Free Agency
Our top priorities are LB, LT, and DE, more or less in that order. We don’t have huge money to spend, but will try to address those needs as best we can.
LB Kurt Dodge is looking for only a very modest contract, so he’s going to be a real option for us at LB – even if he’d just become part of a four-man rotation in the starting lineup (I think he and Stephen May might end up splitting time at the strong side). I put in an offer to him to start off the process, as I expect to sit back and see if there’s a way to get Andrew Wallace’s demands to slide down a bit. Worst comes to worst, Dodge can help back up at DE if needed.
I check out the free agent market at LB, and I’m confident that even if we fail to lock up Andrew Wallace, we’ll be able to stay solid there for this season, within our budget.
I put in a three year offer to WR Cornelius Tilton, also – trying to keep out receiving corps intact for the coming season.
I don’t have any prospects at left tackle, though – we might find someone in the later stages, but there’s nobody we go right after in this market, which just looks weak.
I decide to target LB David Adamson on a four year offer – if he joins up he will give us a solid fourth LB (behind Dodge) and a standout special teamer – on a very affordable contract. Underused in Cincinnati, I think he can be a solid contributor for us across the state.
RB Terrance Barker is getting an offer from St. Louis, and I doubt that we will pursue him. He’s been a solid, but unspectacular backup, and we ought to be okay with a less expensive #2 man. Our other three targets look good – we have company for LB Adamson, but have the top offer on the table right now.
In week two, we re-sign WR Tilton and LB Dodge, but our LB Andrew Wallace gets a new offer from Washington – it’s time for us to decide what to do there. I put in a qualifying offer for him, but it’s below the Washington package – if we can get him for only $4m per season, great. If not, we’ll be okay.
In week three, LB David Adamson signs our offer sheet, and we have our first three players locked up, with Andrew Wallace still debating Washington. I decide to target RB Marshall Lee, who has had three straight 1,000-yard seasons, for three different teams. We’d like to lock him up as our solid #2, and he’d become our position leader as well. Looks like a good fit.
Marshall Lee finally signs in week 8, but LB Andrew Wallace remains undecided. Washington plunges a big rush of cash to QB Bubba Avila – maybe that will shake them from the trail of Wallace?
In week nine, I am surprised when LB Andrew Wallace decides to accept our fairly modest offer. For $4m per year, he will be back with us – and that really helps out our LB corps greatly. Big signing.
We have about $4 million left under the cap, and still have yet to address our concerns at either LT or DE – we’ll probably look for a late free agent at one, and a rookie at the other. I don’t find anyone in the late stages of the first 20 weeks – so we will head into the rookie draft, and see what we can pick up for now and later there.
2022 Rookie Draft
I’d like to find either a DE or a LT with our top pick, but we’ll have to be flexible. We don’t have a selection in round two, so it will be close to “one and done” this year – with very little capital to use to move up unless we get a really hot prospect falling to us.
Code:
Amateur Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Riddick Heap, DT, Purdue
Rnd 3 - Glenn Baugh, T, North Carolina State
Rnd 4 - Roy Palmer, P, Maine
Rnd 5 - Lamar Breeding, FB, Houston
Rnd 6 - Ethan Fender, WR, Texas A&M
Rnd 7 - Matt Musum, CB, San Diego State
I think DT Heap will turn out okay, but we’re looking a year ahead with that pick – anticipating that we will have to trade or release DT Drew Worsham after this season. Hopefully, Heap can start by then.
I don’t know if Baugh will turn out at LT – he has some skills, but I don’t know if he will end up being a usable player. I like WR Fender as a return man and possible WR reserve, and CB Musum has a nice skill set to back up for us.
Every single rookie rejects my first contract offer – that’s a first for me, by a wide margin. I don’t think I’ve had more than two hold outs ever before.
Late Free Agency
We pick up a number of undrafted rookie free agents, and then grab veteran DE Randall McCombs, who will be a rotation player for us – not a starter, I don’t think. He’s okay, but not an impact player by any stretch.
My final moves are internal – locking up new deals with RT Nathan Glaspie, and our reserve RB Daryl Sims. Sims still will have a role in the return game, even if veteran Marshall Lee beats him out for the 80-100 carries we generally give to our #2 running option.
