Official 2024 FA/Trades: Ertz, Armstrong, Ferrell, Fowler, Ndubuisi, Biadasz, Allegretti, Deiter, Luvu, Wagner, Pittman, Walker, Ekeler, McNichols, McManus, Mariota, Driskel, Ott, Chinn, Iggy, Davis, Pierre, Zaccheaus, Reaves, Crowder, Obada, Lucas, Byrd

[CobraCommander]

1 minute ago, tmandoug1 said:

Pretty sad actually...just proves my point that he took a check and hooked up all his boys. Must have hated Snyder to the bone to do that. He screwed the fans to do it though....

I didn’t realize he actually said that. What a tool.

[DogofWar1]

21 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

For 2 years, I'd have paid him that.  And put the money they gave Fowler and Ferrell towards it.  He'll probably more productive than those 2 and Armstrong combined.

 

Maybe his production would be worth the money but we came into the year with...what?  25 dudes signed?  52 man roster, we needed bodies badly and you gotta have guys you can rotate in.

[Warhead36]

1 minute ago, tmandoug1 said:

Pretty sad actually...just proves my point that he took a check and hooked up all his boys. Must have hated Snyder to the bone to do that. He screwed the fans to do it though....

I don't think that was the case. He's just not a very good coach and doesn't have a strong reputation league wide of attracting talented people to work with.

 

I will agree with you in that I think him hiring EB was doing him and Andy Reid a favor, knowing he was probably on the way out anyway.

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, The Consigliere said:

I don't care how his peers rank him, I care about that age # and how rb's tend to turn into pumpkins after their age 26 seasons. Ekeler lasted a little longer than most, maybe due to light usage in his early years when he was pulling an Aaron Jones (going from total unknown to most except dynasty people to superstar).

 

The high ankle sprain is a notorious production killing injury for athletes, so I do consider that angle a possibility. But I've also watched Gurley and Melvin Gordon from '15 slowly flame out after passing the cliff, then the best from '16 slowly fade out (Zeke and Henry) then the '17 guys start to flame out (Cook, Fournette donezo, Mixon and Kamara slowing a bit, McCaffrey still McCaffrey), the '18 group is nearly all gone other than Chubb who got injured again and Barkley whose stock dropped precipitously the last several years. Miles Sanders is now done, Monty and Jacobs are still going, Monty looked good from that '19 class, but Jacobs slowed, probably due to overuse in '22. 

 

Ekeler is, if I remember right, a UDFA from '17, I think. He's basically running on fumes based on historical trajectories? Could he plow forward longer? Maybe, it was years before he started getting starters carriers, so maybe he has a little bit more runway left before it wraps, otoh, these things still seem to go by the hard #'s, with some outliers. We'll see. I can get really pissed about this sorta thing, but honestly, I don't really care too much. Whether he's done or not, it suits my interests, short deal, not a cap killer, he's a pro, he's fine, there's just not much upside beyond professionalism, which is fine, and avoiding using too much draft capital on genuinely mediocre RB prospects this draft. So if we pass on RB this draft? I'll be from "meh" to definitely, "happier". Save that RB draft capital for '25 or '26, unless we can steal Brooks in round 3 or 4. 

 

Context matters.

 

Heck dudes who are all about anaylitics from PFF and Warren Sharp both applaud the move because of context.

 

The idea that players ranked him as the #21 player in the NFL just a season before -- wasn't just some one off odd happenstance because he really sucked.   He caught 107 balls that year, that's insane and averaged 4.5 YPC.  Big season.

 

He had a big first game last year, got a high ankle sprain in that game and he wasn't the same.

 

It doesn't escape people and certainly not me, I argued to death here against giving Barkley the big contract he wanted that older Rbs often slide.  Am aware that RBs tend to struggle in their late 20s.

 

But we paid nothing for him.  It's well worth the risk IMO.  And some guys are wired differently.  Adrian Peterson was an animal as to his work ethic and desire and digesting Ekeler he seems to be made of similar cloth.  So am more optimistic than the standard older RB signing. 

 

I'd add pass catching types like him can thrive a bit longer.  Remember Larry Centers as an example?  He was good through about 33. 

 

Also Ekeler supposedly a big time leader -- locker room guy.

 

Sean O'Hara ironically just on the NFL Network as I typed this called the Ekeler signing his favorite of the FA season.  Must be a sign.  

Edited March 12 by Skinsinparadise

[RandyHolt]

So, free agency starts tomorrow at 4pm.  What a joke.

[Skinsinparadise]

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler strides into the room like the giant he is. He's only 5-foot-10, but his height belies a spirit that stretches him far taller. Ekeler is in Santa Barbara to open a state-of-the art gym at one of the oldest high schools in the state, Santa Barbara High School. It's something these 2,200 students have never really had and something that is near and dear to his heart.

