Quote:Correct. Colvin may very well turn out to be worth more than Monroe. But he was a 4th round pick nonetheless. Had Caldwell just traded the #2 pick in 2013 for 2014 picks he could have gotten a lot more than two late round picks.


 

Every young former draft pick ends up in a contract year. The best teams keep their best players, especially if they are awash in cap room. Monroe was the best player left from the pre-Caldwell group.
 The Ravens re-signed him, and they have one of the best front offices. I don't think their re-signing of Monroe was a mistake.

 

We don't know how Joeckel will turn out. At this point it doesn't look likely that he'll be significantly better than Monroe, and he may be worse. It's always a question of sticking with the known average guy or risking an upgrade. Using the #2 pick in the draft on a possible upgrade/ possible downgrade is just throwing the pick down the toilet.

The jury is still out on Joeckel.  Based on what was available at the top of the 2013 draft, he was the best player available to this team.  General managers don't work in hindsight. 

 

The best teams keep their best players...unless those "best players" are going to be asked to move to a new position that carries a lower cap figure, and their expectations for what their compensation should be exceed that figure.  That was what was coming for the Jaguars, and Monroe wasn't going to sign a new deal with this team.  They recognized this and did what they had to do to manage that situation. 

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