The 2017 FA Thread - OP Updated with Signings (Sundberg, Galette, VD, Hood re-signed) *** Terrell McClain, Stacy McGee, DJ Swearinger, Terrelle Pryor, Chris Carter, Brian Quick, ZACH BROWN(!!)***

[SkinsPassion4Life]

Brown had the best year of his career in a 3-4 defense.

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

NT

[SemperFi Skins]

Going back to the first page, Zach Brown was my top FA target this year... he's the best ILB that was on the market, and played in the 3-4... can also cover TE's, good run stopper, solid tackler

 

oddly enough, Terrelle Pryor was my 2nd target... other than that I only had Melvin Ingram and Kevin Zeitler and AJ Bouye which signed elsewhere 

[Skinsinparadise]

 I've heard Mason Foster interviewed multiple times, he strikes me as a really smart dude and I think he can take over play calling duties, didn't he do it last year when Will Compton was banged up?

 

I've read that Manusky's scheme likes to use the middle linebackers a lot to blitz.  It's an argument I was making on behalf of Reddick on the draft thread.  Zach can be that kind of guy.  Physically if you are 244 pounds and can run a 4.5 that's freakish athletic ability.  And to state the obvious the problem on defense is we don't really have much when it comes to freak athletes. 

 

From Keim:  Interesting that they've been interested for weeks.

http://www.espn.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/30762/linebacker-zach-brown-will-visit-redskins-monday

The Redskins have had some interest in Brown for a couple weeks, but no visit had been arranged until now. The question, though, is what spot he would play if he signs. The Redskins have Mason Foster as a returning starter under contract. They also tendered an offer to restricted free agent Will Compton, though he has yet to sign.

It’s an original-round tender, which means if another team signed Compton to an offer sheet and the Redskins failed to match, they would receive no compensation for Compton, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent.

...

It’s uncertain what role Brown would play. Compton, for example, handles the defensive playcalling. But Brown did not handle that role last year in Buffalo, according to multiple people with the Bills. That’s not to say he can’t perform that role (though some did express concern), but that was not his role in his most productive season. However, teams he has met with viewed him in different spots -- weakside in a 4-3 or at either inside spot in a 3-4. Brown has visited with Miami, Oakland and Buffalo, where he played on a one-year deal with a different coaching staff.

 

Brown would offer the Redskins speed inside – he won a Maryland state title in the 100-meter dash while at Columbia’s Wilde Lake High School. That speed helped turn him into a second-round pick by Tennessee in 2012. But after a disappointing four seasons with the Titans, Brown recorded 149 tackles – second-most in the NFL – with Buffalo. He also recorded four sacks and two forced fumbles in earning his first Pro Bowl berth and second-team All-Pro honors.

Brown was considered excellent in coverage, thanks to his ability to go sideline-to-sideline in a hurry. He was able to cover backs and tight ends. That would be a big help for the Redskins. It would also enable them to perhaps add more pass-rush ability from the inside.

[Conn]

Please, Bruce. Please.

[Morneblade]

Compton still has not signed his tender. I really hope we sign Brown, "Coach Up" either he or Foster to be our playcaller.  I can live with Will Compton being on our team as a backup/ST player but I do not want him starting.

 

Period.

[petedaddy]

had to double check that the, "Zach Brown to visit" wasn't a late April Fools joke

 

PLEASE make it happen!!!

[markmills67]

When you have a free agent in to visit do the team that the player who's visiting know what the perimeters of the contract that the player wants?. It's because wouldn't it be a waste of a trip if we have no intention of at least going close to his price tag. 

[Morneblade]

Mark Bullock‏ @MarkBullockNFL 52m52 minutes ago

Foster was the Mike in Tampa, if I recall correctly. He's more of a thumper inside too, so I think that pair could work in theory

 

Edit: after going and checking, Foster was the Mike for Tampa and started 15, 16,  13, and 10 games his first 4 seasons there. He could call the Defense.

[rumplestilskin]

I was hoping for two Foster's manning the middle. If we sign Brown I would hope we still take Reuben.

