After I read yours...(2021 Roster Build)

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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Tip of the cap to @AtticusSpeaks…wherever he may roam

After reading all the off-season builds, which are a ton of fun this time of year, I’ve decided to throw my cards on the table:

Couple of parameters

  • All numbers are from Overthecap.com
  • Using the calculator tool on their site along with the player “valuation” to determine contract numbers. These could be way off…but it’s the guide I used. Relatively close was the aim.

Cuts: (no june 1rst)

D.Trufant
J.Coleman
J.James
N.Williams
C.Daniel
J.Dahl

Restructure:

Goff: +$10 million in 2021 cap

Resignings:

Jarrad Davis - $1.7
The Mule - $1.0
Jamal Agnew - $1.2

Free Agents:

Forrest Lamp OG - $6.8
Jared Cook TE - $4.5 (no valuation on OTC…slight guess)
Rayshawn Jenkins S - $3.1
Josh Reynolds WR - $3.0 (valuation is $6.8…incentive contract similar to Tyrell Williams)
Malcolm Brown RB - $2.7
Sheldon Rankins IDL - $1.9
Nickell Robey-Coleman CB - $1.5
Tyrod Taylor QB - $1.3

All signings have ties to our current coaching staff and fill a role.

Golladay, Jones, and Okwara all sign elsewhere and gain compensatory picks for 2022.

Draft #7 overall - DeVonta Smith WR - Heisman Trophy Winner

QB - Goff, Taylor
RB - Swift, Johnson, Brown
FB - Bawden
WR - Smith, Williams, Reynolds, Cephus, Agnew?
TE - Hockenson, Cook, H.Bryant
OLINE - Decker, Jackson, Ragnow, Lamp, Vaitai (Crosby, Stenberg)

Edge - J.Okwara, T.Flowers, A.Bryant
IDL - Shelton, Penisini, Hand, Rankins
LB - Collins, Davis, Tavai
CB - Okuda, Oruwariye, Robey-Coleman, Ford
S - Walker, R.Jenkins, W.Harris

Defense still has some major holes at LB, CB, and Edge. You still have 5 picks (2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th) to fill in some holes on the roster. This is what we roll with in 2021 and will count on some young players to step up and produce at a higher level. We have a ton of draft capitol to fill this defense with some playmakers in the near future.

Cap space remaining (to sign draft picks and other moves):

$5.7 million

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Best job on the planet!

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Lamp is intriguing. That lineup figures to lose a lot of games so I don’t see the value in cook to replace James at that price. Let’s go cheap at TE2, create a little more room elsewhere.

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LA Chargers: Grading the dismal 2020 offensive line

by Alexander Insdorf1 week ago

LA Chargers
LA Chargers3200×2179 1.12 MB

LG Forrest Lamp

Forrest Lamp’s health was the big question mark heading into the season. We knew he could compete for the left guard job with Dan Feeney, but it was important to stay healthy if he got the job.

Unlike my preseason expectation, there actually wasn’t an offseason competition with Lamp and Feeney. This was due to Mike Pouncey’s season-ending hip injury. Anthony Lynn and James Campen decided to shift Feeney to center, which effectively gave the left guard spot to Lamp.

For his first healthy season of his career, I guess it wasn’t terrible. As a pass blocker, he was decent. He actually ended up grading slightly higher than Tevi in that regard. However, his run blocking was just as bad, if not worse.

Lamp allowed five more pressures than Tevi which is sort of what I used as a tiebreaker. Quarterback hits were almost doubled in his case as well.

Up through the Miami game, it felt like Lamp was actually having a good season. Not just Chargers’ offensive line good either, I mean actually good. Through the first nine games, Lamp allowed zero sacks and just twelve pressures.

Over the next three games against New York, Buffalo, and New England, Lamp’s blocking ability dropped like a rock. In just those three games, Lamp allowed 17 pressures and two sacks. I won’t pin the New England game completely on him because there were a lot of problems with the offensive line that day. Tevi missed the game for the birth of his child in addition to the injuries of other Chargers’ linemen. But seven pressures, two hits, and a sack allowed against the Jets was unacceptable.

The first half of Lamp’s season was actually decent, but the second half fell off hard. What’s the reason for that? It’s hard to not think about the fact that Lamp had not played anything close to a full season of NFL football before 2020. If you’re not used to the constant grind that is a 16 game season, it might be pretty difficult to maintain the same production level through all 16 games.

Like I said, the goal for Lamp in 2020 was to just stay healthy, which he did. Through the first eight or nine games, he showed off his potential. Lamp has to get better at maintaining that level and his conditioning throughout the season though if he wants to be a consistent fixture on the offensive line. I wouldn’t really bet on that happening.

Final 2020 grade for the LA Chargers: C-

PFF 2020 SEASON STATS

OFFENSE SNAPS PLAYED 11741st

PENALTIES 1T-67th

SACKS ALLOWED 2T-37th

  • G with at least 20% of league-highest volume are ranked.

