I was certainly not prepared for the possibility that we would go into the Year 1 offseason as defending Super Bowl Champions, but that's what our New England Patriots are, beating the Los Angeles Rams for the second year in a row. We now face the inevitability of several high-profile departures, as our aging roster gives way to new blood.
Happy Trails, Partner
When it came to re-signing players, I brought back pretty much everyone, since this is a majority of the talent we can use right now, there was little point to allow anyone to leave. The main two I refused to re-sign were Tom Brady and Benjamin Watson, under the assumption that both tenured veterans would hang up their boots in the offseason. I was half right, as Watson has decided to go out on top, but just like in real life, Brady has elected to leave, meaning we will see him in a new uniform for the 2020 season. In a shocker, Julian Edelman also retired, likely seeing his days were numbered after being on the sideline for our Super Bowl triumph. Edelman's retirement, combined with my decision to let the aging Demaryius Thomas walk, means there are now two spots to fill in our receiving corps. One of those spots will be filled by River Cracraft, whom I signed to replace Edelman after the latter's injury, and will return on a new 2 year deal. I let loose of depth players like running back Bruce Anderson, defensive end Keionta Davis, center James Ferentz, and tackle Dan Skipper, none of whom offered much to the team this year. The last player to re-sign was free safety Devin McCourty, a star on the team this past season after notching six interceptions. I gave McCourty a lucrative 1 year contract, but he declined, so I put him on the franchise tag, which will eat up the majority of our budget, though it will avoid the difficulty I would face trying to replace him.
Free Agency
It was difficult to find many players whom I could even negotiate with, as they had to have either gone undrafted or previously been on our team. I did make three signings, bringing back tight end Dwayne Allen and linebacker Jamie Collins, as well as picking up 24 year old linebacker Jason Cabinda, all of whom will likely just be depth this year. To free up some cap space, I cut Rex Burkhead, who's spot had been taken by Trey Edmunds, who was extremely impressive in the playoffs. The big story was waiting to see which team would sign Tom Brady, and Madden's designated offseason weeks came and went without an offer, a definite anti-climax.
The Draft
We had to wait a while to get involved with the draft, as we wouldn't pick until the bottom of Round 2. With our first pick, I selected defensive tackle Bob Marrow (70 Overall), a quality run stopper who could shift to either end position if needed. The third round saw us pick up right guard Kevin Sturdivant (72 OVR), a really strong pick as he has hidden development and is already an excellent run blocker. In the fourth round, I added quarterback Donnell Rowland (61 OVR), who does well operating outside of the pocket and also has hidden development. We had another fourth round pick, traded here by Chicago before my tenure, and I took a chance on speedster wideout Jermaine Bryson (56 OVR), who needs a lot of work but does have physical intangibles. In the sixth round, I selected center Martin Guerrero (49 OVR), and in the seventh, I took right tackle Jarry Freeman (62 OVR) and got the honor to select Mr. Irrelevant, outside linebacker Shannon McPherson (58 OVR). All in all, a solid class, nobody that's going to immediately be the best in the league or anything, but it's about as good as you can expect given the lack of a first round pick.
Terrific Tom and Miraculous Matt
In between the end of the draft and the start of the year, Tom Brady finally got a new home, and it's quite a choice. Brady has signed with the Detroit Lions, returning to Michigan after playing for the Wolverines back in his college days, and has immediately sent Matthew Stafford to the bench as a result. Brady will have weapons at his disposal, with receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, plus young tight end T.J. Hockenson, whom the Lions obviously hope could line up with Brady in the way Rob Gronkowski has in the past. We'll see if the winningest quarterback in NFL history can finally get the Lions back on track in what will likely be his final season.
Up next is preseason, which may or may not be it's own post, depending on how much actually happens in those four weeks. We have some interesting new players to check out, especially quarterback Donell Rowland, who will replace Jarrett Stidham as Jacoby Brissett's backup, and should get a lot of playing time in preseason, so hopefully he makes an impact.
- Henry
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