If he is there at 17 of course.

[Morneblade]

5 minutes ago, rumplestilskin said:

I was hoping for two Foster's manning the middle. If we sign Brown I would hope we still take Reuben.

If he is there at 17 of course.

 

I doubt he will be, but having a much improved ILB core gives us more flexibility. We can go more BPA, maybe take the best DE/ILB/S/CB there. Or if someone like Fournette falls, take him. No real high grade NT's in this draft so even though we are desperate for one, I'd hold off until later rounds.

 

But I'm not sold on Foster either. He's small, and I don't know how that is going to translate. He's not even 230, and as a 3-4 ILB that is really small. Right now, with no NT that is worth anything, he will get swallowed up. I've heard some talk about Reddick being too small, and he's almost 10 pounds heavier.

 

It's nice that he hits hard, but I don't care much about that. I want a guy that makes the right reads, gets there and secures the tackle. I want a guy that can cover in space. He had a great DL in front of him. We have, at best, a sub par line here. I don't think he'll have the impact a lot of people think, especially in our situation.

[3 Rings]

1 minute ago, Morneblade said:

 

I doubt he will be, but having a much improved ILB core gives us more flexibility. We can go more BPA, maybe take the best DE/ILB/S/CB there. Or if someone like Fournette falls, take him. No real high grade NT's in this draft so even though we are desperate for one, I'd hold off until later rounds.

 

 

 

Aint gonna lie.  I want Fournette on our team badly.  No more "what do we do at the goal line".  Smash that dude in there 3 times and take our 6.  ALL day.

[Morneblade]

10 minutes ago, 3 Rings said:

 

Aint gonna lie.  I want Fournette on our team badly.  No more "what do we do at the goal line".  Smash that dude in there 3 times and take our 6.  ALL day.

 

Well, even Fournette is gonna have a tough time doing that with our OL, as good as he is. For as big as they are, they really seem, outside of Trent Williams, to be not nearly physical enough at the point of attack. Watching the OL getting pushed into the backfield last year was pretty much par for the course. Fat Rob I thought did a really good job making something out of nothing on a lot of runs in short yardage situations. I hope that gets addressed in the off season as well.

 

And I really do like Rob Kelly, but if we could get a back like Fournette that is a bellcow with speed? Not only will Kirk love it, but so will the D. Saddle him up and wind out the clock with a lead? Something we have not been able to do in a long time.

[Skinsinparadise]

29 minutes ago, 3 Rings said:

 

Aint gonna lie.  I want Fournette on our team badly.  No more "what do we do at the goal line".  Smash that dude in there 3 times and take our 6.  ALL day.

 

If there is anything to media reports he's likely going to Jacksonville or Carolina -- unlikely to make it to #17.

[Koolblue13]

1 hour ago, carex said:

 

problem with that is that if Brown isn't the play caller type I don't think Mason Foster is either.  Compton is the signal caller.

Im sure of two things. 

 

Our defense and communication will be simple.

 

And we'll figure it out.

 

This guy closes the middle of the defense, especially on passing downs. Slants, hooks, TE posts? Covered.

[Morneblade]

2 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Im sure of two things. 

 

Our defense and communication will be simple.

 

And we'll figure it out.

 

This guy closes the middle of the defense, especially on passing downs. Slants, hooks, TE posts? Covered.

 

Foster was the Mike at Tampa for 4 years and called the D. I think we'll be fine there.

Brown can do what he does best, which is run and make plays. ILB just got much better in all facets if we manage to sign Brown.

[rumplestilskin]

29 minutes ago, Morneblade said:

 

I doubt he will be, but having a much improved ILB core gives us more flexibility. We can go more BPA, maybe take the best DE/ILB/S/CB there. Or if someone like Fournette falls, take him. No real high grade NT's in this draft so even though we are desperate for one, I'd hold off until later rounds.

 

But I'm not sold on Foster either. He's small, and I don't know how that is going to translate. He's not even 230, and as a 3-4 ILB that is really small. Right now, with no NT that is worth anything, he will get swallowed up. I've heard some talk about Reddick being too small, and he's almost 10 pounds heavier.

