Valuing Travelle Wharton

Our pass blocking has been adequate most of the time. Sometimes a good end like Abraham will overwhelm Wharton but most of the time it has been decent. What we lack is run blocking and that has more to do with our guards and center than with our tackles.

I would be fine keeping both Wharton and Gross if we were to also upgrade our interior guys. Wahle has not done much since his first season here ended. Hartwig has been a border line bust. Kalil is unproven but I say give him a shot.

 

I'd say $4 mil is a good base, but he could get $5. I'd be surprised to see him get much more, but considering franchise is ~$7.4 mil, a three year starter is probably worth at least $4 mil. It's a very high market.

Some might say Max Starks, but he lost a job. Locklear played some tackle, but he beat his wife. He's a starting level RT, though.
Adams will get probably $6-8 million and have no upside. There's Pork Chop Womack, who's tended toward staying in the past and who hasn't really spent that much time at OT lately.

Truth be told, going and getting Wharton back, after checking with other options, isn't the worst idea. It's a ton into OT, but it's that or a first rounder and lacking impact this year. It's a great year for a draftable OT, though.

 

I expect we will keep either Gross or Wharton, probably Gross, and then draft our other starter.

 

Don't forget, Gross is a model citizen in the locker room as well, and that sits well with Richardson.

 

So - is it unreasonable to:

Sign Gross for north of $7 million
Sign Wharton for $4 million
Draft an OT

That gives us what we have this year, plus depth with big upside.

Plus, Wharton played well at guard when he was there.

I'm just throwing shit out. I don't like Gross + undetermined rookie as the starters.

 

I don't mind "undetermined rookie" if it's a top pick. Go through the 2nd, and we have our guys. If need be, we have Bridges to get us through a small number of games, but only if absolutely, absolutely necessary.

If it's Gross+Wharton, and the drafted OT is a 3rd or later guy, that's fine as depth. Which we need. Though if it's a 3rd, still rather it be a guard. We don't have anything long term at guard, if you take our 3 centers (one of which won't be here after 08 as of now) to still be centers (or gone), other than Bridges, who shouldn't be starting. Mathis will be gone after 08, Hangartner will be gone after 08. A 3rd round G can compete a little and hedge against cuts in 09.



Truthfully, the end result is we're paying Gross. End of story there.

The WR need is obviously a free agent need. FS looks better in FA, IMO, so that's where I'd put it. DT is definitely a draft need, IMO. RB, FB, TE goes either way and are somewhat secondary.

So it leaves you here - do we need to get a free agent end, or draft one? If we do one or the other with DE, the other will apply for OT. You keep Wharton or find suitable replacement (hard to do), or you find suitable replacement and upgrade for DE (expensive). Then you draft the other. To me, it's about that basic, we can't really afford to go do both in free agency.

 

Wharton is young and coming off a pretty good year. Its also his first year back from a knee injury. So you have to believe he's going to get healthier and stronger. I think he could get a lot of money in the open market. Probably too much for our liking.

 

No, it has everything to do with our tackles as well. Wharton and especially Gross suck ass in the run game.

 

I do not think you ink Wharton and Gross to large deals and then draft a tackle on day one. That is overkill. If you think you need to improve on Wharton and Gross then do not bring one of them back and start a rookie you draft high.

The more I think about it the more I favor just bring them both back and drafting a different position. I have kinda come full circle on it. Our OL is good enough in pass protection which the main job of the tackles. We need to improve inside though and if we do bring both of them back I hope we draft a guard on day one.

 

possibly. He's not a must-have, though, and while he finished the year somewhat stronger (giving up 9 sacks on the year after starting out pretty miserably with 7 in the first couple months isn't great, but it's moderate improvement), he didn't have the run blocking he did in 05. He's a level below Gross.

The problem is we really can't afford to give up on both, not because we need continuity and all that, but because they're two of the better options in FA since there really just aren't many options in FA. We have the chance to negotiate with them before everyone else does.