Stitches Pre-Combine 2018 Mock Off-season

[stitches]

(First of all, I'm using @Superman 's format, so thanks to him for it) 

 

Team Cap Space: $74,194,402 (after Vinatieri Signing)

 

Own free agents: 

Adam Vinatieri - already signed

Rashaan Melvin - 3 years 24M (12 guaranteed) (9M first year this is what Ballard usually does - gets flexibility on the backend of the deal by giving up more guaranteed money at the front end)

Jack Mewhort - 1 year 2M

Jon Bostic - 1 year 1.5M

Pierre Desir - 3 years 4M (2.5M guaranteed, 1.5M hit in the first year) - I'm taking a bit of a calculated risk here. He could be a good piece for our DB core and i'm tying him up by giving him some guaranteed money

Barkevious Mingo 1 year, 2M

Mike Person - 1 year 800K, he played well when he got a chance for us 

Luke Rhodes 1 year 600K

Erik Swoope 1 year 600K

Chris Milton 1 year 600K

Jeremy Vujnovich, 1 year 600K

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 19.2M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 55,194,402

 

Other Teams' Free agents:

Andrew Norwell, OG - 5 years, 66M(44M guaranteed, 14M hit first year) all pro guard, I've decided enough is enough. when Luck comes back he will be protected

Josh Sitton, OG - 3 years, 22M (12M guaranteed, 7M hit first year) pro bowl guard - see above, I'm fixing the guards position in FA. 

Anthony Hitchens, ILB - 4 years, 26M (13M guaranteed, 6M hit first year) - Eberflus gets his Mike to help him in transitioning this defense into 43... 

Tyler Eifert, TE - 1 year prove it deal 5M - he's a quality TE and would probably get more(both number and years) were it not for his injuries.in the last 2 seasons

Paul Richardson, WR - 3 years, 20M (10M guaranteed, 6M hit in 2018)

Corey Nelson, ILB  2 years 2M(1M guaranteed, 1M hit) - depth ILB piece. 

(other depth signings at around minimum salary): 7M (I'm not good evaluating the more marginal talent so I would assume there are some OLine depth signing, some pass-rush depth signing, some safety depth signing, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 46M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 9,194,402

 

 

Trades(before June):

John Simon to KC Chiefs for their 4th round pick - IMO Simon is one of the players that's most likely to not fit in our new scheme. I'm projecting a trade here

-------------------------------------------------

Savings - 3,281,250 Updated Caps Space left: 12,475.652

 

 

 

Draft:

Trade: Jets call and offer their first round pick, second round pick and a fourth round pick for our no.3. Colts accept

 

1/6(from Jets) Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State, 4QBs and Barkley are gone.  start building some pressure on the defense

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

2/37(from Jets) Connor Williams, OT, Texas - hopefully teams are indeed not superhigh on him and he slips to the second round. Draft him and put him at RT to begin and then transition him to LT if we have a money crunch on our hands when AC's contract expires

3/67 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - a big physical RB, with good vision, who gets yards after contact. Great complement to Marlon Mack and Turbin

4/103 Nathan Shepherd, DL, Fort Hays State - big interior disruptor. He's a 'potential' pick, but he killed the senior bowl and was unblockable in 1-on-1 drills vs some very good interior O-linemen 

4/104(from Jets) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU - quick sideline to sideline ILB with some coverage skills. Needs to add some weight probably and work on getting rid of blockers

4/122(from Chiefs) Dante Pettis, WR, Washington - I have no idea why he's not ranked higher on draft boards, he has consistently been available around here in simulated mock drafts I've done, I love his speed and the way he attacks the ball in the air. He also has some value in the return game. Has 9 punts returned for TD in his Washington career

5/140 Dominick Sanders, S, Georgia - a well rounded safety good in coverage. Had good year and showed more consistency than in previous years.  

6/178 Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah - often injured, Fitts didn't have the production his early career suggested(7 sacks junior season). He is a quick and slippery pass-rusher. This is a traits pick with the hope that with health he will develop into a rotational pass-rusher

7/221 Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque - intriguing small school prospect who held his own at the Senior Bowl. Good developmental prospect. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

12M spent on draft picks. Cap Space Left: ~0.5M

 

Depth Chart(bolded are the draft picks, underlined are the FA acquisitions)

 

Offense:

QB: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
RB: Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Josh Ferguson
WR: TY Hilton, Paul Richardson, Chester Rogers, Dante Pettis, Kolby Listenbee
TE: Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Swoope, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis
LT: Anthony Castonzo, Le'Raven Clark
LG: Andrew Norwell, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Vujnovic
C: Ryan Kelly, Mike Person, Deyshawn Bond 
RG: Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Glowinski
RT: Connor Williams, Denzell Good, Tyreek Burwell
 

Defense:
RDE: Jabaal Sheard, Tarrell Basham, (depth?)
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Al Woods, Grover Stewart
DT: Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt, Nathan Shepherd
LDE: Bradley Chubb, Kylie Fitts, (depth?)
Sam LB: Jon Bostic, Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Walker, Joshua Perry
Mike LB: Anthony Hitchens, Jeremiah George, Antonio Morrison
Will LB: Barkevious Mingo, Corey Nelson, Fred Warner
LCB: Rashaan Melvin, Pierre Desir, Michael Joseph
RCB: Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, D.J. White
Nickel: Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, (depth?)
FS: Malik Hooker, Mathias Farley, TJ Green
SS: Clayton Geathers, Dominick Sanders, Ronald Martin 

