The past several Free Agency periods have proven that owners won't spend a lot of money for 98% of the linebackers (or running backs) in the NFL.
As such, it raises the question of the value of adding a player like Zach Brown.
Brown lit it up at the 2012 Combine, running the forty in 4.44 seconds. He was the 52nd overall pick that year, and played very well in his first 2 seasons with the Titans. His playing time dropped in his 3rd year when he was injured andonly started one game. In his 4th and final year with the Titans, he did start 5 games, but his playing time was dramatically lower than his first 2 years, and he became a Free Agent.
Brown had few offers, and ended up signing a "show me" one year contract with Buffalo for $1,250,000 where he was expected to be a veteran backup. Injuries forced him into the starting lineup, and he had an incredible year with 149 tackles (2nd in the NFL) and made the Pro Bowl. Some websites have implied at the start of Free Agency that Brown would be looking for a Danny Trevathan type contract (4 years $28 million to the Bears last year). Obviously, that hasn't happened, as his recent meeting with the Raiders ended quickly over the significant gap in dollars.
Brown has played on the inside in a 3-4 defense. Is he a fit for the Giants scheme?
Would the signing of a player like Brown push a young player like Goodson to the bench, or force his move to the weak or strong side? How high are the Giants on the future of Goodson?
Would the cost of signing a player like Brown force the Giants to sacrifice the dollars needed to re-sign players like Hankins and Robinson?
Do the Giants know something the fans don't? Is Ishaq Williams-who was on the final roster at seasons end- a player that the fans are not yet talking about? Williams looked incredibly athletic and gifted during training camp and preseason games. He needed experience after being out of football, but there is no question the raw talent is there.
The Giants are in a "win now" with an aging Eli. Would bringing a player like Zach Brown in on a reasonable contract (perhaps 3 years and $14 million) be the best use of the dollars freed up with the long term signing of JPP?
Thoughts?
Would have to lower his asking price though.
How much do we need to allocate for our rookies? Subtract that number from our available cap space. Then also factor in that we may also being in a vet RB and possibly other players.
I don't think we would necessarily have enough room for Hankins and Brown. I do think we would have enough for Hankins and Robinson as long as Hankins deal was not a one year deal where all of the money would be put toward this year.
At this point I am ready to love on from Hankins. I just think the cap space can be better utilized to help fill out the rest of the roster and be carried over to give us more flexibility next year.
Also, The Bills D sucked last year. Brown was on the field a lot and had a lot of opportunity to make tackles. I'm leery of guys who pad their stats on crappy teams. Basically, you are paying top dollar for a guy. Instead, you want to do what the Bills did last year with a guy. Just like we did with Robinson last year.
As for a contract, look at what a guy like A.J.Klein got - spotrac.com - and Klein hasn't had close to the individual success that Brown has had.
I can see the Giants waiting until after the draft to fill out their LB corps and the rest of their roster with much lower-priced free agents.
Now, unless the Giants buck their 30+ year trend and draft a LB in the 1st round, I expect them to do what they usually do in the draft - wait until Day 3 to look for one.
How much do we need to allocate for our rookies? Subtract that number from our available cap space. Then also factor in that we may also being in a vet RB and possibly other players.
I don't think we would necessarily have enough room for Hankins and Brown. I do think we would have enough for Hankins and Robinson as long as Hankins deal was not a one year deal where all of the money would be put toward this year.
At this point I am ready to love on from Hankins. I just think the cap space can be better utilized to help fill out the rest of the roster and be carried over to give us more flexibility next year.
Not entirely sure on the numbers, but JPP supposedly cleared up $10M for this season. We were at just under $3M before, and need $4M for the rookie cap. So we've still got about $9M or so to play with, which would let us return Hankins and Robinson if we were so inclined.
I doubt Hankins makes a return here, though. I'd love for it to happen, but I think he'll find the market for his services no different next winter if he does so, because a good season will be discounted for being on a strong DL, and a bad season would just set him back. His only hopes to a big deal would be to go elsewhere and hope he produces.
I don't know what the hold up is with Robinson, though. Can't imagine he's looking for much money, and I don't think he's got many options. It might be possible that the Giants just don't want him back for whatever reason.
My other option is Cunningham from Vanderbilt. He could be awesome in this defense.
Landon Collins just based on his production as a rookie
that was asked to do a lot .
this season one guy I am leaning to is BJ Goodson MLB
just watching his pre-draft tape he just looks natural
at diagnosing and shedding blockers I could see him
being given the job to lose and having a solid year .
Reese seems to be paying non-impact guys.
Reese seems to be paying non-impact guys.
Don't know what the deal is with JT, whether he's healthy, sticking around, or anything else just yet.
Wynn is a warm body, but at a position where we need him. Until you get a replacement he's on the roster.
I watch the Bills a lot because my wife is from western New York and is a Bills fan. So I've had plenty of opportunity to see Brown play.
I would much rather give the Goodson kid a shot in the middle than shell out the money for Brown. It makes a lot more sense to use the money saved to help re-sign Hankins and Robinson and keep what the GIANTS have relatively in-tact.
For one thing, he hasn't gotten that, so his asking price gets a little less relevant with each passing day. For another, even if the Giants did meet that offer, that would probably not be the Y1 cap value anyway.
I don't think linebackervplay was THAT bad last year.