2019 Patriots Offseason Thread

Wonder if Veldheer is the OL. He visisted recently but counts against the comp calculation for 2020. I guess that ends soon (next week maybe?) so would be a consideration after that "deadline" has passed.

Second Tuesday after the draft for comp picks to not count, so May 7th. Yes Veldheer looks like by far the best option.

Some of the guarantees for the unstaffed free agents. They must have really wanted Beck.

You can see why they wanted Beck, at the minimum with him and Izzo you have two very good blocking TEs.

I don't think they'd be in on Levine Toilolo because he's basically Izzo and Beck a blocking TE. Not a bad player, but wouldn't they have already brought him in? He's not getting a big contract that you need to wait on the comp pick deadline to expire to sign. Just my two cents but I want more of a receiving TE. I feel Jenkins is the only one after dealing Hollister on the roster. Maybe I'm sleeping on Lacosse. He's got good size and speed, but only played because Denver had a ton of injuries at TE last year. He can't block well and still doesn't have great strength, yet isn't close to elusive as a receiver. Like he'd be a player if he could block. He's like a less athletic version of Alize Mack. I just feel you need more if your only a receiving TE. Like an Athlete like Mack who can make highlight catches or a TE like Wilson who had darn near elite speed at TE. Lacosse just seems like what we was last year, a good #4 TE. Given our size at WR now, I don't see how you want to use him over receivers in the passing game unless you have no choice.

Given Gronks recent comments, I really think they are holding out hope Gronk will play next year. I don't think Gronk even knows what he'll do. Yet if the rest gets him healthy, I can see him getting the itch to play again. The question really is was last year just injuries or is he just not the same player anymore?

By definition I guess, but he's 6'2'' 230 pounds, Thomas a WR is 6'3'' 229 pounds and he's a lot faster. I just look at him as depth, no chance at all he makes the team unless a bunch of injuries. Maybe that's wrong, but I don't see anything to get excited about.

That's exactly why they went with Harry and Thomas.  They didn't like any TE options so they focused on big WR.  Plus, Gronk is gonna come back.

Most Undrafted guys actually sign three year deals, not just try out contracts. How does the practice squad work though? You've been released and a lot of guys sign to the biggest contract. If your money is offset for the Patriots wouldn't that mean other teams are at an advantage? Like Football isn't Baseball, the minute you're cut that contract is 100% void. Now if you get claimed sure the new team gets the contract. I just don't see how a contract can have offset language for the practice squad and apply to other teams when that contract needs to be cancelled for you to get to the practice squad. You would then sign a new contract as you'd be a free agent right?

I frankly just don't get Beck getting such a large bonus, top 5 among all undrafted guys. Yet I've yet to see a single ranking system that said he should of been drafted. He's not listed in any of my draft Magazines and there were a bunch of guys undrafted that were. Heck one lists 526 players and he's no where to be found. There was a ton of talent available that was highly ranked and Beck gets that much? Seen as a good blocking TE, yet that's about it and no one said he was close to the best blocking TE. By all accounts he's a lesser player than Izzo who some people thought had untapped potential as a receiver. What am saying is why if you wanted a blocking TE, which makes sense, didn't they target one with upside in the passing game?

So either they targeted Beck, which we hope is the case, or they missed out on guys that got drafted higher than they thought. Then in turn panicked, paying Beck a huge amount just so they got a TE. Run blocking TEs are a dime a dozen. Look at the guy Pedro pointed out, he was one of the best blocking TEs per PFF last year and he's still a free agent. The ones with true value are the guys that can add some value catching the ball. Yet you had guys like Thomas Sweeney go mid seventh round, seen as a very good blocker with some upside at receiver, kinda like Izzo. Heck he was rated higher than Izzo. So I'm intrigued by Beck, maybe in a very deep class he got overlooked. Yet if they really liked him, why punt those 7th round picks and chance you can't get him?

On paper trading 134 and 243 for 162 and 167 was a very good trade. Yet they then traded two more 7th round picks to move up in the 5th and didn't target value at least based on what most people thought. It also cost them chances at Foster Moreau, Deionte Thompson, Kingsley Keke, Mack Wilson, and Blake Cashman guys that were rated very high or that they had showed interest in. With Foster Moreau being the ultimate wild card. A very good blocking TE from a major program that didn't have much production, yet tested as an elite athlete. 5th best 40 time, third best vertical among a crazy good group of TEs. Something to watch in the coming years as he kinda seemed perfect for us. A guy with the upside to be a steal.

The offset language applies to all earnings that season so even if they are cut and unclaimed then sign that money gets offset. Last year Webb’s Patriots guarantee offset was paid by 3 different teams. So it benefits the Patriots - basically the Pats are on the hook for money if he doesn’t make 100K in salary across all teams he plays for.

All undrafted guys sign 3 year minimum salaried contracts. It’s like 495k, 595k, 695k for active roster. The practice squad salaries are a lot less than that. Teams can pay practice squad guys more if they want - the Patriots regularly do. There’s really not much risk for the Patriots to give Beck that money as only 15k was signing bonus. The offset salary guarantee is 13 practice squad weeks so really it just makes it more likely he makes the practice squad or they are confident he’s on someone’s. Only the signing bonus prorations go agains the salary cap so for Beck, it’s 5k a year the next 3 years.

PFF's steals of the draft

PICK 77 – CHASE WINOVICH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Big Board Rank: 29th
Winovich had back-to-back 90.0-plus graded seasons at Michigan and tested out as an elite athlete at the combine. At that point, there are not too many question marks in our eyes. His on-field play compared to teammate Rashan Gary at this point isn’t even close.

Per Volin and others, Veldheer is indeed signing with the Pats

www.patspulpit.com/2019/5/7/18535654/patriots-expected-to-sign-ot-jared-veldheer-later-this-week

One year up to 6.5 million.

www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2019/05/07/salary-cap-recap-05-07-19-jared-veldheer-signing-lowers-patriots-cap-number/

The Patriots will be signing offensive tackle Jared Veldheer to a one-year deal.

His cap number will be $3,187,500. It consists of:

–$1,500,000 salary – $500,000 of which is fully guaranteed
–$750,000 signing bonus
–$937,500 in 46-man active roster bonuses ($78,125 per game). Veldheer was active for twelve games in 2018 — 78,125 times twelve equals $937,500. Starting with the 13th game Veldheer is active for, the Patriots will lose $78,125 in cap space in the days immediately after the game. If Veldheer is active for all 16 games, his 2019 cap number will then become $3.5 million.

Veldheer has four $750,000 playing-time incentives (66 percent, 70 percent, 75 percent, and 80 percent). Since he played in only 65.5 percent of the Broncos’ offensive snaps in 2019, all four incentives are classified as NLTBE (Not Likely to Be Earned). It is not a coincidence the lowest tier (66 percent) is slightly above 65.5 percent.

The Patriots salary cap space number decreased by $2,617,500 as Veldheer displaced Ja’Whaun Bentley‘s $570,000 salary from the Top 51 list. My Patriots salary cap space number is now $11,924,747.