 

Special teams:

LS: Luke Rhodes

P: Rigoberto Sanchez

K: Adam Vinatieri

 

I tried addressing the full roster with heavy emphasis on O-line help. I feel like i would feel very comfortable putting Luck behind this O-line. The DB core is very thin but I just couldn't do everything this off-season. LB core needs more work too. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

[BOTT]

Would make me very very happy

[Colt Overseas]

I really like your commitment to fixing the o-line. If we land Sitton, Norwell and Williams to put in with Kelly and AC, I would evaluate we have more than enough talent to protect Luck. Also like the assortment of offensive weapons you have added.

 

I get the feeling Williams wont drop to the second, there are few teams towards the end of the draft that could do with oline help. NE and Philly may not have their starting LT's for next year as an example.

[DraftMaster]

This is the best mock offseason I have seen yet! We have a rb by committee, which I like, a SOLID o-line, Andrew Luck wouldn't be touched this year. Not sure if Connor Williams will go to the second because every team seems to want o-line help but it's plausible. We get Chubb to rush the QB, Hitchens to be a solid pass protecting ILB, and don't forget Andrew Luck having 2 great TE's to work with! If this happens we will make* the playoffs next year! Great mock @stitches!

 

 

*granted we don't have a boatload of injuries.

[csmopar]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

(First of all, I'm using @Superman 's format, so thanks to him for it) 

 

Team Cap Space: $74,194,402 (after Vinatieri Signing)

 

Own free agents: 

Adam Vinatieri - already signed

Rashaan Melvin - 3 years 24M (12 guaranteed) (9M first year this is what Ballard usually does - gets flexibility on the backend of the deal by giving up more guaranteed money at the front end)

Jack Mewhort - 1 year 2M

Jon Bostic - 1 year 1.5M

Pierre Desir - 3 years 4M (2.5M guaranteed, 1.5M hit in the first year) - I'm taking a bit of a calculated risk here. He could be a good piece for our DB core and i'm tying him up by giving him some guaranteed money

Barkevious Mingo 1 year, 2M

Mike Person - 1 year 800K, he played well when he got a chance for us 

Luke Rhodes 1 year 600K

Erik Swoope 1 year 600K

Chris Milton 1 year 600K

Jeremy Vujnovich, 1 year 600K

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 19.2M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 55,194,402

 

Other Teams' Free agents:

Andrew Norwell, OG - 5 years, 66M(44M guaranteed, 14M hit first year) all pro guard, I've decided enough is enough. when Luck comes back he will be protected

Josh Sitton, OG - 3 years, 22M (12M guaranteed, 7M hit first year) pro bowl guard - see above, I'm fixing the guards position in FA. 

Anthony Hitchens, ILB - 4 years, 26M (13M guaranteed, 6M hit first year) - Eberflus gets his Mike to help him in transitioning this defense into 43... 

Tyler Eifert, TE - 1 year prove it deal 5M - he's a quality TE and would probably get more(both number and years) were it not for his injuries.in the last 2 seasons

Paul Richardson, WR - 3 years, 20M (10M guaranteed, 6M hit in 2018)

Corey Nelson, ILB  2 years 2M(1M guaranteed, 1M hit) - depth ILB piece. 

(other depth signings at around minimum salary): 7M (I'm not good evaluating the more marginal talent so I would assume there are some OLine depth signing, some pass-rush depth signing, some safety depth signing, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 46M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 9,194,402

 

 

Trades(before June):

John Simon to KC Chiefs for their 4th round pick - IMO Simon is one of the players that's most likely to not fit in our new scheme. I'm projecting a trade here

-------------------------------------------------

Savings - 3,281,250 Updated Caps Space left: 12,475.652

 

 

 

Draft:

Trade: Jets call and offer their first round pick, second round pick and a fourth round pick for our no.3. Colts accept

 

1/6(from Jets) Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State, 4QBs and Barkley are gone.  start building some pressure on the defense

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

2/37(from Jets) Connor Williams, OT, Texas - hopefully teams are indeed not superhigh on him and he slips to the second round. Draft him and put him at RT to begin and then transition him to LT if we have a money crunch on our hands when AC's contract expires

3/67 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - a big physical RB, with good vision, who gets yards after contact. Great complement to Marlon Mack and *****

4/103 Nathan Shepherd, DL, Fort Hays State - big interior disruptor. He's a 'potential' pick, but he killed the senior bowl and was unblockable in 1-on-1 drills vs some very good interior O-linemen 

4/104(from Jets) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU - quick sideline to sideline ILB with some coverage skills. Needs to add some weight probably and work on getting rid of blockers

4/122(from Chiefs) Dante Pettis, WR, Washington - I have no idea why he's not ranked higher on draft boards, he has consistently been available around here in simulated mock drafts I've done, I love his speed and the way he attacks the ball in the air. He also has some value in the return game. Has 9 punts returned for TD in his Washington career

5/140 Dominick Sanders, S, Georgia - a well rounded safety good in coverage. Had good year and showed more consistency than in previous years.  

