How much change does their need to be on the D-line?

I think one of the problems with Baker is the same problem most DL draftees face… the game is vastly different. Look at the Rams and Chris Long, it took him a full season and a half to show any sort of ability in the pro game. The difference is that he was a first round pick and had to play right away. The Broncos could afford to let Baker watch and learn. I thought Baker looked good when I watched him during training camp, but his lack of experience probably kept him off the field in favor of people with actual game experience.

If we don’t see much of him this season, however, then you can probably write him off. I’m sure I will hit some more training camp sessions this season and will be sure to keep an eye out for him.

Ron Fields played quite a bit of backup in 2008 for 49’ers.

Vonnie Holliday will be resigned for his lockerroom and player personality. He actually graded out quite will last year.

I have been pressing this point since the year started.

They really need a player other than Dawkins who has that kind of skill as well as the drive. We saw it frequently in our secondary, but after the first 6 games, not so often in the front 7. Baker lost draft impetus on character questions, a transfer on his record and a move to lowered levels of competition. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the ability – it might just mean that it needs to be honed. Since it’s common to have a DL player develop over about 3 years, this isn’t a big deal one way or the other. I hope that he develops well, but I agree with 3n3 – 1 FA, 1 draftee.

I think he needs a lot of technical polish, and I think his first step is really hit or miss. I like his size, he can anchor, and when he gets that first good initial pop he is relevant in the play. But it seems like he is getting washed out of plays around 50% of the time. I think he would be similar to a Peterson type of player: long arms, productive given time, will flash, works hard.

He is also one of a group of DL that I have tagged to watch for in the combine. Specifically I am wanting to see how fast he is. He seems to have slowed down since he got up over 300lb, and if so that will negatively affect his grade.

or is it worth trading up for?

…a really good rotation, without the first stringers.

Good observation. I would clarify and say, without the impact. However, i actually think we may be sitting ok at NT/DT. Fields played very well, and our big problem with him is that he is a free agent next year, so our developmental players need to be on track our we are going to end up committing some serious investment next year at the position.

But as I mentioned above, this is how it goes with NT/DT. It takes a while to develop these guys (though the best source for them is high first round) so you have to not only be patient, but learn to live with the discomfort of not knowing until the last second whether the guys you are developing will work out. It is a real bear of a position.

We will probably only carry two NT/DT rotational guys to the 53, and it is doubtful we will look to have more than four in camp—which, not coincidentally is how many we have on the roster right now. The results in 2010 will probably look much similar to 2009, with, I hope, one major difference. Fields will start, with Baker activated behind him, but rather than seeing the DE/DTs rotate in to spell fields, hopefully we see Baker rotate in.

But I agree that the DE/DT position needs to have a “no price is too steep” attitude applied to them when it comes to any opportunities this offseason. I have already advocated Derrick Morgan with our 10/11 and ponying up the cash in free agency is another acceptable avenue. And neither option should rule out the other. They will probably seriously consider resigning LeKevin and Holliday, and that wouldn’t be too much attention to the position either, but Holliday in particular is not a long term solution. Marcus Thomas, who I feel is developing slowly but surely, will be a free agent next year, and if we don’t get some new blood in, 2011 could be ugly.

I’ll stay on the lookout for more info on the situation…

but I think what we might have is an example of “tolling” a contract. Certain parameters in the CBA allow some contracts, notably ones where a player is injured away from football, as well as some other, oddly worded uses (which is at the center of my question mark regarding this explanation) to be “tolled” which allows teams to retain a players “contract time” while subsequently avoiding the contract.

It sounds wierd, i know. Since league contracts end when the league year ends, it indicates to me that Ped would have had to have been cut for his contract to end in January, yet that isn’t how it is worded, and DB.com still lists him on their roster, though in the capacity of PS/IR. They are very good about updating, so this all leads me to suspect that PDX is indeed still with the team.

If tolling is involved, then while PDX was injured (moved to IR in november), the Broncos may have had the option to suspend his contract until either a standard date or a date of their choosing (the CBA isn’t clear on this). So they still “own” some of PDX’s contract time (I would guess 3 month’s worth), and when they reinstate him, so to speak, they will have until that contract runs out to continue evaluating him.

There are two things which are key here, and help explain why teams can’t just do this whenever they want. The first point is that the player does not get paid for time once the contract starts to be tolled, so essentially it is their pay that is being suspended. THe second point, is that in order for a team to be able to do this maneuver, the player has to have had an NF-I, non football related injury. This allows the team to avoid sending the player to the full benefits package that is IR.

Again, I don’t know any of this for certain, but it lines up in a very rough way. The language of the CBA is confusing, but I am hoping to get some better opinions of what it is saying exactly, here soon.

If true, some information seems to be present about PDX, not the least of which is that since January he hasn’t really been working at Dove Valley, including rehab. I hesitate to draw any conclusions though, this is a very shaky hypothesis..