Mr.TaterSalad

They don't exclusively draft for need. People here are implying that because they need a tackle, Brad will automatically draft a tackle for the sake of taking one. I don't believe he will unless it aligns with his draft board and player valuation. He will take the best player available on his board, that potentially aligns with a need, assuming that player grades out where he wants them too. Again, he'll likely have a board that grades out players with first round valuations and other metrics. only so many players will have a first round grade on his draft board. If we get to #17 and a tackle isn't one of those guys, I don't believe he'll take one for the sake of it, simply out of need. If a tackle is drafted at #17, it likely means Brad has a first round grade on them and they were either his BPA on his board or very high up on it. Also, as NY Lion said, Brad is also unpredictable, and could draft anyone. Who predicted Holmes taking Jaymo, Gibbs, Campbell where he did in the draft?

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/29154/maxx-crosby Regarding Crosby's contract, his base salary is $30 million with only a $2.6 million signing bonus. is contract is only base salary it looks like. There is a potential out on the contract in 2028 which would be year 3 of the contract. An out would result in a $93,764,080; $0 dead cap.

28 isn't that old. He'd be 29 entering next year and not over the 30 mark until the following season. Expensive and injured, yes. But it isn't happening in any case.

In all seriousness, as much as it would be game changing for this defense to have a talent like Maxx Crosby on this team and paired opposite of Hutch, it's not happening. Even with Crosby being hurt and that likely reducing his market value and with Holmes' MO to buy lower on injured players who are talented, this still isn't realistic. Either the injury is too serious to gamble on and give up draft capital or the asking price in a trade for him will still be too rich for our blood. And to the point that I know will be brought up "they can't afford him given their current cap situation", they could if they restructured all the necessary contracts. Anyways, four dollars a pound.

Is he not a quintessential Brad Holmes player now? A talented player with an injury history. Check! Said injury history reduces the players market value. Check! Guy who eats, sleeps, and breathes football. Check! Guy who is a lockerroom leader. Check!

Maxx Crosby is injured and maybe more so than expected. Paging Brad Holmes, Brad Holmes to the service desk. Buying low on injured players who are talented is Brad's MO. Go get em Brad haha.

For the record, I want them to draft a tackle and think if the right player at the tackle position falls to them at #17, they will draft one. But they aren't going to reach for a tackle that they have a second round grade on at #17. If all the guys at tackle that they have a first round grade on are gone by the time they pick, and there are other players at other positions they have graded out higher, they're picking a different position. If Player A is a tackle and they have a second round grade on him and have him slotted somewhere between #33 and #40 on their board, and Player B is is let's say DE for the sake of argument and they have a first round grade on him and he's somewhere between #15-#25 on their board, I think they draft Player B. They take talent culture fit over need when possible.

Exactly this. Holmes will draft for need in the first round, but it has to align with being the best player available on his board and that player having a first round grade. I'd like them to draft a tackle in the first round, but won't be shocked if they don't. If the right player at that position doesn't fall to them and guys at the tackle position that are available don't have a first round grade or they have other players, at other positions, graded higher than the tackle/s that are available at pick #17, I think they are going another direction.

Again, they draft for need when it aligns with BPA. They traded up to get Terrion Arnold, so clearly they saw him as both filling a need and getting the BPA on their board. Last year was the closest I think they've come in the first round to leaning more towards the need category. If it were a 1-10 scale, with 1 being closer to drafting for needs and 10 being closer to drafting for BPA, I'd say Brad is typically at a 7 or 8 on that scale.

But he was also the BPA on their board most likely. They traded up to get him so they clearly valued him highly and did what they needed to get him.

They're going to draft the best player available on their board that they give a first round grade too. If they don't believe that a tackle has a first round grade and another player, at a different position, has a first round grade and is their BPA, they are taking that player. They don't draft for need generally and lean towards BPA. Last year's draft is the closest been to drafting for need.