6/178 Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah - often injured, Fitts didn't have the production his early career suggested(7 sacks junior season). He is a quick and slippery pass-rusher. This is a traits pick with the hope that with health he will develop into a rotational pass-rusher

7/221 Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque - intriguing small school prospect who held his own at the Senior Bowl. Good developmental prospect. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

12M spent on draft picks. Cap Space Left: ~0.5M

 

Depth Chart(bolded are the draft picks, underlined are the FA acquisitions)

  Reveal hidden contents

Offense:

QB: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
RB: Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Josh Ferguson
WR: TY Hilton, Paul Richardson, Chester Rogers, Dante Pettis, Kolby Listenbee
TE: Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Swoope, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis
LT: Anthony Castonzo, Le'Raven Clark
LG: Andrew Norwell, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Vujnovic
C: Ryan Kelly, Mike Person, Deyshawn Bond 
RG: Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Glowinski
RT: Connor Williams, Denzell Good, Tyreek Burwell
 

Defense:
RDE: Jabaal Sheard, Tarrell Basham, (depth?)
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Al Woods, Grover Stewart
DT: Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt, Nathan Shepherd
LDE: Bradley Chubb, Kylie Fitts, (depth?)
Sam LB: Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Walker, Joshua Perry
Mike LB: Anthony Hitchens, Jeremiah George, Antonio Morrison
Will LB: Barkevious Mingo, Corey Nelson, Fred Warner
LCB: Rashaan Melvin, Pierre Desir, Michael Joseph
RCB: Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, D.J. White
Nickel: Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, (depth?)
FS: Malik Hooker, Mathias Farley, TJ Green
SS: Clayton Geathers, Dominick Sanders, Ronald Martin 

 

Special teams:

LS: Luke Rhodes

P: Rigoberto Sanchez

K: Adam Vinatieri

 

I tried addressing the full roster with heavy emphasis on O-line help. I feel like i would feel very comfortable putting Luck behind this O-line. The DB core is very thin but I just couldn't do everything this off-season. LB core needs more work too. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Looks pretty good. I like the break down. Good job.

 

my only comment really is that I don't think Ballard will take us that close to the salary cap limit. .5 million under the cap gives us very little for an emergency should we need to churn the roster for injuries what not.  My guess is that we'll finish somewhere between 10-15 million under the cap at the most. 

[gnet550]

1 hour ago, csmopar said:

Looks pretty good. I like the break down. Good job.

 

my only comment really is that I don't think Ballard will take us that close to the salary cap limit. .5 million under the cap gives us very little for an emergency should we need to churn the roster for injuries what not.  My guess is that we'll finish somewhere between 10-15 million under the cap at the most. 

Yea, I’d say forget Eifert and you’d save 5 million there...I am okay with a Doyle/ Swoope combo

[crazycolt1]

57 minutes ago, gnet550 said:

Yea, I’d say forget Eifert and you’d save 5 million there...I am okay with a Doyle/ Swoope combo

If Eifert can stay healthy he would be a great addition. I know it's a big if but he is a great TE.

[throwing BBZ]

58 minutes ago, gnet550 said:

Yea, I’d say forget Eifert and you’d save 5 million there...I am okay with a Doyle/ Swoope combo

 

I feel safe saying Reich offense must have a TE that he can split out opposite the trips formation.
A guy that can win in man to man. IMO Doyle, nor Swope are that.
And they will want a Quality in-line TE blocker. Again, as of today, not the guys.
We have very few guys that will be here in 2019-2020.

[richard pallo]

Great mock!  Sitton and Eifert would be solid additions but I would be tempted to take Fulton and Carlos Hyde in their place.  To me Hyde is a tempting signing to take Gore's spot but I would be okay taking a RB with one of the seconds if it fell that way.  

[stitches]

1 hour ago, gnet550 said:

Yea, I’d say forget Eifert and you’d save 5 million there...I am okay with a Doyle/ Swoope combo

Yeah, if we want to keep some more flexibility Eifert would probably be the one to cut out of this mock. 

[stitches]

3 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

I feel safe saying Reich offense must have a TE that he can split out opposite the trips formation.
A guy that can win in man to man. IMO Doyle, nor Swope are that.
And they will want a Quality in-line TE blocker. Again, as of today, not the guys.
We have very few guys that will be here in 2019-2020.

Yeah, that's the reason I want a more of a mis-match TE, and I think Eifert can be this for us if we can keep him healthy.

 

3 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Great mock!  Sitton and Eifert would be solid additions but I would be tempted to take Fulton and Carlos Hyde in their place.  To me Hyde is a tempting signing to take Gore's spot but I would be okay taking a RB with one of the seconds if it fell that way.  

 

Not bad idea, this could still fit into my overall philosophy for the mock. 

[crazycolt1]

2 minutes ago, stitches said:

Yeah, if we want to keep some more flexibility Eifert would probably be the one to cut out of this mock. 

Flexibility?  If he could be signed he would be a great addition. I am concerned with him staying healthy but he is a great TE. He was a pro bowl player in 2016.