2020 PLAYER GRADES

EDGE

OVERALL 49.4

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I posted in the Den to hear my fellow Lions fans thoughts, although I do appreciate a hot take from Alexander Insdorf every once in awhile.

What is a your idea of an O-line unit this fall @sin2au? Is our OG already on the roster? A different FA in mind? A rookie from the draft to blow the PFF charts out of the water?

We got a lot of holes on the roster and they can’t all be filled in one off-season. Maybe Lamp isn’t a wise choice to spend our limited cap dollars on? What do you think the Lions will do to address the O-Line?

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See Lamp is the type of free agent I hope they stay away from. We are solid on the left side with Decker/Jackson/Ragnow. Lamp is a LG, we need help at RG and RT.

If they want to sign a OL. I hope they actually sign a RG or RT. Someone who has proven they can play on the right side

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I’d like to see Stenberg step up and play a role in 2021. With a nickname like “Mr. Nasty” at Kentucky…he may turn into a nice fit under Dan Campbell.

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Matt Nelson at RT…

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Could Matt Nelson hold down RT while Big V takes snaps at RG?

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That would be my take…

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Left side of the OL is very good to excellent - Decker, Jonah, Ragnow. Right side is below average to poor - Dahl, Vitaii, Converted DL- Nelson. Exclude Crosby (sp), because he’s a swing tackle LT & RT, and a very valuable commodity, IMO. Dahl is coming into his own as a starting Guard. However, he is often sidelined with back issues. Someone I would not count on to play any 16-17 game season. He may retire soon. Rookie Sternberg - Guard, has a long way to go, is strictly a mauler and belongs on the right side, but he was a LG in college. He never played a Down in 2020, that’s how far behind the curve he is. He looks awkward, lets guys get under his pads, lacks agility to move his feet sufficiently. RT - converted DL Nelson looks promising, reviews were good in his transition to OL from DL in his 1st year. He makes the team in 2021 as a backup providing critical depth. Good find!

Draft: I expect the Lions to draft a RT. Question is which round? Holmes/Campbell/Lynn have emphasized repeatedly their desire to Run! Run! Run!. This keeps the sordid Lions Defense off the field through a run-oriented offense. OL love to run block instead of pass block, too. Relieves pressure on Goff, especially in his 1st Year with strange surroundings, weather, different players, new playbook. It just takes time to acclimate and transition to all these changes. Emphasis on Running the ball should lessen the stress, dramatically in the 1st Year. Running shortens the game time-wise and reduces turnovers through interceptions and pocket fumbles, which Goff has a real problem with, small hands?..His margin for error is small as it is, so why tempt fate? His strength is Accuracy & Mid-Level Distance. So, play to your strength with screens, flares to Hock, and Swift dumpoffs out of the backfield, or more creatively, lined up outside of Hock and becoming the man-in-motion, drawing a LB to him creating a mis-match, and opening up the mid-field for Hock and/or our 3rd Receiver (Cephus).

All above is incumbent on the Lions also drafting a stud RB, who can pound the rock, catch swing passes, and be in the backfield with swift at the same time. Are the Lions going to pass or run??..Create more uncertainty and stress on the opposing defense. For these reasons above, I could easily imagine a scenario with the Lions trading down slightly in the 1st Round and drafting a stud RT at #12 or #19… Slater? Darrisaw?..Guys, who can play G or RT, at least, in Year 1…

With added 2nd Rounder via trade in the 1st Round , draft RB Williams and now you are cooking…Williams would be the perfect complement, outside of RB Harris, in the Run & Pass game. Alternatively, draft the RT in the 3rd Round. Strength of the Draft in 2021 is Offense. Take advantage!

I would take the BPA DT at #41 Nixon?, regardless. Conceivably, Holmes could trade down from #43 to #53, pick up a mid 3rd Rounder, and still get RB Williams, but there is a REAL Risk he will be gone by then. If the plan is a stud WR at #7, then so be it. Trade down at #41 10 places, take RB Williams at #53, draft BPA RT in the 3rd, and the rest of the 3rd Round 2 picks on the defense. Surprisingly, I predict, barring another trade down the Lions draft a QB or K (Groza Winner with Stone Cold Confidence) in the 4th/5th Rounds. - GOALPOST

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Y E S!
Love your plan, brother.

I like this, if it shakes down that way.

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Hopefully everyone is expecting a ~20% paycut due to the lowered cap.

Lot of Rams castaways in there. Not a fan of any of these guys, especially at the prices shown.

Jared Cook TE - $4.5 (no valuation on OTC…slight guess) - Disappears way too often.
Josh Reynolds WR - $3.0 (valuation is $6.8…incentive contract similar to Tyrell Williams) - Very mediocre but for a couple million may add value.
Malcolm Brown RB - $2.7 - Good player but probably a 3rd back and that is a lot for one.
Nickell Robey-Coleman CB - $1.5 - Ok 4th CB.

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