DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What will the roster look like at the start of the season?

What will the 53-Player Roster look like?

Here's my opinion. If I missed anyone, please let me know.

QB
Charlie Frye
Brady Quinn
Ken Dorsey

RB
Jamal Lewis
Jason Wright
Jerome Harrison

FB
Lawrence Vickers
Charles Ali

WR
Joe Jurevicious
Braylon Edwards
Joshua Cribbs
Travis Wilson
Tim Carter

TE
Kellen Winslow
Steve Heiden
Darnell Dinkens

OL
Joe Thomas
Hank Fraley
Kevin Shaffer
Seth McKinney
Eric Steinbach
Lennie Friedman
Kelly Butler
Isaac Sowells
Nat Dorsey
Rob Smith

DL
Orpheus Roye
Ted Washington
Robaire Smith
Shaun Smith
Simon Fraser
Ethan Kelley
J'vonne Parker

LB
Kamerion Wimbley
Willie McGinest
Antwaan Peek
Chaun Thompson
Andra Davis
Leon Williams
D'Qwell Jackson
David McMillan
Jason Short

DB
Leigh Bodden
Eric Wright
Daven Holly
Justin Hamilton
Brodney Pool
Sean Jones
Kenny Wright
Brandon McDonald

K
Phil Dawson

P
Dave Zastudil

LS
Ryan Pontriand

PUP
Gary Baxter
LeCharles Bentley

IR
Jerome Jackson
Matt Stewart

SUSPENSON
Ryan Tucker

PRACTICE SQUAD
Chase Pittman
Melila Purcell
Syndric Steptoe
Efram Hill
Chris Barclay
Babatunde Oshinowo
Buck Ortega
Demario Minter

Guys who are gone:
Mike Adams
Derek Anderson
Jesse Ainsworth
Kyle Basler
Therrian Fontenout
Kris Griffin
Orien Harris
Andrew Hoffman
Ryan Krause
Jeremy LeSueur
Maurice Mann
Mike Mason
Fred Matua
Kendrick Mosley
J.R. Niklos
Jereme Perry
Brent Pousson
Steve Sanders
Justin Sandy
Alvin Smith
Clifton Smith
Mason Unck

I know a few of these predictions might be considered a stretch. Jason Short, in my opinion, is on the bubble, but I left him on the 53-man because of his special teams value and a certain amount of homerism (at least I can admit it!). Also, I could very easily see Mike Adams, Unck, and Clifton Smith making the team. Also, there's a good chance Krause will make the team, but he was my "odd man out" when I was evaluating the roster. McDonald could very easily end up on the practice squad rather than the 53 man roster.

Additonally, I assumed that Baxter and Bentley will start the year on the PUP. Realistically, this looks like this will be the case. I know Baxter has made great strides, but he's yet to even see any preseason play.

It will be interesting to see whose spot Ryan Tucker will take once he's back from his suspension. My guess is it would be Rob Smith or Nat Dorsey.

Finally, if McGinest is hurt more than he and the coaches have let on, I could see him being put on the IR. He is pretty old, and certainly in the twilight of his career. I could even see him retiring if his back is giving him constant trouble. Until this happens, though, he will eat up a roster spot because he did not start the season on the PUP.

Feel free to correct my mistakes or omissions, or add your two cents.

I'd keep:
- Ryan Krause
- Ken Dorsey
- Mason Unck
- Fred Matua
- Kendrick Mosley

I'd lose:
- Charles Ali
- Derek Anderson
- Jason Short
- Rob Smith
- Nat Dorsey

Dorsey doesn't seem to have a spot in my mind, because he'd be behind Shaffer and Thomas at LT, plus Steinbach could play there in a pinch. Smith is gone because Fraley, Friedman, and again Steinbach have experience at C. I don't keep two fullbacks in a system that seems more reliant on TEs than FBs. Keeping Krause is a huge plus for me. I keep Unck over Short as the ST LB. I keep Dorsey as the third QB because of his experience in the system. I keep Mosley as a 6th in case of injury you don't have to keep move the roster around.

Are you related to Romeo, and playing some shell game? You have Anderson cut .... and on the final roster.

My $0.02 ......

It would surprise me to see 2 FB make the final cut. I could see us keeping 4 RB instead, with Barclay making the team based on special teams production. Frankly, as yet I have seen little value in having a FB in this offense. I haven't seen much contribution from the position when we've had a FB in there.

10 OL seems like a lot to me. I thought we kept 8 or 9 last year, with 7 active on game day.
I could be wrong though. I would think that backups have to be "versatile" enough to contribute on special teams, and that usually means LBs, DBs, and RBs.