[PrincetonTiger]

There a few head scratchers but not bad

[PrincetonTiger]

14 minutes ago, stitches said:

Yeah, if we want to keep some more flexibility Eifert would probably be the one to cut out of this mock. 

 I am not a fan of trading Simon either but understand why you put it in

[stitches]

9 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Flexibility?  If he could be signed he would be a great addition. I am concerned with him staying healthy but he is a great TE. He was a pro bowl player in 2016.

Financial flexibility. He obviously is a top TE when healthy.

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 hours ago, stitches said:

(First of all, I'm using @Superman 's format, so thanks to him for it) 

 

Team Cap Space: $74,194,402 (after Vinatieri Signing)

 

Own free agents: 

Adam Vinatieri - already signed

Rashaan Melvin - 3 years 24M (12 guaranteed) (9M first year this is what Ballard usually does - gets flexibility on the backend of the deal by giving up more guaranteed money at the front end)

Jack Mewhort - 1 year 2M

Jon Bostic - 1 year 1.5M

Pierre Desir - 3 years 4M (2.5M guaranteed, 1.5M hit in the first year) - I'm taking a bit of a calculated risk here. He could be a good piece for our DB core and i'm tying him up by giving him some guaranteed money

Barkevious Mingo 1 year, 2M

Mike Person - 1 year 800K, he played well when he got a chance for us 

Luke Rhodes 1 year 600K

Erik Swoope 1 year 600K

Chris Milton 1 year 600K

Jeremy Vujnovich, 1 year 600K

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 19.2M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 55,194,402

 

Other Teams' Free agents:

Andrew Norwell, OG - 5 years, 66M(44M guaranteed, 14M hit first year) all pro guard, I've decided enough is enough. when Luck comes back he will be protected

Josh Sitton, OG - 3 years, 22M (12M guaranteed, 7M hit first year) pro bowl guard - see above, I'm fixing the guards position in FA. 

Anthony Hitchens, ILB - 4 years, 26M (13M guaranteed, 6M hit first year) - Eberflus gets his Mike to help him in transitioning this defense into 43... 

Tyler Eifert, TE - 1 year prove it deal 5M - he's a quality TE and would probably get more(both number and years) were it not for his injuries.in the last 2 seasons

Paul Richardson, WR - 3 years, 20M (10M guaranteed, 6M hit in 2018)

Corey Nelson, ILB  2 years 2M(1M guaranteed, 1M hit) - depth ILB piece. 

(other depth signings at around minimum salary): 7M (I'm not good evaluating the more marginal talent so I would assume there are some OLine depth signing, some pass-rush depth signing, some safety depth signing, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 46M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 9,194,402

 

 

Trades(before June):

John Simon to KC Chiefs for their 4th round pick - IMO Simon is one of the players that's most likely to not fit in our new scheme. I'm projecting a trade here

-------------------------------------------------

Savings - 3,281,250 Updated Caps Space left: 12,475.652

 

 

 

Draft:

Trade: Jets call and offer their first round pick, second round pick and a fourth round pick for our no.3. Colts accept

 

1/6(from Jets) Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State, 4QBs and Barkley are gone.  start building some pressure on the defense

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

2/37(from Jets) Connor Williams, OT, Texas - hopefully teams are indeed not superhigh on him and he slips to the second round. Draft him and put him at RT to begin and then transition him to LT if we have a money crunch on our hands when AC's contract expires

3/67 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - a big physical RB, with good vision, who gets yards after contact. Great complement to Marlon Mack and Turbin

4/103 Nathan Shepherd, DL, Fort Hays State - big interior disruptor. He's a 'potential' pick, but he killed the senior bowl and was unblockable in 1-on-1 drills vs some very good interior O-linemen 

4/104(from Jets) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU - quick sideline to sideline ILB with some coverage skills. Needs to add some weight probably and work on getting rid of blockers

4/122(from Chiefs) Dante Pettis, WR, Washington - I have no idea why he's not ranked higher on draft boards, he has consistently been available around here in simulated mock drafts I've done, I love his speed and the way he attacks the ball in the air. He also has some value in the return game. Has 9 punts returned for TD in his Washington career

5/140 Dominick Sanders, S, Georgia - a well rounded safety good in coverage. Had good year and showed more consistency than in previous years.  

6/178 Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah - often injured, Fitts didn't have the production his early career suggested(7 sacks junior season). He is a quick and slippery pass-rusher. This is a traits pick with the hope that with health he will develop into a rotational pass-rusher

7/221 Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque - intriguing small school prospect who held his own at the Senior Bowl. Good developmental prospect. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

12M spent on draft picks. Cap Space Left: ~0.5M

 

Depth Chart(bolded are the draft picks, underlined are the FA acquisitions)

  Hide contents

Offense:

QB: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
RB: Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Josh Ferguson
WR: TY Hilton, Paul Richardson, Chester Rogers, Dante Pettis, Kolby Listenbee
TE: Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Swoope, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis
LT: Anthony Castonzo, Le'Raven Clark
LG: Andrew Norwell, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Vujnovic
C: Ryan Kelly, Mike Person, Deyshawn Bond 
RG: Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Glowinski
RT: Connor Williams, Denzell Good, Tyreek Burwell
 