I'm disappointed by this as well. Smith is a good tackle, strong against the run, and didn't cost that much. We could have afforded this contract for sure. Up to now, Jedrick Willis has been at the top of my list because he has the injury history that results in the financial value that Brad likes. But Smith and Vera-Tucker would have been other nice options. I cannot imagine they want Manu to start at tackle, either side. They haven't exactly spoke glowingly of him. I believe Willis and also Jack Conklin are still out there to sign. Conklin is no better than Decker though at this point. I've have a sneaking suspicion that Decker COULD be on his way back to Detroit. He tests the market, realizes there isn't one for him at the price and term he wants, and then he comes crawling back to Brad and Dan asking for a 1 year deal.

Did Jedrick Willis sign anywhere yet?

Life is just a circle I guess. The Jets engaged in multiple rebuilds only to bring back Geno Smith. LOL.

I get the concern that Pacheco only played in 7 games in 2024 and 13 games last year. He's also only had 4 seasons in the league and hasn't run all the tread off his tires. There are some backs with a heavy carry load and they are essentially burnt out by the time their first contract ends. Maybe it is a case that Pacheco has just had too many injuries over the last two years, but last season, he had a minor injury that caused him to miss 3 games in the middle of the season. He had a broken leg in 2024 that kept him out most of the year, but it was not an ACL/PCL rupture like a Nick Chubb had. His knee didn't explode or anything that serious. Maybe I'm being too dismissive, but the type of injuries he had versus that of a Nick Chubb who blew out his ACL, doesn't seem as serious.

We had the best 1-2 combo of RBs in the league. The only ones in my mind that came close to this were Walker/Charbonnet in Seattle and Robinson/Algiers in Atlanta. So we got spoiled thinking we could have damn 2, thousand yard rushers on a team and having two RB #1s on our roster. While Pacheco is a downgrade from Montgomery, almost everyone we could have realistically signed would have been. Pacheco has had seasons of over 900 yards and 7 TDs. He didn't look good last year for sure, but almost no one on KC's offense looked to be worth a damn. Their offense was bottom 20 for most of the season and didn't look that great before Mahomes went down. So I'm not putting to much of the burden their on Pacheco. He's 27, so he is getting old in RB years, but I don't think he's washed yet. On a 1-2 year deal at the right price, this could be a good value. I would have preferred Rico Dowdle to Pacheco, but he was signed already. We also weren't about to pay Canine what Kansas City is likely paying him and he probably wouldn't have signed here to split carries again anyways.

Love the Pacheco signing. This is a really solid #2 RB to replace Montgomery.

The Steelers signed Rico Dowdle for 2 years @ $12/million overall. I would have signed him as the complement to Gibbs for that term and price.

Given that we don't know the status of Terrion Arnold and his legal troubles, we may need another starting CB. He may or may not be on this roster to start the year, depending on where his legal matters go. Furthermore, he hasn't exactly been great as a starter when healthy and playing.

If at the end of today we've come away with a starting offensive tackle, a DE/Edge, and help at CB then I'll feel much better.

I'll give it time, but right now, on the whole, this roster doesn't feel better or upgraded. Let's see what happens over the next few weeks.

It was tank for either. I think most fans would have been just fine with either at the time.

With Alim back and fully healthy, maybe they just feel the need to spend the money elsewhere. I would be pretty disappointed though if they spend money bringing Reader back and not Lopez.

Losing Roy Lopez hurts. He was an important depth piece for this team and started when they needed him too. I would have signed him for the 2 years @ $11.5 million that the Cardinals are paying him.

I too would like to see a tackle signed prior to the draft. There are guys that fit the mold of what Brad and Dan like. Players that are football guys, love the game, fit the culture, and won't cost them a lot due to injuries. Jedrick Wills is one guy obviously, as we've talked about him quite a bit here. Alijah Vera-Tucker, former Giants G/T combo is another. When healthy, Vera-Tucker offers the versatility to play guard or tackle and is a quality starter. The trouble is he is rarely healthy and able to play.