(12-17-2018, 12:06 PM)Bullseye Wrote: (12-17-2018, 11:45 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: Losing the LT was the worst case scenario for this offense and I said so at the time. Losing the second LT was a dagger to the heart. I'm not asserting that they should have had some miracle plan to solve the pass rush issues associated with starting your 3rd and 4th options at LT. I'm saying they should have addressed the RT situation the year prior and I'm not limiting that to the draft or the Smoot pick. I'm also saying they were too content with Cann and the overall depth coming into this season.
Bottom line - adding legit competition at RT in 2017 and legit competition for RG in 2018 would have bolstered those positions and aided the depth pool.
I feel they were too complacent about the line over the last several years, but the last two years are the topic at hand. I just hope they can find pieces for the right side this offseason (maybe they have one of them) - not to mention build adequate depth.
Wells and Shatley are both (ostensibly) hitting free agency. So they'll have to start from scratch finding affordable backups.
So besides maybe trading up for Dawkins, who would you have drafted at RT?
Only two Ts were drafted in the first round that year, none above 20 with Garrett Bolles in Denver. The Saints drafted Ramczyk at 32, right before the Jaguars drafted Robinson in the 2nd round. Only one T was taken in the 3rd round that year, and that was Arturo Garcia for the Patriots (drafted 85th overall-not currently on their roster per profootballreference.com or patriots.com.
Zach Banner? Julien Davenport?
Last year wasn't a great year for tackles at all.
Considering the money you gave to Parnell as a FA, free agency wasn't a particularly viable option either.
Ideally they'd get out of that #4 pick and have a large number of options for a number of positions, though we have no idea if a viable partner could be had.
And yes, it was a tough draft to find a tackle after the first if they can't get out of #4. And you make a good point about FA versus Parnell's contract.
Perhaps the hindsight strategy I suggested is not the best. They'd have had to move around from their spots or take a chance on a 4th round tackle in 2017 (which still would aid the depth situation but wouldn't likely supplant Parnell or fix the spot longterm) The only other option I see for RT would have been Brian O'Neill instead of DJ Chark in the 2018 draft. He's playing pretty well at RT for the vikes as a rookie from what I gather.
I'm just exasperated from watching a #4 pick run into brick walls and seeing Cann and Parnell whiff on stunts and speed moves in protection.
Alas - I don't have the miracle cure retrospectively or otherwise beyond trading down in that 2017 draft or re-doing the 2018 draft to an unknown outcome. I just know that based on the way that line looked early on, and obviously down the stretch, they didn't do enough.