 

It's nice that he hits hard, but I don't care much about that. I want a guy that makes the right reads, gets there and secures the tackle. I want a guy that can cover in space. He had a great DL in front of him. We have, at best, a sub par line here. I don't think he'll have the impact a lot of people think, especially in our situation.

You make a good point if it was factual however smaller athletic linebackers are the norm in todays NFL. But Foster is not what you say he is. He is being compared to Luke Keuckly so he is so much more than just a hard hitter. I think he is a hyper athletic tone setter. A steal at 17. His weight has been listed between  220 and 240 so he ain't no 90 lb weakling. Zac Brown would be nice but he ain't no Reuben. 

[Koolblue13]

1 minute ago, Morneblade said:

 

Foster was the Mike at Tampa for 4 years and called the D. I think we'll be fine there.

Brown can do what he does best, which is run and make plays. ILB just got much better in all facets if we manage to sign Brown.

Go from a guy who may not be on a roster next year to a probowler that was second in tackles last year? Yeah, I'd call that an improvement. 

1 minute ago, rumplestilskin said:

You make a good point if it was factual however smaller athletic linebackers are the norm in todays NFL. But Foster is not what you say he is. He is being compared to Luke Keuckly so he is so much more than just a hard hitter. I think he is a hyper athletic tone setter. A steal at 17. His weight has been listed between  220 and 240 so he ain't no 90 lb weakling. Zac Brown would be nice but he ain't no Reuben. 

Reuben hasnt played a single down, is coming off a team full of future NFLers and doesnt make game changing plays, but is better than a 2nd team all pro? 

 

Yeah, okay. 

 

Im high on R Foster too, but saying hes already better than a proven one of the best LBers in the league is pretty absurd.

[nemocystem]

I like Cunningham infinitely more as a blitzer from the ILB position than Reddick.  Showed really good pass rushing skills from there on tape.  Also see him line up at DT, & DE on pass rushing downs.  Would love it if we added ZB, & ZC.  I think they would make a fantastic pair.

[bowhunter]

3 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Go from a guy who may not be on a roster next year to a probowler that was second in tackles last year? Yeah, I'd call that an improvement. 

But is Brown attractive enough to keep our position  as best looking roster? This **** counts! #winningtheoffseason

[Skinsinparadise]

Wow, I just looked at Brown's combine numbers he ran a 4.44 40 yard dash.  1.52 10 yard dash

http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Zach&l=Brown&i=9983

In contrast:  Will Compton:  4.62 40 yard dash.  1.60 10 yard dash.    Mason Foster 4.67 (pro day) 4.75 at combine, 1.63 10 yard dash.

 

And Brown is as big as Foster and has 15 pounds over Compton.  You want to upgrade speed at MLB, its a major upgrade on that.  

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/27/even-when-he-stumbles-zach-brown-can-fly/

North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown is so fast that a bad 40-yard dash for him is good for anyone else.

Brown ran his first 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.45 seconds today at the NFL Scouting Combine, making him the fastest linebacker to run so far. And yet it clearly wasn’t Brown at his fastest.

 

Out of his start Brown appeared to stumble, and midway through his run he took an awkward step and looked like he wanted to stop. He shook his head as he crossed the finish line and looked disgusted with himself. And yet his time was still the best of any linebacker who has run today.

That’s no surprise. Brown also competed on North Carolina’s track team and is the Tar Heels’ record holder in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 6.72 seconds at a 2009 track meet.

 

Brown, who weighed in at 244 pounds, said he was hoping to run his 40 in 4.39 seconds. And he said NFL teams that put on the tape will see that he’s fast enough to cover anyone a linebacker would be asked to cover.

 

“I covered a lot at Carolina — I had seven total career picks,” Brown said. “[My speed] helps a lot so I can cover tight ends like Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, Jermichael Finley, all of the others.”

There aren’t many people anywhere who can outrun Brown.

 

UPDATE: On his second attempt, Brown managed to shave one-hundredth of a second off his time and finish at 4.44 seconds. His two 40-yard dashes are easily the two fastest we’ve seen today.