Defense:
RDE: Jabaal Sheard, Tarrell Basham, (depth?)
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Al Woods, Grover Stewart
DT: Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt, Nathan Shepherd
LDE: Bradley Chubb, Kylie Fitts, (depth?)
Sam LB: Jon Bostic, Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Walker, Joshua Perry
Mike LB: Anthony Hitchens, Jeremiah George, Antonio Morrison
Will LB: Barkevious Mingo, Corey Nelson, Fred Warner
LCB: Rashaan Melvin, Pierre Desir, Michael Joseph
RCB: Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, D.J. White
Nickel: Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, (depth?)
FS: Malik Hooker, Mathias Farley, TJ Green
SS: Clayton Geathers, Dominick Sanders, Ronald Martin 

 

Special teams:

LS: Luke Rhodes

P: Rigoberto Sanchez

K: Adam Vinatieri

 

I tried addressing the full roster with heavy emphasis on O-line help. I feel like i would feel very comfortable putting Luck behind this O-line. The DB core is very thin but I just couldn't do everything this off-season. LB core needs more work too. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Thoughts? = I love the way that Roster looks. Great job!

[jshipp23]

5 hours ago, stitches said:

(First of all, I'm using @Superman 's format, so thanks to him for it) 

 

Team Cap Space: $74,194,402 (after Vinatieri Signing)

 

Own free agents: 

Adam Vinatieri - already signed

Rashaan Melvin - 3 years 24M (12 guaranteed) (9M first year this is what Ballard usually does - gets flexibility on the backend of the deal by giving up more guaranteed money at the front end)

Jack Mewhort - 1 year 2M

Jon Bostic - 1 year 1.5M

Pierre Desir - 3 years 4M (2.5M guaranteed, 1.5M hit in the first year) - I'm taking a bit of a calculated risk here. He could be a good piece for our DB core and i'm tying him up by giving him some guaranteed money

Barkevious Mingo 1 year, 2M

Mike Person - 1 year 800K, he played well when he got a chance for us 

Luke Rhodes 1 year 600K

Erik Swoope 1 year 600K

Chris Milton 1 year 600K

Jeremy Vujnovich, 1 year 600K

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 19.2M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 55,194,402

 

Other Teams' Free agents:

Andrew Norwell, OG - 5 years, 66M(44M guaranteed, 14M hit first year) all pro guard, I've decided enough is enough. when Luck comes back he will be protected

Josh Sitton, OG - 3 years, 22M (12M guaranteed, 7M hit first year) pro bowl guard - see above, I'm fixing the guards position in FA. 

Anthony Hitchens, ILB - 4 years, 26M (13M guaranteed, 6M hit first year) - Eberflus gets his Mike to help him in transitioning this defense into 43... 

Tyler Eifert, TE - 1 year prove it deal 5M - he's a quality TE and would probably get more(both number and years) were it not for his injuries.in the last 2 seasons

Paul Richardson, WR - 3 years, 20M (10M guaranteed, 6M hit in 2018)

Corey Nelson, ILB  2 years 2M(1M guaranteed, 1M hit) - depth ILB piece. 

(other depth signings at around minimum salary): 7M (I'm not good evaluating the more marginal talent so I would assume there are some OLine depth signing, some pass-rush depth signing, some safety depth signing, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 46M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 9,194,402

 

 

Trades(before June):

John Simon to KC Chiefs for their 4th round pick - IMO Simon is one of the players that's most likely to not fit in our new scheme. I'm projecting a trade here

-------------------------------------------------

Savings - 3,281,250 Updated Caps Space left: 12,475.652

 

 

 

Draft:

Trade: Jets call and offer their first round pick, second round pick and a fourth round pick for our no.3. Colts accept

 

1/6(from Jets) Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State, 4QBs and Barkley are gone.  start building some pressure on the defense

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

2/37(from Jets) Connor Williams, OT, Texas - hopefully teams are indeed not superhigh on him and he slips to the second round. Draft him and put him at RT to begin and then transition him to LT if we have a money crunch on our hands when AC's contract expires

3/67 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - a big physical RB, with good vision, who gets yards after contact. Great complement to Marlon Mack and Turbin

4/103 Nathan Shepherd, DL, Fort Hays State - big interior disruptor. He's a 'potential' pick, but he killed the senior bowl and was unblockable in 1-on-1 drills vs some very good interior O-linemen 

4/104(from Jets) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU - quick sideline to sideline ILB with some coverage skills. Needs to add some weight probably and work on getting rid of blockers

4/122(from Chiefs) Dante Pettis, WR, Washington - I have no idea why he's not ranked higher on draft boards, he has consistently been available around here in simulated mock drafts I've done, I love his speed and the way he attacks the ball in the air. He also has some value in the return game. Has 9 punts returned for TD in his Washington career

5/140 Dominick Sanders, S, Georgia - a well rounded safety good in coverage. Had good year and showed more consistency than in previous years.  