I'd say that we'd probably keep 6 WRs ..... but man are we shallow there.

I suppose that your list is about as good as can be at this point.

I also don't think Barclay is eligible for the PS since he was on it last year.

We either keep him or cut him.

I say keep.

I thought any player with fewer than 2 years of experience was eligible for the practice squad.

Players can be on the PS for 2 seaons. Barclay could go back to the PS this year.

I kept Ali because I would think we might need a big, bruising fullback in a goal line situation, whereas Vickers appears to be more of a pass catching fullback. But, the more I consider, the more I have to agree that Barclay is more valuable in Chud's offense (and our special teams) than Ali. So, perhaps I would swap Barclay and Ali in my original list.

10 offensive lineman does seem like a bit much, and the man left out (if it was cut to nine) would either be Smith or Dorsey. I could see us losing one of those two in order to make room for Krause.

I also just realized that the defense only really has 3 safeties. Perhaps Mike Adams will make it as a safety, thus putting us at 9 defensive backs. In this case, I would see it hard to keep 9 linebackers on the roster. Short or McMillan would be the first to go, with McMillan being a little more valuable to the team if Willie is hurt. I am hesitant to have us carry less than 7 defensive lineman because of the age and injuries on the line.

Making this list made me realize just how weak we really are on our front three!

I'm not going to go the 53-man roster route just now...but I do have some tough questions that seem to fit in this thread.

We seem to finally be at a point where we will cut some guys - or risk losing guys via the Practice Squad - who actually COULD reasonably be picked up by another team.

What I DO want to throw out there are the players who may be on the bubble pitted against players who probably SHOULD be on the bubble...of course, this is in consideration of the sheer numbers issue at each position.

Willie McG v. McMillan

It's time for McM to step up and get going or step out and go away...McG is old with a back problem. So...if McG is better but on his last leg and McM is only slightly behind but continuing to improve...can play ST...and stays about 50 years younger than McG....what do you do? I say bye bye Willie.

Baxter v. McDonald

This may not quite be apples to apples and Baxter's comeback is historic...BUT...I picked these two because they are both corners who are talked about frequently as having the "ability" to play safety. I think Baxter's only true shot is as a safety and McDonald looks like a corner...yet that makes the matchup all the more debateable.

Old-guy-coming-off-an-injury-who-needs-to-change-positions v. young-guy-who-is-more-versatile-and-could-very-well-get-snatched-from-the-PS if we try and stash him there...and who could play ST.

K Wright v D Minter

Untapped/unseen potential from an old guy v. non-verified potential from a young guy. We might get away with stashing MInter on the PS if he is eligible since he cannot seem to stay of the exercise bike.

M Stewart v ???

Unfortunately, Matt took care of this one for us...for now.

Friedman v. Matua/Hoffman/Smith

I know RAC likes his vets...but...once again, if these guys are close. How do you cut the young guy to keep the marginal vet?

If Steiner wasn't hurt right now...I would think that this would be a very hot debate. (BTW, I know that Freidman is our backup C...but McKinney and later on Tuck and hopefully soon LCB make Freidman a bubble guy if he is here only because he can play C.)

Tucker isn't just "marginal" yet...so he stays out of this debate for now. BUT, someone other than an OL goes when he returns. We should start the season a little light at OL knowing that Tucker will be back for week 5.

Cribbs v Barclay v Griffin v Unck v Short

On the surface, this is a ridiculous paring. BUT...these guys are always on the bubble (Cribbs less so than others) because they are viewed as valuable ST guys but not likely to play otherwise. If we keep an "extra" guy here, he's the one who goes when Tuck returns...even though Tuck will never again be a STer. Think of it as extending their audition another 4 weeks.

This is yet another reason why we should keep youth when it is comparable to oldth. Once you get past the first backups, you've really got to think hard about where you are going. (That is once your team finally...after 8 years...gets to the point where we can actually have a debate like this without feeling silly for doing so.)

If you look at it...it is probable that the real decision will - as usual - boil down to #s by position but the final 2-4 spots will likely pit an extra OL v an extra RB v an extra LB v an extra DB v an extra DL...with guys like Tuck and - hopefully LCB - returning at some point.

I hope RAC makes the best decision...whatever that may be.

