MichiganCardinal

We're less than 24 hours away from the start of legal tampering! They've got some work to do and I expect they'll be pretty busy. Needs and depth based on position: - QB 5/10: (1) Goff - need a backup or two. - RB 6/10: (1) Gibbs, (2) Vaki - I don't think Vaki is the RB2 we need and they'll do something short-term here - WR 2/10: (1) ASB, (2) Jamo, (3) TeSlaa, (4) Lovett - WR1-3 are set for the foreseeable future, but they might need to add some depth here, even if it's just on the practice squad. Might come in the draft or even UDFAs. - TE 5/10: (1) LaPorta, (2) Wright - all public signs seem to point to a healthy LaPorta by training camp. If that's not the case, this becomes much more dire. I still think it's important they add reliable depth here. Wright was not very good last year. And when he went down, we had no TEs left and it derailed the offensive identity on the ground. - OT 10/10: (1) Sewell, (2) Manu - need at least one starter, probably need a backup too - IOL 10/10: (1) Ratledge, (2) Mahagony, (3) Scruggs, (4) Frazier, (5) Niese, (6) Sorsdol - need at least one starter, plenty of depth here, but even if you trust Mahagony (who was bad in pass protection), you need either a center or a RG. - DT 4/10: (1) McNeill, (2) Williams, (3) Onwuzurike, (4) Wingo - depending on whether you trust Levi, you're in an okay spot here, at least comparatively. Could still use some depth. - DE 8/10: (1) Hutchinson, (2) Paschal, (3) Hassanein - obviously going to need to do something here. The real question is what and how good the solution will be. - LB: 7/10: (1) Campbell, (2) Barnes - you have your top two, hard to know what the plan is beyond that. - CB 9/10: (1) Reed, (2) Arnold, (3) Dorsey, (4) Rakestraw - this is one of the hardest positions to judge but you at least need a nickel. Can you count on Arnold? Can you count on Rakestraw? - S 9/10: (1) Joseph?, (2) Harper, (3) Jackson, (4) Branch - another hard position to judge. Will Joseph be back? If so, can you count on him? When will Branch be back? - ST 1/10 - Bates, Fox, Hatten - they seem set here. They may bring in some competition for Bates or Hatten.

I come back though to the question of who if not Manu/Vaki? And to get ahead of the likelihood that someone in the ~130 picks after them was good, why didn’t a team take them in one of the first three rounds? This Door #2 fallacy is just Monday Morning QBing in my opinion. If they have two guys they love in the 4th round, I would rather them move to go get them than sit right and take four mediocre players who all get cut by 2026. Compare Holmes’ drafts apples to apples across the league and he’s easily in the top ten. And the comments after draft day are just coach speak. They’re not going to say “yeah it’s round four, so hopefully these guys pan out but who knows 🤷‍♂️ “

I mean… at the distinct risk of sounding like a smart ass…. I think that’s what they did when they drafted a developmental tackle and a special teams role player. Generally I think the expectations of 4th round picks (both Manu and Vaki) are unrealistic. I quickly scrolled the picks after them in 2024, and none jumped off the page. If I missed any, so did 32 NFL teams at least three times. Manu will probably make the team as a backup tackle. Would it have been nicer if he was Mailata 2.0? Of course. But that was probably always a pipe dream. Vaki is entering his second year after a position change out of college. If he replaces Raymond on special teams, that’ll be a good pick. Not every 4th round pick can be Amon-Ra.

Another name to keep an eye on might be Trent Williams if the Niners ultimately release him. Likely? No. But the Lions do have the money and need now.

Teams only need to be under the cap by Wednesday. The Ravens are $12MM over right now, but will extend or restructure Lamar before then to comply.

Lions, Bears, Giants, Browns, and Chargers were considered the Linderbaum frontrunners. Two of those teams have gained a center in the last 24 hours. One of them has lost a left tackle. I think it’ll either be the Lions or the Giants, unless the Browns just throw a stupid amount of money at him.

Have to ponder if that means Linderbaum is officially gone. They’re going to have IOL problems next year.

Bears just traded for Garrett Bradbury out of New England. He’s not very good but if he’s the starter that’s one less Linderbaum suitor.

Well that changes things.

Another week, another master class from The Pitt.

I've come to the conclusion that all of my information (and that of everyone in my generation) is already out there on the dark web if someone really wants it. People shouldn't be reckless with any of their information (and I agree, probably doubly so for sensitive information like medical information). Doxxing is definitely a thing and it's not good. But I don't tend to make online decisions about what the worst of the worst in the world could find. Because it's probably out there somewhere already.

So effectively a 5th round pick, but it's complex. -Rapoport

Could be, but Anzalone was also effectively replaced by Campbell. Jason Kelce played until he was 36, and Ragnow was just as good as him. It's all hypothetical so who knows.

Something I thought of today regarding free agency. In a world where Ragnow never retired, he would be entering the 2026 season at age 30 in the final year of his contract. He would be up for an extension this offseason. In that scenario, assuming he didn't majorly fall off a cliff in performance, I don't think anyone would bat an eye at a market setting three-year / $63MM deal, right in the ballpark of what Linderbaum is probably asking. Am I crazy? I'm not a "the cap is fake" guy. And I don't think the Lions are best served getting into a bidding war for Linderbaum if a team wants to throw $25MM+ APY at him. But with two rookie-contract guards and a LT likely retiring after this season, I also think the Lions do have some money to work with (after restructuring Goff), if they want to be players for Linderbaum or trade for Crosby.

I'd be very surprised by this. I think all signs point to OL being priority #1 this offseason. I don't think it's guaranteed that either of Mahagony or Frazier start in week one, let alone both. At minimum, if a free agent starter isn't brought in I expect a high draft pick would be, to compete and perhaps displace one of them. For instance, if Mauigoa slips, or Lomu is the pick, I expect they could start either of them at guard in 2026 and move them to tackle after Decker retires (maybe flipping Sewell to LT as well). I'm not convinced moving Ratledge to center and starting a 5th round sophomore is that much better than what they did last year. On paper it might even be worse.

Big day. Relocation window opens for my season tickets in about 20 minutes. As Mick Jones once said, should I stay or should I go now?

Begs the question: what is Ben Johnson doing to his centers behind closed doors??

I’m guessing this was a conversation had in January and he had the option to retire in lieu of being released but declined. Perhaps someone will want him after their linemen suffer injuries

Montgomery’s goodbye on Instagram. Who’s cutting onions in here?

I agree with everyone that Gibbs is a true RB1, will be paid as much, and that we can expect him to be the three-down back this fall. But I do wonder what they do behind him. I don’t think Vaki will be RB2. Probably a cheap free agent bruiser?

Great trade. Scruggs feels like exactly the kind of depth you want to have on the interior. He's a young Glasgow, in that he can play all three positions, so if anybody goes down in the interior, he's plug and play. The Lions now own two 4ths, which may be enough to move up into the late 3rd if they so choose. Of course, it does create a hole at RB2, but in all I think this is a Holmes masterclass.

Love the group setting. I’m working in the middle of nowhere for a year long assignment. Very isolating. This community is getting me through it. Dying in the daily workout is my favorite part of the day! At the world premiere of 26.1, only two of the four “fittest people in the world” got through the entire workout. Not me lol My quads feel it today!