Next year

We'll be over $10 million under the cap. I know we'll have some dead money attributed to Giblet, but I think we'll save more if we cut him.

But $10 is a good number. KNock that down to $7.5 for 2003 draft picks.

Here's who's contracts expire this year:

STARTERS:

Howard
Hoover
Nesbit
Terry
Navies
Peete

ROLE PLAYERS:

Byrd
Shayne Graham (I have a feeling we might sign him)
Jeno James
Towns

I'd like to keep a bunch of the starters. All of them really, unless better linemen are available in UFA. I don;t know who'll be there as far as tackles and guards go.

Since I'd like to draft a top QB in the first round, I'd like to keep Peete around. For this reason, I'd also like to see consistency on the O-Line.

I could let go of all of the role players, although Graham might be a good guy to keep. Since I'd like to draft 2 WR, or sign one and draft one, Byrd might be expendable.

At any rate - Here's my point:

I'd love this scenario in the off season:

Sign Peerless Price FA.
Draft Leftwich, Manning, or Ragone.
Draft a WR in round 2.

Do we have the cap space to re-sign our players and pick up Price, if he's available?

I think we do! Moose, Price and rookie. New QB. Oh joy.

 

>> I know we'll have some dead money attributed to Giblet, but I think we'll save more if we cut him.

Not sure. I think they said something about getting him to reduce his base salary since he won't be seeing it anyway, so we can do it in June.

Remember that James, Howard, Hoover, Towns are RFA. Of those we're most likely to lose towns - 7th round compensation, no reason to add first round comp to it for twice the money, and he's got two plus years starting.

>>I'd love this scenario in the off season:

Sign Peerless Price FA.
Draft Leftwich, Manning, or Ragone.
Draft a WR in round 2.<<

Prefer "draft a TE in round 2." Mostly because we still have, short term, two starting wides and Smith, yet nothing at TE. A 4th on WR would be good as our 4th guy.
I'd add to that "sign a good value at RT in FA".

*Now if we signed a guy like Oronde Gadsden, receiver in the second is a greater priority, just because we're dealing with two starting receivers with injury histories and upcoming age.

>>I don;t know who'll be there as far as tackles and guards go.

Pace, I believe, but let's not go there. Jansen should be the other money name. Then there's Floz Adams, not bad, and should be better at RT; Soloman Page; both the tackles of the Giants; some others of lesser pedigree.

>>Do we have the cap space to re-sign our players and pick up Price, if he's available?

Certainly, for now. We can make anything fly under the cap, like signing a WR, a RT, and two other big starters. But affordably for the upcoming two or three years it's probably not smart to go past WR as a fairly sizeable addition and RT as a midsized one.
That would also allow us to sign Nesbit and Navies (or replace with someone who fits better at an okay price) and you'd figure sign your picks as well.

Don't forget as well that we'd have the ability to cut guys like Tuten at $1 mil salary.

That might be about enough to make our offense look respectable despite all the third down punting.

 

I still see it more likely that if we are able to sign a big name FA it will be Chris McAllister. With the year Price is having I think Buffalo will take care of him before he ever hits the FA market. Baltimore is hurting right now and w/ McAllister being as egotistical as he is, I think he will want to test the market. Only problem we may run into here is them tagging him.

 

IMO, QB is our top priority. good teams have good QBs. i'd rather find another vet than Peete to start next year while we groom either franchise type QB pickdup in the draft or Fasani. Peete is just not durable enough. i like the idea of using first pick to get a "franchise" guy if he is there.

after QB, depends on Foster. if he is not ready to go, we need a big time RB that has the speed to bust it wide and go all the way on occassion. depending on Smith alone to carry you for an entire season seems like folly. i think someone said you need 2 good RBs. dont know that i totally agree. if you're gonna be a running team first then yea if you can get 2. you do need at least one stud.

next we need big-time deep threat at WR so we can force the safeties to stay back in coverage and open up the running game and short passes.

depending on our ability to resign Nesbit and Terry we may have to address the OL. i'm also not a fan of Steussie's. don't know what his status is. since we may need to use our first 3 picks on QB, WR and RB, we probably would need to look at FA for OL(s) that can come in and be effective quickly. best bet in my head is to resign our current OL.

after the above are addressed, i think it's a crap shoot and you get the best talent you think is available as we could use upgrades everywhere on offense. FB, TE, and another WR or two would all be legit options. we might also consider a return man.

defense, i still think we need to look at CB somewhere after QB, RB and WR. DL projects for backups also need to be addressed. is Buckner locked up? if you don't go for the franchise QB in the draft and Foster is okay and there is a stud defensive player there, you might even go with one as high as your first pick. course if it's petty even, you have to go offense first. as bad as the fan reaction would be to not picking offensive players with those first two picks, at least, you probably go offense regardless. so nix that thought of picking up another L. Taylor or R. Lott to go with our defense.

i'd stay away from big money FAs at least for another year. i prefer guys trying to make a name for themselves as opposed to guys looking to cash in on a good season or hype. i'd rather see us improve depth with no-names across the board than sign that one big $ guy.