Evil Hurney

Here is our current 53-man roster. I've bolded the differences from my previous 53 man prediction. Things that surprised me: Zylstra getting cut (I think the trade yesterday bumped him off the 53) Zane going to season ending IR (I thought they might hold him until tomorrow) The number of DT types we kept Darryl Johnson (DE) getting cut EDIT: I predict Sam will go on short-term IR tomorrow to make room for a kicker

Not that surprising, he needs a season on the PS to learn. Rhule kept saying he needed to learn to be more than just a fast guy.

This x1000. Baker wasn't going out of his way to give the Browns bulletin board material. Cynthia knew what she was doing when she decided to share an essentially off the record conversation with a "friend".

Just watched the presser. I'm sensing season ending IR for Zane based on body language and things not said.

Everyone other than the tank crowd should be hoping to NOT see PJ play. It'll be somewhat interesting to see if they bring in a 3rd QB to learn the system or if they just wait out Sam's injury. I'd have to imagine we get a QB for the practice squad at minimum.

We had plan A) Sam and plan B) Corral already. Did you want a plan C? PJ was on the express train to cuts-ville if Sam doesn't get rolled up last night. Who would have guessed we would lose both of the guys ahead of PJ? While it sucks, this situation is largely a fluke ... oh and PJ must have that cat in him cuz he seems to have 9 lives

This makes the roster math hard. Do you IR Zane before or after the 53 cutdown? I'm guessing after since we may wait to see what shakes loose from other rosters.

I was gonna ask what connections exist with the ST coach. I know we had Lirim Hajrullahu in last year, but that was a different ST coach.

What else are they supposed to say. PJ is our best option as backup QB at this point. While more talented players may be available soon they won't have a good grasp of the offense in only ~2 weeks while getting only mental reps.

Somehow, against all odds, PJ Walker has made the roster. No one else will be ready to backup come week 1. Sam will IR after 53 cutdown and we'll use the spot for someone we want from another roster or FA.

Rhule basically said STO was making the roster a few days ago based on his ST play alone.

Updated after reading a bit more. Added a 3rd TE after seeing they kept 4 (5 if you count Ricci) last season. Removed Daley as I don't see the need. Brady and Erving (and Mays?) can cover T duties if needed. I do think we try to add a DT type which may cause Julian Stanford or the 2nd string 3T/NT to the PS. Added Julian Stanford (although Mosby is tempting); Stanford let the team in ST tackles IIRC Backup S is up in the air. I'm going with the two that play ST ... although it is noteworthy that Kenny Robinson is still on the team. it would have been all to easy to cut him after multiple fights last week. I still think we are keeping Roberts in a Return Specialist role Added an initial practice squad guess based on being able to keep 16

9 is likely. I think Daley is the cut. Erving and Jordan both started last season (i know, i know) which tells you how the coaching staff roughly views them in comparison to Daley. EDIT: Also, Daley "might" have PS eligibility

I'd love to see Skylar brought in as a another developmental QB assuming he doesn't make their 53 ... sadly he may have played too well for the Dolphins to feel comfortable to try to stash.

Rhule had a bit of a slip in his presser yesterday where he basically commented about Roberts playing in game 1. I wasn't sure what do do about safety as I haven't paid much attention. I chose Chandler mostly based on ST snaps. In an earlier presser by Rhule he all but said Stanley Thomas Oliver has a spot based on special teams value alone.

It's a passing league and with Chinn and our bigger corners we tended to have 5 DBs on the field quite often. Not a lot of 3 LB sets needed. That said, Stanford had like 300+ ST snaps last season and would make sense as a guy that plays ST but could also fill in for injury.

What is your guess for the initial 53 man roster? Here is my current guess as to what the roster will look like on August 30th. I will not be surprised if we add to the DL prior to week 1. I could also see us only keeping 9 OL (Daley joins the cut list) and adding an extra DB (Barnes or Robinson) or LB (Stanford for ST).

After looking over depth charts I think these would be the most likely candidates: Skylar Thompson MIA Carson Strong PHI Brock Purdy SF Kellen Mond MIN Anthony Brown BAL Jack Coan IND EJ Perry JAX Dustin Crum KC Chase Garbers LV Jarret Guarantano ARZ

It's fairly obvious the original plan was to keep Baker, Sam, and Corral as the 3 QBs. When asked if they still might keep 3 Rhule didn't rule it out (no pun intended). To most this seems like a way to keep PJ on the roster, but I have a different theory. What if the team is considering using the spot originally intended for Corral to poach a promising rookie or 1st year QB off another team? Most teams only keep 2 guys and some will try to hide developmental guys on their practice squads. By using the now vacant 3rd QB spot, the team gets an additional swing at the QB position for very low investment while also ensuring we have multiple guys under contract for the near future. What QB, that is a possible cut candidate, would you want Fit to steal?

It's 9, I had Brady on there twice as I think he's the primary backup for LT

I think the last Oline spot comes down to Daley vs Erving Ikem | Brady | Elflein | Corbett | Moton Brady | MJ | Bozeman | Mays | Daley/Erving Edit: I think a healthy Bozeman starts, but I'm not sure how much the missed time hurts his chances early in the season

Sucks for Corral. It'll be interesting to see if they wait until after the 53 cutdown to put him on the IR (to make him eligible to return late in the season). If the timeline allows, I'd prefer he be able to practice in December and January. For Rhule, this decreases his odds for a year 4. With a healthy Corral he could more easily survive a losing season if Corral played well late in the season.

I feel like Baker and Sam will split the first half with Sam getting the 1st series, PJ will get the 3rd Q, and Corral will get the 4th Q.

Reasons for a winning season: 1) CMC stays healthy Historically speaking, the Panthers win at a much higher rate when CMC plays. CMC plays, 27 wins out of 58 games, 0.466 win% CMC sits, 6 wins out of 23 games, 0.261 win% A 0.466 win% translates to 7.9 wins in a 17-game schedule. 2) Baker outperforms the likes of post-shoulder-injury Cam, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, PJ Walker, and Sam Darnold. The two statistical best on that list are 2018 Cam (53.2 QBR) and 2020 Teddy (56.8 QBR). Baker has 2 seasons that exceeded Cam and 1 season that exceeded Teddy. Last season was the only time Baker dropped below a QBR of 50; Sam has NEVER had a QBR of 50 or higher. 3) The relatively young defense continues to improve. In terms of yards allowed: 23rd -> 18th -> 2nd In terms of points allowed: 31st -> 18th -> 21st In terms of expected points contributed: 24th -> 20th -> 6th 4) Zane maintains and Hecker gives us a reliable punting game The image above shows the 2021 numbers and illustrates how sub-par our punting game was last season. Hekker helps our defense give up fewer scores by starting the opposing team inside the 20 more often.

Sam has had roughly 12 weeks in the playbook already. We are roughly 6 weeks away from preseason game #2 and 9 weeks away from Week 1. Assuming both are capable of learning at a similar rate and the offense has done most of its install, Sam already knows what Baker will know by that time. For those interested, Corral has 8-9 weeks in the playbook at this point.