Execs unfiltered on Jets FA moves and trades

[rangerous]

1 hour ago, bitonti said:

Prediction George Fant will start at LT and be about as good/bad as Beachum. He's an acceptable, middle of the road LT starter. 

he's not a right tackle. The seahawks played him out of position at power tight end and if he could play RT, he would have (they let Ifedi go for Brandon Shell). 

Another prediction I could see them drafting competition for Fant/Edoga past rd1 and that player will swing tackle this season. Matt Peart UConn is the guy I've been focused on for whatever reason. Tall, athletic, local zone guy 

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/matt-peart?id=32195045-4163-4229-79fd-743221e3c286

The glaring problem with the Jets' line last year wasn't tackle by the way it was guard/center. 

 

this guy seems like he could be a tight end.  can he catch?

[LAD_Brooklyn]

Buffalo Bills

The Bills were generally applauded for their work in bolstering their defense amid persistent protests that they paid too much in acquiring receiver Stefon Diggs from the Vikings heading into a receiver-rich draft. Landing Diggs cost Buffalo its first-round pick (22nd overall), plus fifth- and sixth-rounders, plus a conditional 2021 fourth-rounder. Minnesota sent a seventh-rounder to Buffalo along with Diggs.

“I wouldn’t have done it for one first-round pick, let alone all those other picks,” an exec said. “Diggs seems happy now, but he is going to play with the most inaccurate quarterback he has ever had (Josh Allen), and even if you are the No. 1 receiver there, they are not going to change who they are. Is anyone shocked if Diggs wants a new deal or a trade within a year?”

Diggs joined Odell Beckham, Amari Cooper and Brandin Cooks among wideouts fetching first-round picks via trade over the past five years.

“In Buffalo’s mind, we are doing everything we can to put as much talent around our quarterback and Diggs will automatically be the No. 1 receiver on our team,” another exec said. “The draft is still an unknown. There is still a miss factor, but to me, the question is, will Diggs have a better season than any of his best seasons in Minnesota? I do not think so. New England will just put Stephon Gilmore on him and shut him down for two weeks out of the year. I like that deal on Minnesota’s side way more than Buffalo’s side.”

A veteran coach was less focused on trade value and more interested in what Diggs could add to the Bills’ offense.

“They found a real guy who is young, hungry, cannot wait to get to a new team, grow together with the quarterback, 26 years old, all that,” this coach said. “I like draft picks, too, but with Diggs you get a young finished product, a known quantity who will help the quarterback more than a rookie. Now, if the kid (Allen) still completes under 60 percent, then it falls back on him in year three, but Diggs will certainly help. That is a helluva move.”

Diggs is signed through 2023 with salaries between $10.9 million and $11.4 million. While the receiver market was soft this offseason, the Cowboys signed Amari Cooper for $20 million a year. That beats the $14.4 million average for Diggs, whose career numbers are similar, including an identical 8.7 yards per target.

“Diggs will be happy until he wants to get paid,” an exec predicted. “Having said that, what they did on the defensive line was good.”

The Bills added Mario Addison and Vernon Butler from Carolina, plus Quinton Jefferson from Seattle on deals averaging between $6.8 million and $10.1 million per year. They lost Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson on deals averaging $10 million annually.

“They took a strength and they added to it, which I think is smart team building,” an exec said.

Miami Dolphins

Though the Dolphins made strides as last season progressed, their personnel moves made it clear they were not playing for 2019. They were playing for the future, which now seems to include 2020. Tom Brady’s departure from the Patriots signals the shift New England’s AFC East rivals have long-awaited. Miami, a team that downplayed the role of free agency last offseason, opened the checkbook to add cornerback Byron Jones, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and pass-rusher Shaq Lawson to expensive deals.

“You can honestly say the Dolphins, based on how they finished up the year, could be a favorite to win that division,” an exec said, although Vegas oddsmakers do not yet agree. “They have some good picks. They will get a quarterback, whether it is Tua Tagovailoa or one of those other guys. They signed some guys on defense who fit their scheme. They are going to be right in it. If you are Miami, who are you scared of in the division?”

Another exec said Buffalo would be his choice, and he would not rule out New England, either, despite Brady’s departure.

“Historically, Miami resets every four years and they spend a lot of money in free agency, they bomb, they get a pass to start over,” this exec said. “Everyone can say they played good at the end of the year, but they did tank. They unloaded a bunch of players that really played well other places — the running back (Kenyan Drake), the left tackle (Laremy Tunsil), the receiver (Kenny Stills), the safety (Minkah Fitzpatrick), other guys before that. That is not evaluating your own correctly or a coach that is going to do it his way or the highway. The good thing is, they have a bunch of picks, so they can have a good mix of youth and highly paid guys, which works until those highly paid guys don’t produce.”

