FanPost

53 man roster grades

After sending 4 players from the initial 53 to IR and making quite a few moves this week, we now again have a 53 man roster. KJ has not been officially added yet but he will soon.

The only moves I think we might still make is adding a 5th WR or a 6th CB. That means someone would have to come off the 53. The only 2 obvious players are TE Bowers or S Teamer.

But Gruden has kept 4 TE's in the past so I think Bowers stays. Teamer might be be sent down as Dallin Leavitt is back (yeah I know, but he is a good ST player) to add a 6th CB (who I have no idea). Going with only 5 WR is pretty rare but with Waller and Drake being hybrids maybe it makes sense. Anyway, here's how I see it as of today.

Grades : Strong, Solid, Moderate, Questionable

QB
Carr, Mariota, Peterman

Grade : Strong
Same room as last year. Carr should continue to be very good in year 4 of the system. Mariota's the best backup in the NFL and should be starting somewhere. His camp 'injuries' are worrisome he can't seem to stay healthy. I would love to seem him get some action this year in certain packages - makes the other team have to account for him. Peterman is still Chucky's pet despite throwing 4 INTS in 3 preseason games. God help us if he ever has to play.


OL
Miller, Incognito, James, Good, Leatherwood, Martin, Simpson, Parker, Eluemenor

Grade : Questionable
You can't lose a perennial pro-bowler leader of your team and replace him with an unknown and not have a bit of doubt. Hudson loss was the biggest of the offseason.

Miller is solid (not elite, but solid) but the rest have red flags.

James was an UDFA who sat mostly on the PS until last season - he is essentially a first year player with only one game under his belt. He's a bit undersized. I don't like how he got pushed back in preseason.

Richie is great when healthy but he hasn't played a full season in 5 years - he's coming off an entire year out with Achilles surgery - and he's hurt again with a 'calf' on the same leg. Yes he's expected to play soon (we heard that last year every week until finally IR). We simply can't count on him. His replacement, Simpson, has been up and down so far.

Good was a journeyman until he finally got significant starts last year, but this is his first season as a week 1 starter. Leatherwood has looked the part so far but he's still a rookie and he was vulnerable to speed rush in college. Other teams will test him alot. And we face fierce pass rushers all season.

Depth is not great. This OL might turn out to be better than expected but we have to be a bit nervous as it could go the other way too with so many questions.

RB
Jacobs, Drake, Barber, Ingold

Grade : Strong
We have all the bases covered. Bell cow back, change of pace/WR, Big Banger, and a versatile weapon at FB. Depth on PS as well. Feeling really good about this group. They could be elite if the OL holds up.

TE
Waller, Moreau, Bowers, Carrier

Grade: Strong
Not much to say here. Waller is one of the best players in the NFL, in his prime. Moreau is finally healthy and should be an excellent #2. Carrier is a ST frontliner and underrated TE. Bowers was the best of the UDFA TE's and has alot to like. We're going to run alot of 12 and 13 personnel this year and should be tough to stop.

WR
Ruggs, Edwards, Renfrow, Jones, Snead

Grade : Questionable
I wanted to lean 'Moderate' here but Ruggs and Edwards were so disappointing last season. And they both were so fragile!! And so much is expected from them this season. Adding Brown as a FA at least added some proven production and increased confidence but his surprise release has injected doubt back into it. Renfrow is still our best WR if numbers mean anything to you - he's Mr. Reliable. Jones hasn't done jackshit since he came here, he's always been a camp star but a season dud even going back to his Bills days. I have zero faith in Jones. Snead is a nice signing but how much is he really going to change things? Ruggs and Edwards have a ton of 'Potential' and we're hearing good things out of camp - but we did last year too. Can they take getting tackled in a live game and not come up hobbling? The slightest ding and their 'Potential' goes way down. Color me skeptical.

Defense

DT
Hankins, McCoy, Jefferson, Thomas, Philon

Grade: Solid
Signing McCoy was a welcome surprise and he looks ready to go. Difference maker when healthy and a leader always. Hankins has been a rock at NT and expect him to do the same this season. Jefferson has been decent in his career but nothing special and his preseason play was uninspiring. Thomas, like Cle, will never play up to his draft slot - and hearing the coaches are unsure how he 'fits' is concerning. Philon has been a nice surprise - he plays violent and disruptive will be a nice rotational piece. The interior should be improved this season and the Defense better for it.