6/178 Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah - often injured, Fitts didn't have the production his early career suggested(7 sacks junior season). He is a quick and slippery pass-rusher. This is a traits pick with the hope that with health he will develop into a rotational pass-rusher

7/221 Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque - intriguing small school prospect who held his own at the Senior Bowl. Good developmental prospect. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

12M spent on draft picks. Cap Space Left: ~0.5M

 

Depth Chart(bolded are the draft picks, underlined are the FA acquisitions)

  Reveal hidden contents

Offense:

QB: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
RB: Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Josh Ferguson
WR: TY Hilton, Paul Richardson, Chester Rogers, Dante Pettis, Kolby Listenbee
TE: Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Swoope, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis
LT: Anthony Castonzo, Le'Raven Clark
LG: Andrew Norwell, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Vujnovic
C: Ryan Kelly, Mike Person, Deyshawn Bond 
RG: Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Glowinski
RT: Connor Williams, Denzell Good, Tyreek Burwell
 

Defense:
RDE: Jabaal Sheard, Tarrell Basham, (depth?)
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Al Woods, Grover Stewart
DT: Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt, Nathan Shepherd
LDE: Bradley Chubb, Kylie Fitts, (depth?)
Sam LB: Jon Bostic, Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Walker, Joshua Perry
Mike LB: Anthony Hitchens, Jeremiah George, Antonio Morrison
Will LB: Barkevious Mingo, Corey Nelson, Fred Warner
LCB: Rashaan Melvin, Pierre Desir, Michael Joseph
RCB: Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, D.J. White
Nickel: Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, (depth?)
FS: Malik Hooker, Mathias Farley, TJ Green
SS: Clayton Geathers, Dominick Sanders, Ronald Martin 

 

Special teams:

LS: Luke Rhodes

P: Rigoberto Sanchez

K: Adam Vinatieri

 

I tried addressing the full roster with heavy emphasis on O-line help. I feel like i would feel very comfortable putting Luck behind this O-line. The DB core is very thin but I just couldn't do everything this off-season. LB core needs more work too. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Honestly if we pull that off it would be great...That is a very solid offseason and seems possible..

[crazycolt1]

25 minutes ago, stitches said:

Financial flexibility. He obviously is a top TE when healthy.

I don't think he would break the bank being he has to show he can stay on the field. Taking a gamble may be worth it if he could be signed to a reasonable contract. Back injuries can be hard to say what will happen.

[jshipp23]

5 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I don't think he would break the bank being he has to show he can stay on the field. Taking a gamble may be worth it if he could be signed to a reasonable contract. Back injuries can be hard to say what will happen.

Saints might release Coby Fleenor, I hope we bring him back if they do...He has good chemistry with Luck and I think he is underrated ..We should have kept him and let Allen go..He would be the downfield threat at TE we lack..I like Swoope just not sure we should rely on him..

[jshipp23]

4 hours ago, BOTT said:

Would make me very very happy

That is the BOTT Special right there...I see why you would like this..I wouldn't mind it either I understand it for sure..That offensive line would be nasty..

[gnet550]

3 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

I feel safe saying Reich offense must have a TE that he can split out opposite the trips formation.
A guy that can win in man to man. IMO Doyle, nor Swope are that.
And they will want a Quality in-line TE blocker. Again, as of today, not the guys.
We have very few guys that will be here in 2019-2020.

Doyle is a pretty decent blocker and as far as splitting out, that’s what Swoope is made for. I’d also think about Ross Travis, he played the last couple games and was always out wide as a TE....TE is not a spot I’m worried about. Just my opinion

[BleedBlu8792]

7 hours ago, stitches said:

(First of all, I'm using @Superman 's format, so thanks to him for it) 

 

Team Cap Space: $74,194,402 (after Vinatieri Signing)

 

Own free agents: 

Adam Vinatieri - already signed

Rashaan Melvin - 3 years 24M (12 guaranteed) (9M first year this is what Ballard usually does - gets flexibility on the backend of the deal by giving up more guaranteed money at the front end)

Jack Mewhort - 1 year 2M

Jon Bostic - 1 year 1.5M

Pierre Desir - 3 years 4M (2.5M guaranteed, 1.5M hit in the first year) - I'm taking a bit of a calculated risk here. He could be a good piece for our DB core and i'm tying him up by giving him some guaranteed money

Barkevious Mingo 1 year, 2M

Mike Person - 1 year 800K, he played well when he got a chance for us 

Luke Rhodes 1 year 600K

Erik Swoope 1 year 600K

Chris Milton 1 year 600K

Jeremy Vujnovich, 1 year 600K

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 19.2M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 55,194,402

 

Other Teams' Free agents:

Andrew Norwell, OG - 5 years, 66M(44M guaranteed, 14M hit first year) all pro guard, I've decided enough is enough. when Luck comes back he will be protected

Josh Sitton, OG - 3 years, 22M (12M guaranteed, 7M hit first year) pro bowl guard - see above, I'm fixing the guards position in FA. 

Anthony Hitchens, ILB - 4 years, 26M (13M guaranteed, 6M hit first year) - Eberflus gets his Mike to help him in transitioning this defense into 43... 

Tyler Eifert, TE - 1 year prove it deal 5M - he's a quality TE and would probably get more(both number and years) were it not for his injuries.in the last 2 seasons

Paul Richardson, WR - 3 years, 20M (10M guaranteed, 6M hit in 2018)

Corey Nelson, ILB  2 years 2M(1M guaranteed, 1M hit) - depth ILB piece. 

