Interesting discussion this morning NFL radio

[Picked4td]

I still think 1st rd picks and 2nd contracts are worth it for rbs, you just need to have wr skills too. If I were a gm, and had a rb like gurley, leveon, cmc, Barkley, etc I’d gladly pay them a bunch but I’d play them at least 50% of their snaps as a legit wr. Lower the amount of touches and save some wear and tear but still get full use out of them. It’s mind blowing to me these rbs with insanely good wr skills aren’t actually used as wrs more yet

 

[PARAM]

I still think 1st rd picks and 2nd contracts are worth it for rbs, you just need to have wr skills too. If I were a gm, and had a rb like gurley, leveon, cmc, Barkley, etc I’d gladly pay them a bunch but I’d play them at least 50% of their snaps as a legit wr. Lower the amount of touches and save some wear and tear but still get full use out of them. It’s mind blowing to me these rbs with insanely good wr skills aren’t actually used as wrs more yet

Barkley? He's averaged 300 yards a season in year 3 & 4. He has barely fulfilled half of his rookie contract

 

[RamDino]

Barkley? He's averaged 300 yards a season in year 3 & 4. He has barely fulfilled half of his rookie contract

I think if he played for McVay he would average around 2000 yards per season.

 

[thirteen28]

The problem is sometimes the drop off is so sudden, you're on the hook for a lot of dead (or wasted) money. Zeke isn't worth his current salary. He signed his 90 mil extension prior to the 2019 season, coming off a 3 year run of over 4,000 yards and 28 TDs. That year he had a good season (1357 yards) and the next year, the biggest cap hit of his original rookie contract, only 900 yards. Last year, 1002 and for that the Cowboys paid just 6.8 on the cap. This season it's 18 mil and next year 16 mil. If they were to release him it would be a 30 mil dead money hit. Release him prior to next year, only 11.8 mil in dead money. Either way, he's not going to fulfill the salary. 2nd contracts aren't just gambles, they're dumb 99 times out of 100. What did drafting that stud bell cow #4 in the draft and giving him a 90 mil extension get them? 3 postseasons in 6 years and a 1-3 record in the playoffs.




I agree. If fact, I agree with that so much, I find it ridiculous that a fan will complain about taking a player too high. "Oh man, what a dumb move!!! They could have had him in the third round!!!"

I wouldn't use playoffs as a metric for whether that contract was worth it. Case in point, we gave SJ a 2nd contract and he earned every last bit of it and we didn't even sniff the playoffs. He was pretty much the only decent player the Rams had during those dark years. I would love to have the SJ of 2008-2012 (the years of his 2nd contract) on this team right now, my God this offense would get put on a terror watchlist if we had that and defensive coordinators around the league would all have severe PTSD after they faced the Rams.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I still think 1st rd picks and 2nd contracts are worth it for rbs, you just need to have wr skills too. If I were a gm, and had a rb like gurley, leveon, cmc, Barkley, etc I’d gladly pay them a bunch but I’d play them at least 50% of their snaps as a legit wr. Lower the amount of touches and save some wear and tear but still get full use out of them. It’s mind blowing to me these rbs with insanely good wr skills aren’t actually used as wrs more yet

You are talking Deebo-style?

 

[Gandalf]

Either you can draft a RB in the first round and get 5 years or trade the pick for a QB or WR that has 3 or 4 years under their belt and are due for their 2nd contract.

Either way you have 5 years or so left. The good thing about the RB is he plays on his rookie contract which is a lot better for your cap. Of course the RB has a chance to play longer than 5 years or can be traded before their rookie deal is over.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Either you can draft a RB in the first round and get 5 years or trade the pick for a QB or WR that has 3 or 4 years under their belt and are due for their 2nd contract.

Either way you have 5 years or so left. The good thing about the RB is he plays on his rookie contract which is a lot better for your cap. Of course the RB has a chance to play longer than 5 years or can be traded before their rookie deal is over.

Yeah, the good thing about RB’s… they contribute immediately.

The one position that doesn’t need much acclimation to the NFL.

 

[Gandalf]

I think if he played for McVay he would average around 2000 yards per season.

If he was ever healthy.