Nearly all the free-agent signings addressed the Dolphins’ defense. The offense could change markedly through the draft.

“It is rare to find a corner like Byron Jones available, so if you have the money, go ahead and do it,” another exec said. “Van Noy is a guy that (coach Brian) Flores knows. You can justify that. Some of the other deals can get you in trouble — like, could you spend $10 million (in combined APY) for two players to give you similar production as you will get from Lawson and (Emmanuel) Ogbah for $17.5 million? I would think so, but they have a long runway, so they will be alright.”

Jones’ addition buys short-term insurance for No. 1 corner Xavien Howard, who could face league discipline after being arrested in December on a domestic battery charge. Longer term, Jones and Howard give Miami the NFL’s two highest-paid corners for a scheme that is predicated on man coverage.

“If they had an interior pass-rusher, they would be pretty set on defense,” an exec said. “Let’s say they draft a quarterback at five. In this draft, there is one really strong interior pass-rusher, Derrick Brown. Maybe they use this draft to bulk up their offensive line to help their quarterback.”

New England Patriots

Losing Tom Brady to the Buccaneers was not a singular event this offseason. It was the culmination of events that included two recent contract negotiations that indicated the Patriots would be OK letting him go, unless owner Robert Kraft was planning to intervene at the last moment, which was always a possibility. And so the Patriots are moving forward with Jarrett Stidham and veteran backup Brian Hoyer as their primary quarterbacks, at least for now. One exec thought they would wait until possibly June before considering a veteran on the cheap — say, if the Bengals had released Andy Dalton by then.

“You never want to count them out, but it looks pretty grim now,” another exec said. “People liked Stidham coming out, so that will be interesting. I would think they are filling the roles they need on defense and they know the quarterback is going to make the offense go and they are not going to force it. They are not going to hamstring themselves with some player they do not love that they have to commit to. They would rather just be flexible with it, which is actually a similar approach to the one Miami is taking.”

The Patriots could have decided they lacked the offensive infrastructure to maximize Brady at this stage of the quarterback’s career. They could have preferred moving on from Brady one year early or right on time, instead of a year too late. Some execs thought Brady deserved more consideration from the Patriots than he ultimately received, which could have manifested itself in a deal with greater security than the one-year commitment New England preferred.

“They created the environment that forced Brady to leave if he felt any respect to himself,” one of these execs said. “The fact that Brady went well past money being a factor and even winning being a factor, he was determined to move if they weren’t going to treat him with the respect that his performance warranted.”

Not that there is much precedent for quarterbacks about to turn 43 years old.

“When they let guys leave, a lot of times those guys don’t do much,” another exec said. “I tend to believe in the coach who won six Super Bowls. The guy is pretty sharp. I just think he’d rather get rid of a player a year early than a year late, rather than lock in for two years. I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the division, even though it looks on paper like they have no chance.”

The Patriots still have the makings for a formidable defense. They have won with defense and a young quarterback previously, albeit 15-plus years ago, with Brady being that young quarterback.

“When they did it that way with Brady, they were pretty young and bright-eyed,” an evaluator said.”What happens if they lose three out of four games mid-year? What do the young guys do? What do the veterans do? What is their response when adversity hits? How does Belichick bounce back? It’s a 20-year run.”

[UnknownJetFan]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

Fant is going to be the new kalil 6 games into next season.  McGovern I'm fine with.

Better the next Kilil than the next Osmole(sp?) who left us on such a messy divorce. We cannot afford anymore bad press. It always brings out our vulture Jets reporters that do nothing but hurt our cause.

[BurnleyJet]

 Wow Jets bad, everyone else good narrative, never heard that before!

[jetstream23]

2 hours ago, Beerfish said:

Fant is going to be the new kalil 6 games into next season.  McGovern I'm fine with.

Nope.  But I'll say that Fant could be closer to Shell or Qvale than to a Trent Williams.  He's purely a hold-the-fort guy.  If he can hold it better than Beachum it's a good signing.

[BigRy56]

lol haters in the house

[jetscrazey]

Gase and Douglas seem to value OL who are not necessarily big names but play their specific scheme well.  Pass-blocking ability comes first, run blocking is secondary and they want zone blocking guys.  That's why opposing GMs may not be too hot on these names but it could still work for us.

[RobR]

4 hours ago, rangerous said:

this guy seems like he could be a tight end.  can he catch?

