Who's up, who is down

[AZ54]

A couple weeks in and getting ready for our first preseason game. Trying to summarize what I've read about the team so far.

 

Offense:

 

QB: Cutler no INTs or fumbles to date. One would think the addiction withdrawal symptoms would take over sooner than later causing a couple turnovers. Clausen hasn't done much but his reps have been limited so far and he'll get his best practice during the preseason games. Not sure what is going on with Fales but Carden is not an NFL QB. Will we keep two QBs or three?

 

Oline: Bushrod is still Bushrod but on the other side of the line Mills has struggled often in camp. Leno has shown some flashes as a backup but coaches appear to be keeping him locked into learning the left side. That makes me wonder if Long or Bushrod is the backup RT? Regardless, RT will be an issue again this season. The interior looks good, Slauson has been a beast in camp, virtually unbeatable and Long is going to be usual self. Montgomery will start for us at C this season but given his experience in the offense and with solid help on either side of him we should be ok here. Backup positions you have to think Grasu, who is starting to play better, has one locked down. The other two spots appear to be Leno and Ducasse but I suspect Ola is in the mix too if for no other reason his versatility. Mills performance will likely determine what we do here among the backups.

 

RB: Forte plus who? Right now Rodgers appears to be the #2 RB. We have to believe Langford will make the roster. If we are keeping a 4th RB that leaves Carey fighting against Daniel Thomas who is much bigger at 230lbs, and Senorise Perry who is faster and plays better on special teams. Right now it appears Carey won't make the final roster.

 

TE: Bennett plus who? Bennett has looked like an elite TE this camp. Haven't heard much of anything about players behind him which is concerning.

 

WR: White hasn't hit the field but we know he'll be there for the regular season. Jeffrey has been outstanding in camp as has Royal. Marquess Wilson has been ok but I see reports of him still running wrong routes or dropping catchable passes. Preseason games will be a big factor for Wilson because he stumbled last season when he finally got on field. Behind the top 4 are Mariani,who has done well as a WR and has the special teams skills, and Bellamy. Do we keep 5 or 6 WRs?

 

 

Defense

 

OLB: Depth is showing up here. Allen is playing well, Acho, and of course McPhee. Houston also does not appear to be having any issues coming off his injury and has made a lot of plays in camp. Those appear to be the top 4 and it's possible we see all four get snaps in a rotation when the regular season starts. Bass has been looking much better in pass rush and seems be headed for the final roster. The surprise here is UDFA Kyle Woestmann. He seems destined for the practice squad but apparently will be on the bubble of the final cuts. That pushes Willie Young to no-man's land. Willie is still not ready to play so barring injury to someone else he's going to get cut or we trade him.

 

ILB: SMC continues to improve but preseason games are important for him to maintain momentum. He hasn't done anything to lose his starting spot yet. Jones and SMC have been a good blitz combo and Jones has excelled in coverage. Foster is challenging SMC but hasn't quite made the leap yet. Bostic has finally made it to the practice field but has a lot of catching up to do. Right now it appears these are the final 4 ILB.

 

Dline: I see starters Ferguson, Goldman, Ratliff. Jenkins seems like he'll have a roster spot but it's far from certain. After him I don't know. I think Sutton will be gone as he can't hold the point of attack and isn't offering much on pass rush. That means last year's 3rd and 4th Rd picks may be gone (and both were guys I liked ). Cornelius Washington is interesting here. He bulked up and at DE is occasionally able to get inside with a good pash rush but OTOH he's getting pushed around on running plays. It's a transition for him and would likely take another year for him to learn this new role. Can he contribute enough on special teams to make the final roster? I don't know if we keep 5 or 6 Dline. Brandon Dunn has done some good things as well as David Carter who was a late signing. UDFA Williams has been stout at NT on occasion and it seems like he'll end up on the practice squad. Lot of competition behind the top 3, definitely something to watch on Thur.

 

CB: Some surprises here. Fuller seems locked in as one starter on the outside. Opposite him it has been either McMannis, and lately Porter. Porter just went out with a minor hamstring pull. Ball can't stay on the field and when he is there he hasn't been impressive. Jennings appears to have the NB job but I haven't seen anything good or bad about him so far. Terrance Mitchell has turned a lot of heads in camp, not sure if he's playing the slot behind Jennings but he could be the heir apparent there, maybe after a year on the practice squad. Overall it appears we have better depth here than expected but it's still up in the air how good our top 2 CBs will be in the new scheme especially if we have to blitz to get pressure.

 

S: Rolle hasn't looked good. He's a starter along with Vereen, who has been playing better this camp versus last year but I can't expect much from Vereen until I see it. There is no doubt the coaches want Rolle back there for his leadership but if you evaluate their physical play on the field I have to think Mundy is challenging him. If a change is made putting Mundy as starter I think coaches would make it later in the preseason once players are more comfortable with the new scheme (i.e. less of a need for Rolle's leadership on the field). Amos is still learning on the job he'll be a backup this season. The front 7 need to carry the load or these guys will get exposed.