 

[rdlkgliders]

The problem for us is draft capitol and our unique needs at that position along with the lack of quality RBs beyond a couple of seasons as of late. For us with only 2 picks pre 5th I think we wait. until our 3rd pick and see what is on the board. The position which was my favorite position on the field for many years is in a state of transition. Ironically as mentioned it is the position that often gets the 2nd most touches albeit often split amongst 2 backs.

 

[MadGoat]

I’m pretty sure that Snead has learned his lesson on RB longevity.

I think we’re gonna see a string of constant annual RB’s drafted and nary a 2nd contract for any of them.

My theory is that teams are realizing that their best option is to split workload enough that if they do retain their backs on a second contract, it's much more reasonable (think Henderson and his potential 2nd contract). As long as backs are stuck in a committee their entire career, they will never get the Gurley/CMC/Cook/Mixon second contract. If they do.... let someone else pay them.

Barkley is going to be an interesting case soon.

 

[Picked4td]

Barkley? He's averaged 300 yards a season in year 3 & 4. He has barely fulfilled half of his rookie contract

hes an insane talent stuck in a shitty offense with an even shittier oline, imo

You are talking Deebo-style?

yea basically. probably more rb than deebo since thats their natural position but the same idea. and maybe even back to a more "full time" rb role in playoffs where the games matter more and you want your best player touching the ball more. imagine throwing a quick screen to one of these elite rbs split out wide and a cb trying to make the 1 on 1 tackle. or a jet sweep with them as the motioning wr, tell me that wouldnt draw the defenses eyes more than a tradional wr

 

[PARAM]

hes an insane talent stuck in a shitty offense with an even shittier oline, imo

Yeah but I wasn't talking about his talent or potential, I was talking mainly about his availability...which lately has been unavailable. Talent only works if you're on the field

 

[jrry32]

I think you take talent where you can find it and worry about the other stuff later. Was Todd Gurley worth a first round pick? I think so. And that's with his career flaming out so quickly. Had the dude played at a high level until 28-30 like most HBs, he'd easily have been worth his pick.

 

[Ballhawk]

hes an insane talent stuck in a shitty offense with an even shittier oline, imo

yea basically. probably more rb than deebo since thats their natural position but the same idea. and maybe even back to a more "full time" rb role in playoffs where the games matter more and you want your best player touching the ball more. imagine throwing a quick screen to one of these elite rbs split out wide and a cb trying to make the 1 on 1 tackle. or a jet sweep with them as the motioning wr, tell me that wouldnt draw the defenses eyes more than a tradional wr

Why does this make me think of Steven Jackson?

 

[Memento]

Why does this make me think of Steven Jackson?

Yeah, S-Jax had it even rougher than Barkley did.

 

[PARAM]

I think you take talent where you can find it and worry about the other stuff later. Was Todd Gurley worth a first round pick? I think so. And that's with his career flaming out so quickly. Had the dude played at a high level until 28-30 like most HBs, he'd easily have been worth his pick.

He didn't even make 4 years before he was arthritic and then not very productive in his 5th year. Well those shorts TD runs he could still deliver. But that's a guy who should never have had a second contract if he's not extended early. If they waited until 2018, they would have known he was damaged goods. Water under the bridge though. Let's hope they don't make the same mistake again (not drafting him high) not extending a RB before year 4. Draft one every year.

 

[tempests]

Gurley earned his second contract. Far outplayed his rookie deal. Best skill position player in the 2015 draft, MVP candidate, and he was the Rams best player on offense. They didn't want a Le'Veon Bell style standoff with him, or waiting for someone else to set the market.

We paid him about 34 million for five seasons of work, which was quite reasonable.

 

[PARAM]

Gurley earned his second contract. Far outplayed his rookie deal.

He "earned" his second contract, for sure but we jumped early. Water under the bridge. We've recovered quite nicely.

We paid him about 34 million for five seasons of work, which was quite reasonable.

He cost us 45 million, not 34, for 5 years. 9 mil per. Still worth it.....we got to a SB but it would have been nice (maybe even a win) if he could have been able to play without that bum knee.

 

[Rams43]

I’m not an advocate of drafting RB’s high ever again. Just not the smart position to invest a 1st or a 2nd (assuming we ever have one of those things again, lol).

When looking at the evals of RB’s in the 4-6th round I doubt that there’s all that much difference in their respective ratings. We’re talking hair-splitting differences. So why not take advantage of the RB value in the later rounds but do so each year?