45catfan

Weinkie was set up to fail. He was a solid backup in value, but thrust into a starter's role. Can't expect a 4th rounder to be the face of a franchise.

I've always said the 2001 draft was one of the best ones!

Nah, Stanford, but being an ex-Jag, Jet or Brown is the NFL is equivalent of being an ex-Owl or Bear is Rhule's book. Garbage with potential!

If...big IF, we don't take a QB in round 1, this is the dude I want us to draft. "Baby Gronk."

Shi might be the saving grace. I would agree with you in a standard 7 pick draft or fewer. We had 11 picks in that draft. Horn and Chirstensen are looking like the starters. Tremble remains to be seen. Taylor is about is get squeezed out of a deep CB room at the end of the depth chart. The wildcard really is Shi Smith who may be the starting slot WR.

Thomas' scouting report coming out of college stated he was extremely raw. Now there's two possibilities or a combination of both. Ian is uncoachable or our staff is unable to develop TEs. Again, could be some of both. That's the reason I didn't like the pick. When I see the tag 'raw' on a scouting report, that gives me apprehension about the prospect. Most prospects aren't NFL ready, but even close to ready still takes time to finish developing. Prospects deemed raw takes too much time and mainly it's the mental side of the game that gets the label, not the physical attributes. Y'all remember "Swole Bones?" Dude had the physical attributes to be a beastly TE, but he could never pick up the nuances of the position. Even though Ian has the measurables to be an effective TE in this League, something just isn't clicking with him.

Only thing, Schultz is playing on a franchise tag. He's not going to be cheap. Only thing is to maybe give him a new deal if we do trade for him. One year at that amount is pretty steep.

Outside of Taysom Hill, who is now listed as a TE, this is the cream of the crop here. There's about 8 more after this, then you get to Thomas. So you have the top elite and top tier guys, second tier, then Ian Thomas? I don't buy that at all. He's getting TE1 money because that's where he's at on the depth chart, not because he's actually TE1 material. Again, unless Baker totally craps the bed, I want Micheal Mayer in the draft next year. I don't want to wait almost a freaking decade to fill Olsen's shoes like we did to fill Gross'.

I was wanting to cut him and save the $2M in cap room last year. Instead of letting him walk and upgrading, we give him a new deal? Joe Brady is gone, so the TE position actually exists again on this team. Problem being, we simply don't have a receiving threat.

When Greg Olsen was here (pre-foot injury) teams had to ALWAYS account for him. Dude was a threat to break a big one at any point. Our TEs now? One less man that the defense has to be worried about.

Oh please, please, please, please!!!!!

I still don't the staff's infatuation with Ian Thomas. Makes zero sense to me. Dude is a TE2 at best.

Yeah, but about the last piece the team really lacks. So this is speculation I will bite on.

It would be a VERY welcomed addition. He's not a teir-1 TE, so I wouldn't give up too much in a trade. I would give the Cowboys that 5th rounder in 2024 we just acquired for Daley.

Or a bounty on the Saints.

Yep, Flecher, Brown and Nixon all cut. Brown and Nixon were Marty-type players, so that doesn't shock me. What is a Marty-type player? One whose pre-draft stock is relatively high at the beginning of the process and steadily drops throughout and come draft day throws out a net to catch said falling prospect thinking they got a 'steal.' Horn, Christensen and Smith may be the only ones to get another contract out of that class.

Hard to say. Nixon had some huge character red flags coming out of college. Then he had the injury last season to his neck I think. Those injuries can linger. Who's to say he was fully healed? Granted Roy is a JAG, but Nixon had his own issues. He may land back on the practice squad at some point.

So will he be playing end or tackle primarily? I can see him being a one-two down end. Keep Burns on sidelines on first downs. Save some juice for 3rd downs where he excels.

I figured they would bring in an end that could also play inside. Still not biting on an experienced TE or LB depth though.

Also added a WR and S. Cut rookie WR Henry, and as mentioned, Nixon too. DL, S and WR added, WR and DT cut

Makes sense--that being dude is an ex-Jet.

Seems about right in this video. Falcons fans are always bitter, Saints fans live on Brees' past accomplishments and are in denial about the reality about to hit them post Petyon/Brees. Bucs fans are arrogantly basking in the Tom Brady rental glory until he retires and they go back to being, well, the Bucs. Panthers fans are cautiously optimistic at best, and very critical at worst. Most of us are realists about this team. So we aren't the Falcons, but we are a ball-washing fan base like the neo-Bucs and Saints.

It only matters to Tepper, unfortunately. The man does not like to be wrong so a floor of 9 wins (wildcard or not) is enough for Rhule to stick around another season. It will be hard to Tepper to justify keeping Rhule if our record is only better by 2-3 games especially if the team stays relatively healthy. The IR excuse has been leaned on heavily the past two seasons.

DTs are a dime a dozen; easy FA fix or mid-round fix. We have some young DTs we need to see as well before writing them off. Cuts and restructures kicks the can down the road and messes with subsequent years. As of now, we are in good shape for 2024, so I don't want to mess that up. If Rhule is still around, I have no doubt he goes down that path. Inevitably when he is canned, the next couple of years will be a mess to dig out from under as he goes form season-to-season trying to save his backside with little regard to the long term health of the cap.

Three of the four will be out of our range. I'm okay with that, because there's a dude balling out under the national radar in Conway, SC. At this early juncture I am circling my 1st rounder as TE Micheal Mayer. Then, if we need a QB, get him in the second and McCall should be there. Why? We will not be a top 15 pick unless the wheels absolutely come off. It's early, but the TE class is looking thin and Mayer is the dude we need to replace Greg Olsen. Get the guy we need. What about Tremble? If dude can't beat out Ricci beyond this year as our H-back, then we have a serious problem with Tommy. No matter how this staff tries to prop up Ian Thomas, dude will never be more than a JAG. Let him play his contract out and move on.