"I never really thought about it and I listened to my community," he said as the gym opened June 16 with about 30 student-athletes present. "They asked, 'Austin, what did you do to get so far and make all these accomplishments?' and I started thinking about it."

And he realized it was in the weight room where his dreams took root.

Ekeler is a workout obsessive with washboard abs and bulging biceps. He got them by always proving what nobody really thought he could do at 5-10. Mainly play running back in the NFL, which he has done since making the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

But he also worked hard in the weight room, and when he learned that Santa Barbara High was filled with students who, like him at one time, lacked resources to build muscles and encourage wellness, he called on his own newly formed foundation -- the Austin Ekeler Foundation -- for help and found an empty space at Santa Barbara High School.

 

Austin Ekeler is helping provide gyms to youth athletes in Southern California through his personal foundation. Shelley Smith/ESPN

"It's a beautiful place, but it's 70% free and reduced lunch," Ekeler said. "They need help. It's not a private school where they get tons of funds, not everything is given to them. They needed our help, and I saw an opportunity to do so."

Ekeler knows something about not having anything given to him. He was raised in tiny Eaton, Colorado, by a single mother. He had to do chores while living on a farm, such as breaking apart frozen ice in water tanks so the animals could have water. He built fences and lugged feed. It's where he says he developed his work ethic; football became a way out.

 

He was recruited by Division II Western State (now known as Western Colorado University), located in Gunnison, Colorado, with an enrollment of 3,500. Ekeler went on to break every rushing record the school had, scoring 63 touchdowns and finishing with 5,857 career rushing yards. And it's where he developed the air-guitar celebration as a touchdown dance, which he still does as a Charger.

Ekeler's now a superstar as a go-to back and receiver. It's what he knows.

He's also determined to be more than a football player, volunteering his time at Bethune Middle School in Los Angeles to enforce the importance of youth wellness. Ekeler and his girlfriend, Taylor Frick, also do workout videos that are "slightly" unorthodox with her on his shoulders as he squats and on his back for pushups.

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/318456/chargers-austin-ekeler-uses-dogged-work-ethic-to-pay-it-forward-to-young-athletes

[seantaylor=god]

2 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

…But we paid nothing for him.  It's well worth the risk IMO.  And some guys are wired differently.  Adrian Peterson was an animal as to his work ethic and desire and digesting Ekeler he seems to be made of similar cloth.  So am more optimistic than the standard older RB signing. 

 

I'd add pass catching types like him can thrive a bit longer.  Remember Larry Centers as an example?  He was good through about 33. 

 

Also Ekeler supposedly a big time leader -- locker room guy.

Exactly. The figures they came out show how little we are paying and he can still catch passes out of the backfield even if we don’t use him to bang between the tackles anymore. We have other RBs who can carry the load. Just need to give him some touches on 3rd down, etc. 

 

I see it as a better McKissic with upside.

[kingdaddy]

2 minutes ago, RandyHolt said:

So, free agency starts tomorrow at 4pm.  What a joke.

Just imagine how many players we'll sign once this **** starts for real!!!!

[RandyHolt]

3 minutes ago, kingdaddy said:

Just imagine how many players we'll sign once this **** starts for real!!!!

I heard on XM88 the host say we need to get 2 CBs - one if we retain Fuller. So maybe tomorrow when it opens up! No mention of the elephant in the room LT but maybe many assume we will get one in the draft. I am old af school I like to have the bookend LT in place BEFORE drafting the QB of the future.

Edited March 12 by RandyHolt

[SkinsGuy]

I've been off this site for about 24 hours and I come back and they've "signed" all these players?

 

Last one I saw was Luvu.

 

This will definitely be a different looking team.

Edited March 12 by SkinsGuy

[HoggLife]

2 minutes ago, SkinsGuy said:

I've been off this site for about 24 hours and I come back and they've "signed" all these players?

 

Last one I saw was Luvu.

 

This will definitely be a different looking team.

I'm questioning your dedication if you spent 24 hours straight off this site? Please work on that. 

[SkinsGuy]

1 minute ago, HoggLife said:

I'm questioning your dedication if you spent 24 hours straight off this site? Please work on that. 

 

I've been dedicated since the year 2000 when I came here.

 

But sleep, dialysis, and more rest after dialysis has to cut into my time dedicated to this site.

[Skinsinparadise]

9 minutes ago, AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy said:

I think we should wait and see the money details on the Ott signing before we get too excited. 
 

Other than that, it’s hard not to be happy. 

 

Showing my age - if Ott is anything like Otto, am on board, fun times

 

[lovemaskins]

4 minutes ago, SkinsGuy said:

 

I've been dedicated since the year 2000 when I came here.

 

But sleep, dialysis, and more rest after dialysis has to cut into my time dedicated to this site.

Prayers my brother! Get well.

[HoggLife]

4 minutes ago, SkinsGuy said:

 

I've been dedicated since the year 2000 when I came here.

