(12-20-2023, 09:28 AM)Mikey Wrote:

(12-19-2023, 05:51 PM)Caldrac Wrote: It all balances out in the long run though. By the time Allen gets paid, the next wave of contracts, plus the salary cap ceiling being raised will probably push him right back outside the top five again. 

It also appears Walker is getting better and starting to turn the corner now as a pass rusher. I just wouldn't risk it. I know it's a lot of money, but, teams manage to figure it out somehow. 

The way I see it? Allen's been a fairly consistent football player since he's been here. We know what he is now at his worst and what he is capable of at his best. We're lucky to have him and we should keep him. 

I think, the other guys on this team? Most of them are forgettable. When you look at the defense as a whole, right? This is how I see it:

Allen - Keeper
Walker - Keeper
Lloyd - Keeper
Oluokon - Keeper
Campbell - Keeper
Cisco - Keeper

Everybody else? Forgettable, upgradable. That's including the other five starters out there and the rotational pieces behind them for the most part. I am hoping Hamilton, RRH and Smoot are better next year but I am looking for their replacements in this draft immediately after I address the other side of the football first. 

Doesn't have to be done via the draft neither. You can also tap into free agency and figure it out, but, there's not a snowball's chance in hell I am letting Josh Allen go in the off season. Keep in mind, I was wanting him traded last year before the deadline, and have since ate my crow and will continue to eat my crow if it means this team wins games with him making the impacts he's been making and taking on the leadership role that he's taken on. 

It's hard to find guys like that and we'll have enough holes to fill as it is. Backfilling him is not an easy hole to fill. It's more like a void at this point. Too risky, too foolish in my opinion. You cut wherever else you need to cut to keep him here.

I know it's outside the scope of this thread, but Buster is making this less of a sure thing. Great problem to have. Unless Campbell can get back to staying healthy, they may end up letting him walk or not giving him the megadeal a top corner would merit.

Starting to wonder the same about Cisco - Are these DBs getting to be like 'dime a dozen' WR, as Vic was fond of saying? Compare Cisco to Kyle Hamilton - Hamilton was a difference maker on that D last weekend. If you can draft a guy to play at or near the same level, doesn't make sense to give him high end safety money, either.

All that said, and back on topic with this thread, Allen is showing very much that you can't just cross your fingers and hope to darft a guy of his caliber. He'll get the big paycheck, and deserve every bit of it. I just hope we're the ones that get the deal done.

You know? Not going to lie. I was a little hesitant to state that about Campbell, I was damn near tempted to place Darious Williams there instead, but, I think Campbell's slipped a bit this year due to injury but he was relatively good last year and good this year prior to the hamstring. 

I also agree about Buster Brown. It was one of the few decent players I listed under Baalke's draft selections in that other thread. I think Baalke has a decent eye when it comes to secondary players. I can give him that one. Cisco and Jenkins are good but there plays only come up here and there. 

But, I think he's found some potential replacements in Antonio Johnson and I also still have high hopes for Braswell out of Rutgers. I think he can be a good outside corner in due time. Allen will get the bag though, for sure.

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