Don't sleep on him because he's a really good prospect. He's beyond long and has some nice tape to back up his game.

[FidelioJet]

7 hours ago, TNJet said:

He's probably as good as Shell, Qvale, or Edoga so try and be positive homes.

Shell and Beachum are better.  Starters vs. a back up. 
and PFF has both of them ranking reasonably higher that Fant.  Fant isn’t good.  

[Charlie Brown]

JD so far grades a B from me..................................

But guess what, he doesn't a real grade until after the draft!

[Jets723]

Just now, Charlie Brown said:

JD so far grades a B from me..................................

But guess what, he doesn't a real grade until after the draft!

Absolutely.  Douglas we be judged ultimately on how he drafts 

[TNJet]

31 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

Shell and Beachum are better.  Starters vs. a back up. 
and PFF has both of them ranking reasonably higher that Fant.  Fant isn’t good.  

Yeah, I didn't mention Beachum did I? Shell might be slightly better. The other 2 clowns no way in hell.

[redlichtie]

15 hours ago, johnnysd said:

I think Fant is going to surprise you actually. Seattle kept him as a tweener player rotating all over the line and lining up often at TE, There are several analysis that are very positive about Fant. He had some struggles at run blocking. But he is an excellent scheme fit for what Gase is doing and that alone will see the level of his play improve. I think Fant trying to block a man scheme for RW is one case where PFF grades are literally useless. 

Also, there are a couple factors people seem to consistently ignore. First, the OL is certainly not set and I would be shocked if we didnt not draft at least 2 if not 3 or 4 OL in the draft. Second it seems like the analysis is very binary, either the OL is bad or the OL is good. The moves JD made probably do not make this a "good" ie top third of the NFL OL. But it does it make it better and probably at least average. Average is an incredible upgrade from without exaggeration one of the worst OLs in NFL history.

 

Good post...the general level of expectation with Fant appears to be pleasingly low, which usually means that by week 3 the same people who wanted JD fired before FA had even begun will be polluting us with the usual 180’s about how ‘Fant has proved something to me’ (like somehow we are all waiting on their holy GMness to decree what is, and is not, a success!)

Hoping for a similar situation with another FA acquisition from Seattle: James Carpenter. Carpenter came to us as a bit of a disappointment as a former 1st round pick but at the time I think the Seahawks were playing a zone blocking system and he was very much a power man blocker....he came to us and in the scheme that suited him was outstanding for a couple of seasons. It was only when we switched to a new zone blocking system that his play and value dropped off.

it could be smart move to recognise that Fant is a Carpenter like player who in the correct situation will flourish, 

here’s hoping he works out

[Jetster]

Fant was a little inconsistent but they used him all over the place. I watched a few Seahawk games & he played really well against some very good Dlineman & edge rushers. 

Niners, Cardinals, Rams have WAY BETTER Dlines than the AFC East!

[Sammybighead]

Lol I don't think anyone believed we fixed anything other than depth with this FA. Obviously the guys we picked up aren't all-pros, what do you expect people to say?

That said, we're not “tied" to anyone. The players may not be studs but the deals Joe made were. All of these guys are short term fixes and the second we draft/sign a replacement, they're out.

[rangerous]

13 hours ago, RobR said:

Don't sleep on him because he's a really good prospect. He's beyond long and has some nice tape to back up his game.

i believe you.  he seems to be pretty tall for an olineman but i guess that's the way the tackles should be. jumbo elliot was pretty tall and so was brick.  nate solder is around 6-7.

[Jetster]

44 minutes ago, Sammybighead said:

Lol I don't think anyone believed we fixed anything other than depth with this FA. Obviously the guys we picked up aren't all-pros, what do you expect people to say?

That said, we're not “tied" to anyone. The players may not be studs but the deals Joe made were. All of these guys are short term fixes and the second we draft/sign a replacement, they're out.

 

44 minutes ago, Sammybighead said:

Lol I don't think anyone believed we fixed anything other than depth with this FA. Obviously the guys we picked up aren't all-pros, what do you expect people to say?

That said, we're not “tied" to anyone. The players may not be studs but the deals Joe made were. All of these guys are short term fixes and the second we draft/sign a replacement, they're out.

I think Oline is about competency & working together. You don't need all pros everywhere, the Patriots dominated for 20 years & revamped their Oline continuously. Their Olines are always SMART and work together. Obviously Scarnechia is a great coach too. I think Joe Douglas gets it on how to put together an Oline. 

The guy on the hot seat is Pollack. JD will make a change at Oline coach if he can't get these guys on the same page with our offensive system.