Training Camp
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp CE FE CE FE ChgC ChgF
Brock, Deion 2 QB 10 56 56 56 56 0 0
Dixon, Glenn 19 QB 3 50 68 54 68 4 0
Sheaffer, Herb 3 QB 1 9 38 11 35 2 -3
Stewart, Gus 39 RB 9 70 70 70 70 0 0
Lee, Marshall 31 RB 7 42 42 42 42 0 0
Sims, Daryl 37 RB 4 30 34 31 34 1 0
Chmura, K.C. 29 RB 1 16 23 17 23 1 0
Beers, Preston 48 FB 4 50 51 53 53 3 2
Breeding, Lamar 46 FB 1 26 37 27 37 1 0
Sellers, Karl 80 TE 7 80 80 80 80 0 0
Bleeck, Rod 86 TE 2 27 33 29 33 2 0
Johnston, Donnell 81 TE 1 18 39 20 39 2 0
Parker, Dwayne 88 FL 2 33 47 35 47 2 0
Tilton, Cornelius 83 FL 10 33 33 33 33 0 0
Pritchett, Don 89 SE 5 64 64 64 64 0 0
Pendleton, Ted 82 SE 6 52 52 52 52 0 0
Foug, Gino 85 SE 2 27 41 28 41 1 0
Fender, Ethan 87 SE 1 25 35 26 32 1 -3
Beyer, Jackie 57 C 3 70 70 73 73 3 3
O'Donnell, Earl 54 C 4 48 51 51 51 3 0
Somerville, Moe 68 RG 6 72 72 74 74 2 2
Cunningham, Ted 56 RG 4 40 52 42 52 2 0
Sandmeyer, Casey 67 RG 1 7 32 8 31 1 -1
Hammond, Lonnie 74 LT 2 20 27 21 27 1 0
Meier, Chris 61 LT 1 16 32 18 36 2 4
Baugh, Glenn 69 LT 1 4 49 6 49 2 0
Wilson, Irv 66 RT 5 50 50 50 50 0 0
Glaspie, Nathan 78 RT 10 36 36 36 36 0 0
Palmer, Roy 15 P 1 51 77 52 74 1 -3
Bass, Peter 14 K 2 62 72 68 72 6 0
McCombs, Randal 94 LDE 8 39 40 39 40 0 0
Lane, Blake 70 LDE 8 30 30 30 30 0 0
McKenzie, Emmitt 79 LDE 3 27 31 28 31 1 0
Finch, Zach 77 RDE 3 59 71 63 71 4 0
Worsham, Drew 92 LDT 8 77 77 77 77 0 0
Capstraw, Donovan 95 LDT 6 46 46 46 46 0 0
Alston, Leo 90 LDT 11 32 35 32 35 0 0
Heap, Riddick 99 RDT 1 36 54 39 59 3 5
Cash, Floyd 76 RDT 2 26 33 27 33 1 0
Drake, Cole 93 NT 1 12 29 14 30 2 1
Michl, Gino 59 WILB 7 66 66 66 66 0 0
Wallace, Andrew 55 MLB 11 54 54 54 54 0 0
Gunn, Brandon 52 MLB 7 46 52 48 52 2 0
May, Steven 50 SLB 9 61 61 61 61 0 0
Dodge, Kurt 91 SLB 12 42 42 42 42 0 0
Wilkerson, Russell 97 SLB 3 29 34 31 34 2 0
Adamson, David 51 WLB 5 44 61 47 61 3 0
Enochs, Ty 28 LCB 8 49 49 49 49 0 0
Furr, Randy 32 LCB 10 44 46 44 46 0 0
Diaz, Monty 34 LCB 11 42 42 42 42 0 0
Cintron, Chris 41 LCB 1 11 42 14 36 3 -6
Musum, Matt 33 RCB 1 16 40 17 37 1 -3
Mascorella, Stanley 47 RCB 2 9 41 11 41 2 0
Weed, Kirk 24 SS 14 44 44 44 44 0 0
Eskridge, Kenneth 20 FS 11 69 69 69 69 0 0
Helmuth, Pat 35 FS 5 34 54 38 54 4 0
I can’t recall the last time my top draft pick had such a good camp – DT Riddick Heap, newly signed to a five-year deal, jumped in both current and future ratings. He could end up being a serious grab for us – excellent!
Mixed news elsewhere – we pretty easily pare down to 53, and are ready for the season ahead.
Season Analysis
As we start up the season, our cohesion is very strong: 100/81-85-92-100/78. With Deion Brock winning the non-battle for the top QB spot, we have plenty of familiarity in the passing game, and our secondary, as always, is a tight bunch.
Our roster rates third best – with Washington and Pittsburgh rated 100 and 88 ahead of our 80 rating. We’re ready to go – and to do battle with Pittsburgh for the division title and beyond.