GunnerBill

No, not at all. I liked both of those guys and Hyde in particular had excellent tape. I don't accept the "these signings are on a par with Hyde and Poyer." There is a germ of truth with it in respect of Poyer, in that he was not and never had been an established starter before he arrived in Buffalo - but even he got basically the same AAV - $3.5m on his deal in 2017 that Rapp got now after 7 years of salary inflation. Micah Hyde was an established NFL player with a ton of great tape who got over $6m AAV.

One Superbowl starting safety. Edwards did start the Superbowl last year, but wasn't good in it. He didn't start the Superbowl when he was with Tampa, thought he played in some dime packages. Rapp did not start the Superbowl for the Rams, he was coming back from a concussion and played less than half the defensive snaps. My problem with them is they are both replacement level starters. I think Edwards is a bit better than Rapp but I wouldn't mind either so much if they were playing with a better player. But two players of that level together is a concern for me. It's like having Vlad Ducasse and Jordan Mills together on the right hand side of your offensive line.

I'd say safety is a bigger starting need than DE. AJE is higher quality player than anyone we have on the roster at safety - we have three backups (Edwards, Rapp and Lewis) and a bottom of the roster player (Hamlin). I think FS and SS are both "starter needed" positions and DE is an improve position. Now I take the point totally that defensive end is just a higher value position than safety. That is definitely true. So maybe turning a 6/10 starter at defensive end into a 7/10 starter gives you overall a bigger bump that turning a 4/10 starter at safety into a 7/10 starter. But then you have to look at the strength of the draft too and if you say our two biggest needs are WR and DE and you take the view that they must be addressed with the first two picks then you need to pick defensive end at #28. Because there is not a lot of depth to the class. I basically have it as: Tier 1: Turner; Latu; Verse - immediate year 1 impact starters Tier 2: Chop Robinson - boom and bust but impact player ceiling Tier 3: Braswell, Trice, Isaac - potential starters but not impact players early Tier 4: Elliss, Darius Robinson - developmental players (Elliss because he is raw and Robinson because he hasn't really been a proper edge rusher) They are the only guys I'd consider drafting on the first two days and there are only a couple of others - Kneeland and Booker I'd take before the end of round 5. Every other EDGE in this class that I have watched is a 6/7/UDFA to me. Point being it isn't a great class. Only those tier 1 guys and possibly the question mark on Chop would be upgrades on AJE as a rookie IMO. Turner and Verse will be long gone. Latu could slide because of injury history and Chop probably will be there. But if they don't address it at #28 they should pass at #60 IMO. I just don't think the value is there in this class. Get by with Groot, Von, AJE, Toohill and Jonathan in 2024 and hope the opportunity to upgrade is there in 2025. To be clear I am not arguing for a defensive end at #28. I am firmly on the WR train (though if Latu falls I'd be tempted). I'm just making the point that I don't necessarily think it is as easy as WR and DE in any order with the first two picks just because those are the two premium positions where we most need help.

There are stories that in the early days of the draft in the 50s and 60s when it was an actual selection meeting with all the teams there sitting at tables in a room occasionally a player would fall because they would get two or three picks past the spot they were expected and everyone would just assume they'd gone and forget they hadn't been picked. In these days of super hit-tech draft rooms and draft boards I can't see it though 😂

And Elam's meeting at the Combine leaked in the last 48 hours before the draft.

I think him at #60 is a realistic prospect.

He didn't make Damar Hamlin and Jaquan Johnson legit. He has had two great safeties here his entire time.

I didn't notice him that I can say. But I support day 3 shots at DL.

For sure he isn't Nick Mangold

Can he not? In which case he is Efe Obada take II

Ha I knew you were being arcastic I was just making clear that I both agree with neither "no other coach could make the playoffs" and "any other coach would make a superbowl." Neither are true.

Sounds like he is probably the Shaq replacement, right?

I know very little about him, not a guy I have ever really noticed on film. Not that I watched a ton of the Commanders last year. Interestingly his production (5 sacks, 8 pressures, 6 TFLs) seems to have been disproportionately in the games where he was rotating in as a backup rather than his 8 starts after the Young / Sweat trade. 4 sacks, 5 pressures and 3 TFLs as a rotational end; 1 sack, 3 pressures, 3 TFL as a starter.

Safey Safety And Safety

I know they have in the past..... that is where their relationship comes from. I do not remember hearing that they had done so last offseason specifically. EDIT: this is what Palmer said to the press last September: "I think he’s completely locked in and I’m hearing amazing things about how it’s gone this offseason out in Buffalo,” Palmer said. “It’s a long year. You’re banged up, you’re beat up - emotionally there’s things that have happened. You gotta reset. … There’s always drama. ... This offseason it was the Diggs thing and next offseason it’ll be another thing. That’s what playing franchise quarterback is - you’re a problem solver. You’re putting out fires. I think that’s what the great ones do.” That makes it sound like while they are still in contact Josh didn't specifically go to work with Palmer. But happy to be told otherwise.

I suspect it is more than one thing. But there we go.

He isn't the best snapper, but he is a darn good blocker.

Was it? I didn't hear anything about him working with Jordan last offseason and I do think there were some signs of regression in some of his fundamentals. That isn't me accusing him of not working hard by the way - I have no idea what he did last offseason but I didn't hear, unlike previous years, mentions of him working with Palmer and I thought it was telling when he was on the media round at the Superbowl he was asked about his offseason workout plans and didn't mention Palmer once. I sort of suspected that relationship had concluded. I'd be interested in hearing to that contrary.

Boogie was drafted as a defensive end. They did talk about using him inside in some packages but I'm not sure he ever did it for us in a game.

I don't know. But I really hope he works hard this offseason. I feel like Josh being dialled in is the difference between this team being in a lot of one score games and us winning more comfortably.

I didn't.

We signed Rapp too though. That is what confuses me. I think Edwards is a slight upgrade but neither is a guy I want as my best safety.

I had watched plenty of Hyde and some of Poyer. I have watched plenty of Edwards. I was confident about both the first two - I said on here Hyde was "great signing". I am less confident on Edwards. Not that he can't start..... but if he is your best safety you have a problem.

I think Edwards is a starter based on our current roster. But he is a low end starter. I am worried about the safety position.

Great. Now we have three backup safeties. When do we get a starter?