We don't have to go nuts in free agency but I think just sitting on our hands completely is a mistake. Weddle was supposedly down to Baltimore/Dallas last year and ended up signing in Baltimore for about $7 a year, there's no reason we shouldn't be interested in some strategic spending if it's the right situation.
We have a lot of free agents in the secondary. Church, Wilcox, Carr and Claiborne are all free agents. It's really the spot where we have the biggest decisions to make. And I'm ok bringing guys like Carr back but I'm not going to over pay for a guy who is basically mediocre and his best quality is his durability. Claiborne I won't pay for either simply because he isn't reliable. Brown to me has the ability to be a top 3 corner in this defense so it's obviously ok to lose one of those two corners.
I think I would have rather had Sterling Moore come in on obvious passing situations and let Byron stay at free safety, instead of bringing in Wilcox or Heath. I think allowing Jones to play safety or corner (instead of rotating) would have been beneficial in the long run. Moore wasn't bad, would have been good depth and not a complete liability. The rotation had to happen this year, but I don't agree with it. Either sign another true free safety in the offseason or a corner that will allow Jones to stay at the safety position.
You are exactly right, I just want that truly elite player, either at safety or at corner. Don't care which. Give me a pass rush and one true shut down guy. The pass rush is more important to me.
This is sort of my thing. If say Church and Carr are each going to cost about 5 mil a season. Wouldn't you rather just have one stud like Berry instead? Carr isn't significantly better then the other corners on our roster. So why not save the money on him and add an actual elite player to the secondary?
Absolutely. Earlier today I was thinking about how we need to avoid making the same mistakes we made in 2008, and 2015 to a lesser degree.
Carr needs to go.
I would like to see Claiborne work out but it is always something with him. He can't seem to go 4 games at a time without having an injury problem. He seems to be out of the lineup more than Romo. I used to think Lee was the glass warrior but I think I have moved that designation to Claiborne.
The sad thing is Claiborne finally stopped sucking and actually looked like a top notch corner. But the injury bug hit him again. I may bring him back but it better be cheap. Basically pay him like I'm assuming he will miss half the season.
Sure, we all want to improve the pass rush. I doubt you'd find a poster on this board who doesn't want to improve the pass rush. But that is easier said then done. And frankly the DBs matter too. And considering 3 of our starters in the secondary are free agents, we have to make some decisions there. And oh yeah our third safety is also a free agent.
Your 2 cents are worth a million. The defense needs fixing and the biggest problem is the pass rush. Start there.
They are probably too old now.
I think Jaylon Smith gives us a good shot in the arm next year, if healthy, which all signs point to him being 100%. Pair him with Sean Lee and we have one of the top LB groups in the league on paper. I like Hitchens, not the best but if Hitchens is your third best linebacker I think you are doing OK.
I agree that adding 2 playmakers on defense a big boost. A big time pass rusher and a ball hawk in the secondary sure would look nice.