QBs:
Frye
Quinn
Dorsey

RBs:
Lewis
Wright
Harrison

FBs:
Vickers

WRs:
Edwards
Jurevicius
Carter
Wilson
Cribbs

TEs:
Winslow
Heiden
Dinkins
Krause

OL:
Steinbach
Fraley
McKinney
Shaffer
Thomas
Butler
Friedman
Sowells
Dorsey

DL:
Roye
R.Smith
Washington
S.Smith
Fraser
Kelley

LBs:
WImbley
Peek
Davis
Jackson
Williams
Thompson
McMillan
Griffin or Short or Unck
McGinest

CBs:
Bodden
E.Wright
Holly
K.Wright
Baxter
McDonald

Ss:
Jones
Pool
Adams
Hamilton

K:
Dawson

P:
Zastudil

LS:
Pontbriand

That's 25 offense, 25 defense, 3 special teams. PUP-Bentley, SUSP-Tucker.

QBs:
Frye
Quinn
Dorsey

RBs:
Lewis
Wright
Harrison

FBs:
Vickers

WRs:
Edwards
Jurevicius
Carter
Wilson
Cribbs

TEs:
Winslow
Heiden
Krause

OL:
Steinbach
Fraley
McKinney
Shaffer
Thomas
Butler
Friedman
Sowells
Smith

DL:
Roye
R.Smith
Washington
S.Smith
Fraser
Kelley

LBs:
Wimbley
Peek
Davis
Jackson
Williams
Thompson
McMillan
Unck
McGinest

CBs:
Bodden
E.Wright
Holly
K.Wright
Baxter
McDonald

S's:
Jones
Pool
Adams
Hamilton

K:
Dawson

P:
Zastudil

LS:
Pontbriand

Michael Reghi just reported on FSN live that Charlie Frye could possibly be on the trading block hence the reason getting the start this week in Denver. I dont know how true this statement is, but just wondered if anyone else had heard any truth behind this statement.

I dont know what the roster will look like, but here are a few guys I want to make the team:

1) Chris Barclay
2) Fred Matua
3) Steve Sanders

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Michael Reghi just reported on FSN live that Charlie Frye could possibly be on the trading block

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1. Consider the source...the guys an idiot.


2. Think about this for a minute, Charlie is getting the start becuase he's our best chance to win now and first of the season, Brady cant nor should have to play the first few games, Charlie has played and knows what they will throw at us in those games.

To me Anderson is the man out, because Brady isnt ready right now, and if you trade Charlie than that means your starting Anderson or Dorsey , or that means your tossing Brady to the wolves right off the bat, which means rookie QB another season chalked up to playing experiance, and we've alread wastes a couple of those.

Trading Frye would be a mistake...

I agree, Anderson is the odd man out...

1) Frye/ Quinn
3) Dorsey

BROWNIE POINTS...

only 1 FB?...possibly, but i think only if we are making room to keep Barclay on the active...

Krause over Dinkins?...haven't seen him show up on STs, yet, so i'm skeptical...

i figure you've got LCB on PUP, but Tucker?...do we not have to count him?...or do think he won't be around?...

why would we keep 1 backup NT, 1 DE, and 1 that plays both?...no way...with the age of the front 3, we'll probably keep 7, like last year...it will be interesting, though, as we have a logjam of 2nd/3rd stringers...you know we're keeping Fraser and S Smith for sure...look at the rest of this list...

Parker...keep bringing this guy in year after year, but never seems to crack the roster...
Kelley...our best option (and most experience) at NT prior to S Smith...
Eason...like Parker, has had plenty of chances...gone...
Oshinowo...PS year #2, Baba...
Purcell...the 2 rooks are interesting...i thought Purcell has played pretty well against his competition, but may not be enough to get off the PS...
Pittman...haven't seen nor heard about him...PS...
A Smith...who?...gone...

i've gotta say that it's probably Kelley, as you guessed, plus Purcell...could be Parker or Eason, but Purcell has the upside...

we're not keeping 6 CBs...5's probably right on, but i could even see 4, given that Minter and McDonald are both PS-eligible, and could be activated if needed...

ok, so i've added Barclay and a 7th DL, taken away your 6th CB...that means i need to drop 1 more...although a good STer, has to be Unck...he'll NEVER see the field on D, and we've got other guys to contribute on kicks...

Anderson was the odd man out about three seconds after we took BQ in the draft...RAC just won't - and shouldn't - admit it just yet.

What do you guys think of Nat Dorsey? I watched the game vs. Detroit again. One thing that stuck out was that Nat Dorsey was easily beat MANY times as Brady Quinn was hit or almost hit more times than not. He was playing against scrub players so what does that tell you about Dorsey? We traded Melvin Fowler for Nat Dorsey I think with Minnesota right? Anyway, I see some people as having him as our back up left tackle with Tucker out for steroids. Has anyone else noticed how bad he is? I never really saw him play until the Detroit game. Very unimpressed about his play.