DE
Ngakoue, Crosby, Ferrell, Nassib, Koonce

Grade: Moderate
Yannick is the big ticket FA signing. He's been a reliable pass rusher in his his career having no less than 8 sacks per year. But he only has 10 or more twice in 6 seasons and 12 was his high - nice but not elite by any means. He's on his 4th team in 2 years - there are rumblings he might be a liability against the run. I'm glad he's here but we have to be honest about his past production - and see what he can do here before getting too excited. After him it's the same crew as last year except Koonce replaces Key. And we know how bad it was last year. Cle has suddenly faded into the background and you get a feeling Nassib wouldn't be here if he didn't have such a huge dead cap hit. Koonce has 'Potential' but the TDL breakdown of him in preseason shows he has a LONG way to go. Crosby has taken the leadership role and we know he'll be solid but lets face it, he gets effort sacks - not much quick speed or power sacks. I think we're improved here from last season but it's hard to see how much at this point.

LB
Wright, Littleton, Kwaitkowski, Perryman, Muse, Deablo

Grade: Solid
We really added some help this week. It was looking pretty bad with Morrow and White both going down as well as Kwait not been healthy for several weeks. Adding Wright and Perryman adds stability and confidence that we won't be a liability here. In fact on paper if all these guys play to their potential we might have one of the best LB rooms in the NFL. Littleton was one of the best coverage LB's in the NFL just a year before he came here. Wright is a top 100 player in the NFL, and Perryman had a 80+ PFF grade last year. Kwait is solid when healthy. Muse and Deablo are mainly ST players but are very athletic and can sub-in here or there. Both will learn so much from Wright and Perryman being here. You have to feel alot better about this group than just a week ago. But they need to stay healthy. As always that is a huge factor.

CB
Mullen, Hayward, Arnette, Hobbs, Robertson

Grade: Moderate
We only have 5 CB's right now and that's pretty thin. But all of them should contribute right away. Hayward is a reliable vet with a consistently solid history on the back 9 of his career. Mullen should be entering his prime and has all the tools - but he needs a bounce back year after poor play last season. Arnette has added some bulk and looks fast but we saw all the problems he had last year. Hobbs is the steal of our draft so far and has earned himself a starting role but he's a rookie and you know he'll be targeted alot. Robertson went from cut candidate to swiss army knife. This group potentially is better than Moderate but there are enough question marks here to generate healthy skepticism. They need to prove it on the field and depth is an issue.

S
Moehrig, Abram, Gillespie, Teamer, Leavitt

Grade : Moderate
I want to put 'Questionable' here but Moehrig has looked so good in camp. But he's a rookie and we won't know until we see live action. He will be targeted as all rookies are. Abram is a disappointment until he proves otherwise. After being literally the worst Safety in the NFL it's hard to think he's going to suddenly be good. Gillespie is getting praise from the coaches, he did make some nice plays vs the Niners but he' has a learning curve and limited role. Teamer is a journeyman who put some nice hits on people but he's unknown. Leavitt is strictly a ST player and offers nothing on Defense. This group has alot to prove with 3 new faces and Abram's past poor play. KJ's release is bothersome as he added stability.

ST
Carson, Cole, Sieg

Grade : Solid
Not much to say here. Carson has a good leg and has been accurate. Cole seems to be improving.

Overall Grades

Offense: Solid
Defense : Moderate
ST : Solid
Overall : Moderate

We have an average to above average overall roster with some bright spots and not so bright spots.

We're a .500 team with the hardest schedule in the NFL, a revamped OL, and a completely overhauled Defense.

There is ALOT to prove.

I am confident in we can win anywhere from 7 to 11 games. But not worse than that. I think 9-8 is a very realistic expectation. There is upside if this OL gels and the Defense can play mid-tier. I think we can be an 11-6 wildcard team if the stars align.