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Overall I agree with many of Air’s points. Buggs is a depth player and will be paid like one. In 2023 Buggs should be a back up to Alim and play with him in short yardage packages.
Levi O. will be back and for my $ I think the Lions draft one of the top DTs with the #6 pick and create a DL that can roll in guys to mess you up. To that end Commish is back and he gets a bump in pay but he isn’t a viable starter but a key rotational guy who deserves a bump in pay but not crazy. No team is going to pay a rotational guy crazy $. Commish is a glue guy making everyone around him better. Commish gets a bump up in pay as a rotational guy. John had 4 sacks for us and played BIG but he is a glorified and important depth piece and he needs to be paid like that. John has 5.5 career sacks and 4 came here last season. Valuable? Yes. But a depth piece.
Buggs is a step above a league vet guy and I want him back but we cannot pay slightly more than vet min. for a depth guy.
Air is right in that Elliott was a guy who clearly outplayed his deal and deserves to be in the $3 million range. He still has concerns and it is unlikely another team will spend big on a guy like this but yep, he may end up $3-4 million/season as a viable starter with injury concerns. Best strong safety we have had in years here in Detroit. Brought great energy with him.
Of our current vets I am not crazy about reading posts with guys wanting Holmes to cut guys like crazy to pay for other guys. Romoe Okwara is likely not going anywhere. That dude is a damn good football player who should have a hell of an off-season and 2023 now that he is healthy again. Charles Harris is a fantastic depth player making $6 million as he can get after the QB. Another fresh body to bring in to get after people.
Vaitai is here unless he will not recover enough to play football. If we cut him I am fine with that but this guy has also played well for us at times at guard.
I am not concerned with LBer AA overall. I hope RB Jamaal Williams is back but this club can also live without him if we need. Chances are Williams is back with a similar offer. Like Commish he is valuable but only as part of a committee and rotation.
The one guy who will get real $ is Chark and to maintain a dangerous WR core we need Chark back.
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Going to have to convince Kevin Sheppard that there is no base nickel defense, he used that term when talking to Tim Twentyman.
If he’s not going to get any better, yea, he won’t be coming back, but he may not have been fully recovered. They don’t have to make a decision on Romeo until training camp, nothing is due to him until the start of the season.
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I haven’t looked at his contract. Does he have any roster bonus that set a timeline for him to be cut by?
I think he’s going to have to convince the Lions he’s worth keeping. I don’t think he did that on the field this year and the Lions have a tough choice to make.
I think it will be hard to keep both him and Comish and justify each salary. I think one is gone and my money is on Romeo.
His first game back was Dec 18th and he had two sacks. You know the staff kept him on a strict snap count. They do that for all returning injured players. Romeo is also a DC kind of guy. I think people are writing him off really early. I get the dollars but they did not sign him to that contract because they had a gun to their heads. They like the player. Maybe just can’t afford him at this point.
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Nope
Agreed
I think Romeo definitely has to get better/healthier in order to secure his spot.
With the SAM LB’s, the weak side DE, the strong Side DE and moving DE’s inside on passing downs, they play a lot of OLB/DE’s. Hutch was doubled as much as any DL in the league, we have to have a someone to take the pressure off Hutch. A 2020 version of Romeo can do that, a 2022 version of Romeo does not do that.
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A team can cut a player before the start of free agency and still designate that player as a post June 1st cut.
It has no bearing on the player’s availability in free agency…
but is just an “accounting” mechanism.
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Risdon said that the Lions aren’t planning on having Levi, and he doesn’t expect him to play for the Lions or any other team. Ever.
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Yes - thank you - I am getting old. Actually I am old. Yesterday I was digging up dirt younger than me. Thanks for the clarification!
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Would’nt shock me. Alim, Buggs and Benito and another high round draft pick I think.
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gotta source?
This seems like a significant statement that needs a link…
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Rush Linebacker (the 4th lineman). That’s what they’re going to hear Dan call him and that’s what they’re going to hear Wash call that position.
He’s not a SLB because they are purposely moving him to the weak side. That was the little bit of juice our defense got this year, when they stood him up and got him on the open side.
We did more 3-4 stuff with Houston and Hutch at the end of the season than we did at any other point (I think).
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Ugh.
It’s like we all either know it or say we know it, but it’s still painful when it plays out so slowly.
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Lions had 266 snaps played by guys considered “defensive linemen or edge… in a game where Packers ran 60 plays.
That is 4.65 DL/edge players per snap….
I agree with Phunny. I see no recent mention of Levi anywhere.
I’m not Risdon but I don’t doubt this is somewhat true.
First I am sure this is speculation. There’s no way anyone in the front office would tell him that or be quoted saying that.
However I think they suspect he’s a bust and the back injury is just an excuse to hide this fact. I think they IRed him to hide the fact he’s not NFL ready. I think he’s a turd to use Dan C. terminology….meaning he’s not putting in the work in the classroom or the weight room. I think he got his payday and he’s going to be another NFL statistic.
IR him and hope he gets himself 100% right physically and mentally and gets with the program. That’s all they could do.
Man, I agree with most of ur takes but that’s a hot one. So you’re saying he didn’t need back surgery!? They just IR’d and got him back surgery as a cover up for being a bad pick and being a turd? That seems very far fetched to me and I love a good conspiracy.
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I’m not going to guess what the staff thinks, or has leaked, but this is how I personally view the situation. If he comes back next season and plays - I’ll be stoked. Both for him and for the team. I’m just personally assuming he’s essentially been cut and don’t even think about him when I think about the depth chart for next year
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