Frye signed a 4 year deal. This is year 3.

There's a pretty good chance Frye is going to get traded before the season starts.

Looks like
DA
Dorsey
Quinn

Where is that coming from?

If true...Quinn will be the starter sooner than we think.

No way they go with DA or Dorsey.

Eason hasn't been on the team all summer. He's playing somewhere else.

my bad...i was jumping between this and last years rosters, and obviously got confused...

Here's my two cents.


QB

Frye - Starts until Quinn is ready, we are out of the playoff race, or at least half the season, which ever comes last. Once Quinn starts takes the #2 QB job.
Dorsey - Will be the #2 guy until Quinn starts then will go back to his job holding the clipboard
Quinn - Rides the pine and learns behind Frye and Dorsey and the QB coach while holding the clipboard the first half of the season

RB

Lewis - Will be our work horse this year
Wright- Decent backup will be productive spelling Lewis
Harrison - 3rd down back/change of pace back, also receiver out of the backfield
Barclay - yes, I think that we will carry 4 backs Will mostly be doing ST duty and could take over KR duties for Cribbs if need be

FB

Vickers - I don't see Chud having more than a handful of plays with the FB getting the ball, mostly lead blocker/backfield blocker

WR

Edwards - Closest thing we have to a #1 WR. Has improved (attitude-wise) since last year, just needs to work on consistently catching the ball.
Jurevicius - Really needs to be the slot WR, bur we don't have anyone else better to be the #2 guy
Wilson - Once he gets that catching the ball thing down will be a good WR maybe a #2
Cribbs - Our "Swiss-Army player" Between KR, learning to be a PR and continuing to try to become a WR, he might be stretched to thin trying to do everything
Carter - Great speed, questionable hands, and could be injury-prone really haven't seen much in the preseason due to injury, but Chud really likes his speed
Mosley - yep, I'm going crazy on the O side of the ball keeping 4 RBs and 6 WRs. In reality Mosley is depth in case Carter can't go or Cribbs needs to focus more on KR and PR duties

TE

Winslow - Duh
Heiden - Great backup/2nd TE
Dinkins - Chose him over Krause because of his blocking and contributions to ST

OL

Tackle

Left
Thomas - Will make rookie mistakes, but still best option we have at LT
Right
Shaffner - Could be the future since Tucker is getting long in the tooth
Backup
Butler - I think that he will be the backup RT. If Thomas goes down Shaffner will slide over to LT and Butler or Tucker will take over RT

Guard

Left
Steinbach - Will help Thomas learn and "stonewall" our left side
Right
McKinney - Seems that he has recovered from his surgery, the question is can he last the whole season?
Backup
Friedman - I'm listing him here, but since he can play all three interior line positions, he is the backup center also.
Sowells/Tucker - Sowells will keep the spot until Tucker is back from his suspension. I think that RAC is sold on Shaffner at RT and Tucker will have to move to Guard or start to move on

Center

Fraley - Hank has done a great job at center for us and I think that he has found a home for the next couple of years.

NT

Big Ted - We ain't paying him to play WR now are we?
Backup
Kelley - only on the roster if Roye isn't ready to go on opening day and S. Smith plays DE.

DE

R. Smith - has already solidified his starting status
Roye - If he is ready to go by the opener, the job is his, and Kelley is cut
Backup
S. Smith - Could be starting DE, but needs to move back to NT and learn from Big Ted
Fraser - Good motor and depth
Parker - Best out of Harris, Baba, Purcell, and Pittman

OLB

Wimbley - Our best playmaker on the D
Peek - I think that he will start the whole year and will complement Wimbley perfectly
Backup
McMillan - If Stewart wasn't on IR this spot would be his
McGinest - His days of playing every down is behind him and with his back surgery, will have an even more limited role this year
Short - Will see the field on ST

ILB

Davis - Will split time with Williams this year and be fighting for a starting job next year
D'Qwell - Will be a fixture at ILB for a long time
Backup
Williams - Will see more playing time this year and keep AD looking over his shoulder
Thompson - His ST play and athletic ability keep him on the team another year
Unck - ST demon will stick around for awhile longer

CB

Bodden - Will hold down the left side
E. Wright - Opposing OCs will test him early in the season and he will make them pay
Backup
Holly - Will be the Nickel back. Love his ball hawking skills
K. Wright - Veteran depth and will help the youngsters along
McDonald - Could be the PR depending on which way the team wants to take Cribbs, also looks like a pretty decent CB too