(other depth signings at around minimum salary): 7M (I'm not good evaluating the more marginal talent so I would assume there are some OLine depth signing, some pass-rush depth signing, some safety depth signing, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------

Total spent: 46M (for 2018), Cap Space Left: 9,194,402

 

 

Trades(before June):

John Simon to KC Chiefs for their 4th round pick - IMO Simon is one of the players that's most likely to not fit in our new scheme. I'm projecting a trade here

-------------------------------------------------

Savings - 3,281,250 Updated Caps Space left: 12,475.652

 

 

 

Draft:

Trade: Jets call and offer their first round pick, second round pick and a fourth round pick for our no.3. Colts accept

 

1/6(from Jets) Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State, 4QBs and Barkley are gone.  start building some pressure on the defense

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

2/37(from Jets) Connor Williams, OT, Texas - hopefully teams are indeed not superhigh on him and he slips to the second round. Draft him and put him at RT to begin and then transition him to LT if we have a money crunch on our hands when AC's contract expires

3/67 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia - a big physical RB, with good vision, who gets yards after contact. Great complement to Marlon Mack and Turbin

4/103 Nathan Shepherd, DL, Fort Hays State - big interior disruptor. He's a 'potential' pick, but he killed the senior bowl and was unblockable in 1-on-1 drills vs some very good interior O-linemen 

4/104(from Jets) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU - quick sideline to sideline ILB with some coverage skills. Needs to add some weight probably and work on getting rid of blockers

4/122(from Chiefs) Dante Pettis, WR, Washington - I have no idea why he's not ranked higher on draft boards, he has consistently been available around here in simulated mock drafts I've done, I love his speed and the way he attacks the ball in the air. He also has some value in the return game. Has 9 punts returned for TD in his Washington career

5/140 Dominick Sanders, S, Georgia - a well rounded safety good in coverage. Had good year and showed more consistency than in previous years.  

6/178 Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah - often injured, Fitts didn't have the production his early career suggested(7 sacks junior season). He is a quick and slippery pass-rusher. This is a traits pick with the hope that with health he will develop into a rotational pass-rusher

7/221 Michael Joseph, CB, Dubuque - intriguing small school prospect who held his own at the Senior Bowl. Good developmental prospect. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

12M spent on draft picks. Cap Space Left: ~0.5M

 

Depth Chart(bolded are the draft picks, underlined are the FA acquisitions)

  Reveal hidden contents

Offense:

QB: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
RB: Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Josh Ferguson
WR: TY Hilton, Paul Richardson, Chester Rogers, Dante Pettis, Kolby Listenbee
TE: Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Swoope, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis
LT: Anthony Castonzo, Le'Raven Clark
LG: Andrew Norwell, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Vujnovic
C: Ryan Kelly, Mike Person, Deyshawn Bond 
RG: Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Glowinski
RT: Connor Williams, Denzell Good, Tyreek Burwell
 

Defense:
RDE: Jabaal Sheard, Tarrell Basham, (depth?)
NT: Johnathan Hankins, Al Woods, Grover Stewart
DT: Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt, Nathan Shepherd
LDE: Bradley Chubb, Kylie Fitts, (depth?)
Sam LB: Jon Bostic, Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Walker, Joshua Perry
Mike LB: Anthony Hitchens, Jeremiah George, Antonio Morrison
Will LB: Barkevious Mingo, Corey Nelson, Fred Warner
LCB: Rashaan Melvin, Pierre Desir, Michael Joseph
RCB: Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, D.J. White
Nickel: Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, (depth?)
FS: Malik Hooker, Mathias Farley, TJ Green
SS: Clayton Geathers, Dominick Sanders, Ronald Martin 

 

Special teams:

LS: Luke Rhodes

P: Rigoberto Sanchez

K: Adam Vinatieri

 

I tried addressing the full roster with heavy emphasis on O-line help. I feel like i would feel very comfortable putting Luck behind this O-line. The DB core is very thin but I just couldn't do everything this off-season. LB core needs more work too. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

 

I like all of it EXCEPT why people keep saying "John Simon doesn't fit this system". He ABSOLUTELY fits this system, and is a better fit for this system than the 3-4 OLB position he's been playing the last 5 years. He was rock solid at Ohio State playing as a DE (played both sides) in their 4-3 system. Grabbing Chubb, and pairing him with Sheard/Simon/Basham, would give us a nice rotation at the DE spot. I still won't be surprised, if Chubb is our pick  and that he and Simon are eventually the starters. I think Simon is a better all around DE than Sheard is. 

[IndyScribe]

Great offseason, but I wouldn't trade Simon.

[PrincetonTiger]

I like “reuniting” the Chubbs

[GoColts00]

9 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

I feel safe saying Reich offense must have a TE that he can split out opposite the trips formation.
A guy that can win in man to man. IMO Doyle, nor Swope are that.
And they will want a Quality in-line TE blocker. Again, as of today, not the guys.
We have very few guys that will be here in 2019-2020.

Ross Travis can win man-to-man.

[strt182]

1 hour ago, GoColts00 said:

Ross Travis can win man-to-man.

was literally going to say this. I think fleener would be the only other i would consider. 

