If he has another year like 2023 then we could get a 5th or a 6th. Acquiring team would only be picking up $6m cap hit, which is good value for a RB as reliable and consistent as Montgomery.
Montgomery is 5’11 and 224. Vaki is 5’11 and 210. Vaki has a hell of a lot to prove to usurp Montgomery, but I really like his profile.
Perhaps I’m a year too soon, it’s more realistic to predict him replacing Montgomery in 2026 when he’s a free agent. But for some reason I have a feeling Vaki will be special, and while it’s nice to have depth of talent, having three number 1 RBs really is overkill.
I believe Vaki will be great too - I said as much at the top of the thread - I just think him being great doesn’t mean we move on early from Monty (in 2026, sure). In a strange way, I don’t think we’ll want to limit Vaki by making him “just” a RB. He’s a weapon, and a really good one. Now maybe we go that route in the end if he proves to be the second-coming of LT as a RB, but I don’t think that’s why we drafted him.
I just think that $6m Monty savings in 2025 might come in handy. If that means we grab a thumper in the 5th or whatever next draft I’m fine with that as well.
Well in the sense that all savings are handy, I agree, but to me losing Monty is different from losing Swaggy. He’s more talented, a better pass-catcher, just as good as a blocker, and much more explosive. Saving $5M and replacing him with a thumper would work fine as far as roster construction goes, but until he is a FA I highly doubt we’ll go that route. This regime has yet to cut/trade a productive player who fits what they want (that last part is where Okudah, Swift, Hockenson failed), and I think there’s a reason for that.
Our regime would have cut some vets but they agreed to haircuts. But for that to happen Monty would have to struggle with injuries this next year.
I do appreciate what Monty brings but I do think a good chunk of this efficiency surge for him is simply our OL. I imagine I’ll be wining a good bit about more touches for Gibbs and potentially even Vaki.
Ha, well if it were up to me I’d do it very differently for sure, but I’m aware there’s more than one road to Rome. I’m more predicting what our FO will do here, and unless we are really hurting for that $5M (which is of course less than it used to be relative to the new cap) or as you say, unless injuries hit, I don’t think we’ll be moving on.
It seems I also think Monty is more talented than you. In moving on from Swaggy I made the same argument - that he was more a product of our OL and scheme than anything else - but I think Monty brings more to the table. He had some excellent years in Chicago whereas Swaggy has always been jaggy outside of Detroit. Great teammate, but entirely replaceable production.
I agree with you @Thats2 . I thought Montgomery was a true stud last year. He didn’t get the big headlines. Those seemed reserved for Goff, ARSB, Gibbs, and LaPorta. But he was the horse. He would consistently get 4 yards when the blocking gave him 2. He would slither past dudes that looked like they had him dead to rights. And he would take as many carries as we needed him to, in any game.
An incredibly valuable player. To suggest a swiss-army knife rookie could replace him in a year seems insanely optimistic to me. And I think Vaki will be a helpful piece. But there are a lot of nuances to being a good NFL RB, and I think Monty nails those.
This is where i am at as well. Like it make sense that they are thinking ablut the future and if Vaki doesnt show that promise i’d imagine another back is taken next draft with the thought being montgomery replacement. Its just really hard to guage what a guy with what 25 career college carries is going to do let alone replace a stud like montgomery. That being said i would be shocked if David is here for a second deal…so im super curious abojt vaki…that tape on him is very tantalizing.
But if vaki shows so much as some have salivated about:making montgomery replaceable after THIS year…stop it, just put Brad in canton now…lol.