Safety

Jones - Stud. Any questions?
Pool - Playing in the same backfield as Jones will push him to be better.
Backup
Adams - See K. Wright, CB
Hamilton - Finally a sleeper player pays off

ST

Punter
Zastudil - sign him to an extension and let him retire a brown
LS
Pontbriand - Automatic keeper.
Kicker
Dawson - Has been great, but if he has another slump this year look for the team to use a late round pick next year and get him some real competition

PUP

Bentley - Until we can determine if he is ready to go, we can "hide" him here and activate him later or put him on IR

IR
Stewart - Solid backup, don't think that he will be back with us next year

Practice Squad

FB Ali - Will hide him here and free up a roster spot. If Vickers goes down, look for him to be signed the next day
G Matua - Will continue to groom some OL Depth
WR/PR Steptoe - Could be the future Northcutt
DE Purcell - Need to start developing some younger DEs
DE Pittman - Hard person to cut off the final roster
CB Minter - Has had bad luck with the injury bug. Coaches like what they see, but haven't had enough time to work with him
Open I'm leaving two slots open since I'm sure that we'll pick up someone from some where else


Notable cuts

Anderson - You are the weakest link....Goodbye
Baxter - Not eligible for the IR (passed his physical) and still to much a liability as a CB

Both OhioCowboy and you have 54 listed. One more cut. But reasonable so far.

On the same theme, who does everyone think will get cut down in the cut to 75 this coming Tuesday? Who will get IR'd, to 'hide' and or to help keep the total cut to a minimum?

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RB (4) - Lewis, Wright, Barclay, Vickers (FB)

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No Harrison? I don't have a problem with this but I'm not sure they would cut Harrison who was selected last year.

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WR (5) - Edwards, Jurevicius, Carter, Wilson, Mosley

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I would love to see Mosley make it.

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DE (4) - R. Smith, Roye, Fraser, Pittman

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Pittman is a bit undersized but I'm not sure who else would make it. I haven't heard a peep about Harris. Parker was playing at end as well as nose but missed the last game I believe with a concussion.

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DT (3) - Washington, S. Smith, Kelley

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I hope Baba could and will beat out Kelley. Kelley is probably as good as he ever will be, and that ain't very good.

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CB (5) 0 Bodden, E. Wright, K. Wright, Holly, McDonald

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I've never seen K. Wright but I hope he is not as bad as people say he is. The only thing I think he can bring to the team is that he is a long time vet. It's pretty late in the game but I hope Minter can make a run now that he is back.

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PUP - Baxter, Bentley

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Don't think Baxter is eligible now.

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IR - McG, DeMario Minter

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Not sure about either of these. I thought once you were put on IR you could not comeback and play this season. I can't see us doing that with Willie and Minter is healthy again, unless he gets reinjured (or they just make something up. )

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Maybe the #3 TE between Krause and Dinkins.

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I would guess that Chud favors Krause, but that is just a guess.

QB (3) - Frye, Dorsey, Quinn
RB (4) - Lewis, Wright, Harrison, Barclay,
FB (1) - Vickers,
TE (3) - Dinkins, Heiden, Winslow,
WR (5) - Edwards, Jurevicius, Carter, Cribbs, Steptoe
OL (9) - Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, McKinney, Shaffer, Butler, Matua, Smith, R, Sowells,

DL (8) - Smith, R. Smith, S. Washington, Fraser, Kelley, Roye, Harris, Oshinowo,
LB (8) - Wimbley, Davis, Jackson, Peek, McMillan, Williams, Thompson, Unck,
S (4) - Jones, Pool, Hamilton, Baxter
CB (5) - Bodden, Wright, E. Holly, Wright, K. McDonald,

ST (3) - Dawson, Pontbriand, Zastudil

PUP (3) -Bentley, McGinest, Minter
IR - Stewart, Jackson
PS (8) Ali, Pittman, Purcell, Hill, Mosley, Sanders,
Suspension (1) Tucker

I am not a big fan of moving Baxter to safety, but Adams has not shown me a lot.

I think Krause could stick over Dinkins, unless they are looking for a pure blocking TE.

Kris Griffin can be another surprise, he's played pretty decent as a back up, but there are a LOT of LBers on the team, so he could fall short.

a trade could be a good thing. Frye might of made his stock high enough to get a decent body on dline. We so cant stop the run at all.

The trade makes our collective fans wonder but if a team has something dangling that we need then we might have to go for it. Funny it didnt even come close to saying what kind of trade