 

But sleep, dialysis, and more rest after dialysis has to cut into my time dedicated to this site.

I was joking. I quit smoking cigarettes like 6 years ago. I use to have a cigarette every hour. Now that has been replace by this site. I don't know if that is more or less healthy tho. 

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

40 minutes ago, lavar1156 said:

Maybe we can convince to Curl to sign a one year deal and test the market next year.

Why would we do that?

 

Imo, Chin and Curl have a similar skill set.

Edited March 12 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[SkinsGuy]

Just now, lovemaskins said:

Prayers my brother! Get well.

 

Thank you.

[RandyHolt]

1 minute ago, SkinsGuy said:

 

Thank you.

 

Got a lot of pages to read in this and the QB thread. This HAS to be the most signings for us to kick off the tampering/FA period.

[kingdaddy]

9 minutes ago, SkinsGuy said:

 

I've been dedicated since the year 2000 when I came here.

 

But sleep, dialysis, and more rest after dialysis has to cut into my time dedicated to this site.

Stay strong, good times are coming and we need you to be part of it!!! Best wishes.

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

5 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Showing my age - if Ott is anything like Otto, am on board, fun times.

I had an Otto avatar at one point. He’s my spirit animal. 😆

[oraphus]

2 hours ago, The Consigliere said:

I don't know man, he got hurt in the first game. I think high ankle sprains can effect seasons, but I'm skeptical. He sat out a month, really nice timing of the bye, and it didn't matter, he just couldn't get that game back. Maybe it was the lost season, Herbert got hurt, Williams got hurt, Johnston busted, I don't know about their OL, But I look at that age # and I recognize that pretty much every single back not named Adrian Peterson, or Christian McCaffrey turned to crap between the age cliff and 27, 28. It's very, very hard to find exceptions. Maybe we got one, but the math says we just bought his decline for a year, which is fine, we're not contending for a super bowl the next two years anyway, and this draft class sucks for the most part, so it's no big thing, there's just RB's I would've preferred if we were going this direction, and I have to own, despite being healthy his whole career at Ohio State, Dobbins has never been healthy in the NFL, so that could have totally blown up in our face. 

he definitely has a lot of miles on him.. and maybe last year he got unlucky that he got hurt in the 1st game and with a high ankle sprain.. those take a long time to heal. We have Rodriguez as well, who showed well in spurts last year. I am definitely keeping fingers crossed for Eckler every time he is on the field.. its really not a matter of if he gets hurt, but when. Still, if he only plays ~30% of RB snaps.. perhaps Wash and he will get lucky and he stays healthy (because when healthy he is a legit game breaker RB, something we havent had here in ages).. god knows we deserve a bit of luck to roll our way at some point.

 

2020-21 Mccafrey averaged 6g a season due to injuries.. everyone considered him a great but inj prone back. since then he went 16 games with Niners both seasons and thats carrying the ball at historic levels. perhaps a change of scenery, different training and lighter load could also do wanders for Eckler. 

Edited March 12 by oraphus

[RVAskins]

Here you go Ron. Choose the ring you want.

 

[illone]

1 hour ago, RandyHolt said:

It really wasnt a down for year for Ridley IMO 76Rec/1K/8TDs. He was asked to stretch the field and used outside IIRC more than most expected.  Kirk and Engram feasted from his presence. And they will again this year with Gabe Davis. We need help at WR even if Samuels leaves. Time to give up on Brown IMO.

 

Definitely a good stat line for him. I watched a few games where his targets were low, so probably skewed my view on his entire year. 

 

I think he is worth the risk depending on the financials... But like someone else mentioned, he will probably remain in Jax.

[mac8887]

I’m surprised that 1 year contracts would even count towards comp picks, seems like a real cheat code. I tried to look and see if there was a minimum contract length one must’ve played before getting signed by a new team, before the old team received the pick but could not find anything. 
 

you would think the team getting a pick would have to be losing a player that at minimum played on a 2 year contract for said team, but I found nothing that stated that. So I’m guessing if some of these 1yr deal guys ball out and we lose them next FA, it could lead to a comp pick.

 

i did read something about void years, and how they could effect comp picks, it was something like if the void years were built into the contract during at the time the contract was first signed then the team would be eligible the year that player left in FA, if not the team would lose the chance for a comp pick or have to wait until the last void year came in went.
 

Its all very interesting and also pretty difficult to get the true formula that they use. Hopefully the league will get more transparent with stuff like this.

 

It looks like the good teams really use this to their benefit, hopefully it’s something Peters really taps into.
 

It also does seem like another way the league could be picking winners and losers but maybe that’s better suited for the conspiracy thread.

 

 

Edited March 13 by mac8887

[Renegade7]

32 minutes ago, BRAVEONAWARPATH said:

Why would we do that?

 

Imo, Chin and Curl have a similar skill set.

 

Depth?