 7th Rd pick on a "glue guy" who will help the other 2 rookies with his leadership, work ethic, and hustle on the field. That's not necessarily a bad thing either with such a young roster because both Dexter and Pickens have 1st Rd talent if they can put it all together. You can say that's why we have coaches but there are severe limitations on when they can work with players. If Bell can add anything on the football field that's a bonus, otherwise he's the 24yr old glue guy who likely ends up on the practice squad. How much do Poles and Flus value having a few of these players? Just look at Montgomery who they were willing to pay. Replacing his talent on the field was not a difficult task but replacing him in the locker was a different matter. IMO they were willing to pay him in large part for the leadership, at least for a couple seasons until we establish new leaders. That may also be the top reason Detroit was willing to pay him and shuffle their RB room with Swift departing and Gibbs added. In the end it appears we landed on our feet with Roschon.

RT was our top offensive need. Why gamble on a guy beating the odds and becoming part of the bottom 5 percentile as a successful short-arm OT when you have the 9th pick in the draft and there are much better options who fit the 95th percentile of successful OTs? Zero chance I'd put $20mil in salary/bonuses down on that bet.

You know exactly what Poles thinks of Vildor based on all the draft capital he’s used at CB in the last year.

Tippman was the best non selection Poles made. I saw it in the highlights I watched but Greg Gabriel said it best: “in one game he was on the ground 15 times. “ Whatever his balance issue is I’m glad it’s not our problem.