(03-07-2024, 08:31 AM)Caldrac Wrote:

(03-07-2024, 07:59 AM)wassy04 Wrote: Re-signing Ridley didn't make sense anyway due to age. If they'd got the Allen deal done then tagged him for another year fine.

However, we have a lot of resource tied up in receivers (that hasn't really paid much dividends)

Now is 100% the time to be drafting one, ideally with pick 17 and probably another one too. You only want to pay one WR and that is currently Kirk. Plus Engram paid too. This is the year with a stacked class meaning potentially a few get pushed lower than they would in other years. It just makes so much sense, it's bound to happen right?

Ok. If resigning Ridley didn't make sense anyway due to age, why waste the 3rd RD investment for a one year rental to begin with? It's not like the man was going to go from 29 years old to 35 years old in one off season. 

Also, yes, it's a deep class, we're not heavily tied up though in the receiving group cap wise. Kirk has the highest contract on the books, Zay is less than $5M on the year and could technically still be cut, that leaves Agnew, who may or may not be back, his salary is relatively inexpensive for what he does and then you have a 6th RD pick from last year, an undrafted guy in Cooks and another undrafted guy in Tim Jones. 

They'll be looking at a WR more than likely in FA anyway because they have no choice really. They're depleted without Ridley being guaranteed to return now and you're also looking at Kirk, Jones & Agnew returning from various injuries. However, expecting Baalke to take a WR with the 17th pick is wishful thinking in my opinion. 

It just doesn't seem like he's going to do that. Not historically and not currently. I see him going defense there and it's probably going to be a player we're either really excited about as a fanbase or ho hum about as a fanbase. 

For example, we would probably like Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean, he'll take Nate Wiggins or Terrion Arnold instead. We'll probably like Brian Thomas Jr. or Adonai Mitchell, he'll take Laiatu Latu or Jared Verse instead. It's just something you have to kind of expect out of him and this front office in my opinion.

Why waste a 3rd round investment for a one-year rental to begin with?  Because we thought we were that close to contending for the Super Bowl.  

In my opinion, the $20 million per year that we would have had to give Ridley to re-sign him would be much better spent on offensive linemen.  If we run the ball better, if we can pick up a first down on 3rd and 1, if we can protect our QB better, we don't even need Ridley. 

Last year, we had 120 running plays that went for zero yards or a loss.  That's about 7 times per game.  You can't win games that way.  So I really don't care that we failed to retain Ridley.  He's irrelevant if we don't have a much better offensive line.

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