I disagree with a lot of what DaSilva wrote. I have my opinion on the 53-man roster, but before that, I'd like to suggest a trade:
Gerald Everett to the Dallas Cowboys for Trysten Hill.
(I'll be honest; I really like Hill's game. I think he could be a good 5-tech/3-tech behind Donald to potentially spell him or Brockers, especially on pass-rushing downs. He's a former second round pick last year, but I think he's available because the Cowboys signed Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe over the offseason, drafted Neville Gallimore, and already have Tyrone Crawford. Meanwhile, we're obviously not re-signing Everett, not with the drafting of Brycen Hopkins. I have my thought that Blanton turns into something special as a blocker and underrated receiver. Dallas could really use Everett as a receiver; they have Cooper and Gallup, and drafted CeeDee Lamb, but are limited at the tight end position, in my honest opinion. None of them could be the receiver that Everett is.)
QB - 2: Jared Goff, John Wolford.
(Yeah, I'm only putting two quarterbacks on the active roster. Am I taking a risk? Sure. I don't think that we'll need more than two, though; Goff has avoided injury for his entire NFL career, and Wolford is a solid backup. I think this is the year that Goff shuts up the national "experts"; I think that 5,000 yards and 35+ touchdowns are more than doable.)
RB - 4: Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Rodney Anderson (Cincinnati cut), Bryce Love (Washington cut).
(My first shocker: I don't think that Malcolm Brown survives camp cuts. He costs too much money to be stuck in a backup role, and I can't see them keeping him if the re-sign Ramsey and Kupp. I think Akers starts, but Henderson deserves a good amount of carries as well. Henderson showed in limited time that he has burst, vision, and good hands; he just needs to improve his blocking. Either way, he's too explosive to keep off the roster. Anderson is interesting; he's been injured a lot, but the former Oklahoma back was arguably the most talented back in his draft class. Love was highly regarded in his junior year, stayed his senior year and struggled. He's still extremely fast and could compete for kick returns.)
WR - 7: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, Van Jefferson, Nsimba Webster, Easop Winston, Earnest Edwards.
(The first four shouldn't be a surprise, although I do wonder if Woods will eventually become a casualty of the cap later on, and I'm praying that they re-sign Kupp, who is probably a top fifteen receiver in the league at least. The next three is where it gets interesting. I think that both Webster and Winston could both be solid developmental options down the road, and both of them can return punts, while Edwards could start now as a kick returner; he had four in his senior year alone.)
TE - 3: Tyler Higbee, Kendall Blanton, Brycen Hopkins.
(After a potential Everett trade, there shouldn't be any surprises, other than Mundt being cut. Blanton is a solid blocker, and Hopkins will likely get thrown into the fire. Higbee could be a huge breakout candidate.)
OL - 9: Andrew Whitworth, Bobby Evans, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Rob Havenstein, Joseph Noteboom, Chandler Brewer, Tremayne Anchrum, Nate Trewyn.
(Nine offensive linemen seems like an adequate amount. I think that Blythe and Allen are expendable, which is why I don't have them on the roster; I really soured on both of them after last season. I think Corbett would make an excellent center, and Evans could be a great left guard. I also think that Edwards progresses into a great right guard, that Havenstein bounces back, that Noteboom returns from his injury and backs up Whitworth, and that Brewer, Anchrum, and Trewyn form a solid backup tandem after Noteboom. Is there a lot of risk? Yes, of course, but honestly, I don't see much we can do. We've invested solid picks and free agent signings in the line. Now's the time for them to show what they have.)
DL - 6: Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, A'Shawn Robinson, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Greg Gaines, Trysten Hill.
(None of the six should surprise anyone. With Hill as an upgrade over Smart - and a potential Brockers replacement down the road - this is probably our biggest strength. SJD could start at all three spots, Gaines could be a backup nose tackle, and I think that Robinson makes a huge impact up the middle.)
LB - 9: Leonard Floyd (ILB/OLB), Travin Howard, Micah Kiser, Clay Johnston, Samson Ebukam, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Terrell Lewis, Jachai Polite.
(Yeah, I don't see Kenny Young or Troy Reeder making the roster. Reeder was terrible last year; I don't know what the coaching staff saw in him. Kenny Young couldn't crack the inside linebacker rotation, even when Reeder was terrible. I see Floyd as more of an inside backer than an outside one. I think he could excel in this system as a do-it-all inside backer. Howard is my candidate for a breakout player, as he played well in limited snaps, excelling in coverage. Kiser could be the thumper back that we need, and Johnston could definitely be a stud on special teams for now, with room to grow later. Ebukam and Okoronkwo are my choices to start, but I can see Lewis and Polite getting snaps on pass-rushing downs. It's a risky group, but there's potential.)
DB - 10: Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, David Long, John Johnson, Taylor Rapp, Adonis Alexander, Levonta Taylor, Terrell Burgess, Jordan Fuller, Jake Gervase.
(First off, yes, Troy Hill is a cap casualty or a trade candidate. I'll be honest; I am not a fan of Hill and never have been, so I'll admit that there's biased thoughts there. But Ramsey needs to be re-signed for a lot of money, and Hill's contract - which is up after this year - helps with that. Williams deserves to start after what he did last year. Long is the nickel back, but can also play on the outside. JJ3 and Rapp should form a solid safety tandem with Terrell Burgess getting snaps in the big nickel and eventually replacing the former after this year. Fuller is a dependable safety and solid special teams, along with Gervase, Taylor, and Alexander - the lattermost of whom could also back up at safety.)
ST - 3: Sam Sloman, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide.
(Sloman wins the kicker competition, mostly because he still has a four year contract at a seventh round scale. Johnny Hekker is Johnny Hekker, and McQuaide has no competition. However, I must note that McQuaide's contract is up after this year, and I can see us replacing him with a younger long-snapper, much like we replaced Massey with McQuaide in 2011.)
Practice Squad:
Bryce Perkins - QB
Christian Rozeboom - ILB
Cohl Cabral - C
Trishton Jackson - WR
Xavier Jones - RB
Bryan London - ILB
Dayan Lake - CB
Tyrique McGhee - CB
Michael Hoecht - DL
Jonah Williams - DL
(I wanted to put Perkins on the active roster, but he still needs a lot of work, and it's too big a risk. Rozeboom is a sleeper of mine, and I think he could possibly make the roster. Cabral is an offensive lineman who isn't Demby or Kolone. Jackson is a big target at wide receiver, which is why I'd keep him on. Lake and McGhee are on because you can never have too many corners (glares at 2011), and London is a tackling machine. Even with the Hill addition, I'd still keep on Williams and Hoecht because of their sheer potential. Jones is a productive running back at SMU. If there's more than ten practice squad members on the roster, I'd probably go for a tight end and another offensive lineman from another team.)
So, yeah, that's how I see things. Hope y'all liked this gigantic amount of text.