 

 

[Master Blaster]

I didn't know much about Brown, but reading about him now, it's easy to see that adding him plus making Cravens an every down player will greatly enhance speed/athleticism on defense if nothing else. 

[RWJ]

4 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Wow, I just looked at Brown's combine numbers he ran a 4.44 40 yard dash.  1.52 10 yard dash

http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Zach&l=Brown&i=9983

In contrast:  Will Compton:  4.62 40 yard dash.  1.60 10 yard dash.    Mason Foster 4.67 (pro day) 4.75 at combine, 1.63 10 yard dash.

 

And Brown is as big as Foster and has 15 pounds over Compton.  You want to upgrade speed at MLB, its a major upgrade on that.  

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/27/even-when-he-stumbles-zach-brown-can-fly/

North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown is so fast that a bad 40-yard dash for him is good for anyone else.

Brown ran his first 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.45 seconds today at the NFL Scouting Combine, making him the fastest linebacker to run so far. And yet it clearly wasn’t Brown at his fastest.

 

Out of his start Brown appeared to stumble, and midway through his run he took an awkward step and looked like he wanted to stop. He shook his head as he crossed the finish line and looked disgusted with himself. And yet his time was still the best of any linebacker who has run today.

That’s no surprise. Brown also competed on North Carolina’s track team and is the Tar Heels’ record holder in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 6.72 seconds at a 2009 track meet.

 

Brown, who weighed in at 244 pounds, said he was hoping to run his 40 in 4.39 seconds. And he said NFL teams that put on the tape will see that he’s fast enough to cover anyone a linebacker would be asked to cover.

 

“I covered a lot at Carolina — I had seven total career picks,” Brown said. “[My speed] helps a lot so I can cover tight ends like Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, Jermichael Finley, all of the others.”

There aren’t many people anywhere who can outrun Brown.

 

UPDATE: On his second attempt, Brown managed to shave one-hundredth of a second off his time and finish at 4.44 seconds. His two 40-yard dashes are easily the two fastest we’ve seen today.

 

 

To add to this too I found out that Foster called the plays on D when in Tampa so Compton might be on the ropes.    Also this: 

 

Found out Foster made calls in TB too so they would be a better tandem.  Foster can thump and Brown can too.  By the way, I don't know how well Lake Lewis knows Brown but he tweeted this answer to me when I asked him if there was a 50 % chance we'd sign him:

 

Lake Lewis Jr‏
Verified account
@LakeLewis  2h
2 hours ago
 
 
More
Replying to @XXXX
Greater than that because that is a need position.

 

[rumplestilskin]

11 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Go from a guy who may not be on a roster next year to a probowler that was second in tackles last year? Yeah, I'd call that an improvement. 

Reuben hasnt played a single down, is coming off a team full of future NFLers and doesnt make game changing plays, but is better than a 2nd team all pro? 

 

Yeah, okay. 

 

Im high on R Foster too, but saying hes already better than a proven one of the best LBers in the league is pretty absurd.

Do you mean the guy who's been injured in two out of three years? Hard to be all pro without pads.

Dont care if he hasn't played a down yet. Played enough in to be voted the best Linebacker in the nation. Not absurd considering the money Zak will cost. Rather pay a Reuben who is no slouch on a 4 year rook deal.

[Koolblue13]

I didnt think we had a shot at him tbh. Figured he wanted a ton of money.

 

This is an absolute no brainer signing.

 

Its absolutely everything we need, at the right price and possibly the weakest link and he's from the area.

 

This absolutely has to happen. 

4 minutes ago, rumplestilskin said:

Do you mean the guy who's been injured in two out of three years? Hard to be all pro without pads.

Dont care if he hasn't played a down yet. Played enough in to be voted the best Linebacker in the nation. Not absurd considering the money Zak will cost. Rather pay a Reuben who is no slouch on a 4 year rook deal.

Well, considering he's getting picked well before us, it hardly matters.

 

He "could" be better, but he's not even in the NFL yet, so again, it hardly matters.