FanPost

Upcoming offseason

And I'm back!

So, we all know the typical laundry list of who Ozzie has to resign.

1) Marshal Yanda

2) Leron McClain (if we cut Willis for sure, if we don't it might be up in the air)

3) Either Josh Wilson or Chris Carr. I know most fans will want Wilson, but he will likely get at least what Dominique Foxworth got, which we won't want to pay with Ladarius Webb and Jimmy Smith growing into starting roles, unless we plan on cutting Foxworth next year.

4) Long term deal for Haloti Ngata, because it will clear cap space this year and obviously we want to keep him here long term.

After that, who to cut is a big deal. I don't expect Willis McGahee back, not worth the money. I expect Kelly Gregg will probably be cut, although we might bring him back for less money. Other options are Todd Heap (no!), Derrick Mason (maybe?), and Matt Birk(no replacement).

Most of us do not expect Dawan Landry back; he will continue the trend of safety's who played next to Ed Reed getting bigger contracts than they are worth. I think Chris Chester and Jared Gaither are both gone, both are going to want big money as starters at their positions. As I stated before, it is either Carr or Wilson, not both. I would like to see Bulger back, but we know thats not in Ozzies control. He will have to decide if he is done as a starter, and wants to try for a ring with us. Fabian Washington, Donte Stallworth, and T.J. Houshmanzadeh are probably all gone, and I expect all or most of our RFA to be back with the team.

Which free agents would you like to see us make a push for this year (within reason, ie. no Nmadi Asomugha?

Some Ideas:

1) Vincent Jackson, WR- We could use a tall WR, and Torrey Smith is not there yet. The question is whether we can afford to pay big bucks to 2 stud WR's. Boldin's deal is reasonable, but would V-Jax's demands be? This assumes he does not get kept under the franchise tag this year.

Other option: Sydney Rice, Jacoby Jones, Malcom Floyd, Sam Hurd

2) Ike Taylor, CB- Is he a clear upgrade over Carr and Wilson. Probably by a little. But he is older (31) than Carr(28) and Wilson(26), and is looking for a big deal. so I personally would stay away from him, especially if he wants more than a 3 year deal.

Other option: Brandon Carr, Richard Marshall

3) Mathias Kiwanuka, OLB/DE- He is coming off an injury, but he is only 28, and has shown to be a stud in the past. Time will tell if the Ravens can afford him, but I think he would be a great addition. We need to do something about our pass-rush.

Other options: Justin Babin, Ray McDonald, Marcus Benard

4) Vonta Leach, FB- If we are going to let Leron carry the ball, we need someone to block. Leach is the best on the market.

Other options:Lawrence Vickers, John Kuhn, Ahmad Hall

Just going to throw some other names out there to discuss:

Safety- Eric Weddle, Danieal Manning, Michael Huff,

OT- Ryan Harris, Jermon Bushrod

I don't think we will go after starters at either of theses positions, but anything is possible depending on how the market plays out.

There are some good Rookie Free Agents at the safety position, and I hope we take a run at one of them. Here is a write up on the top 3 safeties, both ranked among the top 6 remaining rookies overall:

1. Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers (Scouts Inc. grade: 73)
Lefeged possesses a nice combination of size and straight-line speed, and the range, discipline and toughness to contribute as a sub-package safety and special-teams player early in his career. He also has the ability to develop into a starting strong safety in time.

5. DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson (61)
McDaniel has limitations in terms of fluidity and top-end speed, but he has the size, strength and instincts to become an effective in-the-box safety and also flashes above-average ball skills.

6. Jeron Johnson, S, Boise State (60)
Johnson is still developing in terms of instincts and discipline in coverage, but has the quickness and agility to contribute in sub packages.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/insider/news/story?id=6520608

Those are my thoughts on our offseason. Who would you like to see in Purple going into the season?

The opinions posted here are those of the writer of this article. They are in no way official comments from the team, the editors of this site or SB Nation as a whole, and should not be misconstrued as such.