[hoosierhawk]

I am also a big fan of Simon. Would much rather keep Simon and cut Mingo and Bostic. Would also cut Milton, Rhodes and Vujnovich. Think the additional 7M for lower level FA is much. We do need to keep more money going into the season. We can replace some of these guys with UDFAs.

Really like the draft and FA signings. Would make me giddy!

[Defjamz26]

Who do you have starting at ILB? You re-signed Bostic, brought in 2 FA LBs, and also drafted 2. Just curious as to who you have starting and where.

[stitches]

5 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

Who do you have starting at ILB? You re-signed Bostic, brought in 2 FA LBs, and also drafted 2. Just curious as to who you have starting and where.

It's very tentative. I have Bostic starting at sam, Mingo starting at will and Hitchens starting at mike. Vander Esch IMO is very versatile and can play all 3 positions and will probably take on the starting spot from either Mingo or Bostic at some point and most probably sooner rather than later.Ideally by the end of the year we will have Fred Warner ready to start at will too. 

 

From what I've been reading, Eberflus was training his linebackers to be interchangeable and to be able to play multiple positions in his defense in Dallas. This kind of fits with what I was thinking of as a path of development of the drafted LBs. 

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, hoosierhawk said:

I am also a big fan of Simon. Would much rather keep Simon and cut Mingo and Bostic. Would also cut Milton, Rhodes and Vujnovich. Think the additional 7M for lower level FA is much. We do need to keep more money going into the season. We can replace some of these guys with UDFAs.

Really like the draft and FA signings. Would make me giddy!

 

You don't want to cut Rhodes....   he's not taking a roster spot from somebody better.

 

Rhodes is our long snapper, and he's very good.

 

[hoosierhawk]

10 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

You don't want to cut Rhodes....   he's not taking a roster spot from somebody better.

 

Rhodes is our long snapper, and he's very good.

 

You are correct. Was thinking of someone else.

[Buddy Lee]

On 2/24/2018 at 9:27 AM, gnet550 said:

Yea, I’d say forget Eifert and you’d save 5 million there...I am okay with a Doyle/ Swoope combo

I agree. Doyle/Swoope/Travis should work. Eifert will probably get injured again, just guessing. We have so very many holes in our roster. I wouldn't make TE a priority this year.

 

My only other comment about the OP's choice is that I'm not a fan of Nick Chubb's after watching the Bama game. I don't agree that his vision is that good. Michel far outplayed him. 

[Superman]

This is a really good mock. Probably unlikely to get Eifert on that deal, but at the same time, you're probably overpaying Richardson, IMO, so it evens out. 

 

Really good draft, too. Williams at #37 would be awesome, but like you, I don't see how he doesn't go in the first round. 

[stitches]

9 hours ago, Superman said:

This is a really good mock. Probably unlikely to get Eifert on that deal, but at the same time, you're probably overpaying Richardson, IMO, so it evens out. 

 

Really good draft, too. Williams at #37 would be awesome, but like you, I don't see how he doesn't go in the first round. 

Yeah, i'm having hard time evaluating what Eifert will get. He's had some serious injuries in the last two years(including back injury) and I kind of think he won't be getting a multi-year deal, so the question for me was how much would his 1-year prove it deal be. Maybe it is low. I don't know. About Richardson - I read a report that he wants 7M per year from Seattle to return with them, but Seattle is not willing to go over 5.5M for him, so I decided to go in that range... 

 

Williams might or might not be there but I expect at least one of the tackles to drop to us in the second. If Williams is taken I would take the best RT that's available - McGlinchey, Brown, Jamarco Jones, Alex Cappa, Okorafor... whoever we have as the highest ranked available OT, would be alright with me in a situation like this. 

[DaColts85]

8 hours ago, stitches said:

Williams might or might not be there but I expect at least one of the tackles to drop to us in the second. If Williams is taken I would take the best RT that's available - McGlinchey, Brown, Jamarco Jones, Alex Cappa, Okorafor... whoever we have as the highest ranked available OT, would be alright with me in a situation like this. 

Let me start off by saying very good mock.  I would be very happy with this.  The draft to me is not unrealistic at all.  I have heard many say Williams and Brown are going to be late first or early 2nd guys.  Williams is being considered a Guard in the NFL.  I still see him being ok at RT.  Brown is solely a RT by scouts and I see him as a early 2nd.  McGlinchey has been the overall consistent 1st rounder and true LT prospect so far.  Many things will start to change once the combine and pro days are finished.  Would love this off-season though.

[Superman]

On 2/24/2018 at 3:23 AM, stitches said:

2/36 Leighton Vander Esch, ILB, Boise state, athletic do-it-all linebacker with speed

 

 

Finally watched him for real. It's a yes from me.

[stitches]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Finally watched him for real. It's a yes from me.

Unfortunately, it seems like he's gaining steam and is very likely to be this year's post-combine riser. According to Pauline he might go in the first half of round 1. He's currently mocking him at 17 to the Chargers. 

[IndyScribe]

Yep. I doubt LVE lasts to the second round. 

[jshipp23]

12 minutes ago, IndyScribe said:

Yep. I doubt LVE lasts to the second round. 

Vander Esch is best linebacker in draft in my opinion, instincts to go with incredible athletic ability..Day 1 starter and difference maker, no learning curve or development needed...