FanPost

Who else could be traded?

Alright guys so I've been doing some studying of our roster, and the Carter/Reed trade has got me thinking...Who else could potentially be moved prior to the deadline to trim down the roster? Grigson has shown three times now that he will make this move. He traded Geathers for Havili earlier in the offseason, Hughes for Shephard, and now Carter for Reed. All three of the Colts players that were traded had a very small chance of making the roster, and Grigson tried to deal his players to at least get something in return. Note that the deadlines for trimming the roster down is as follows:

+ Aug. 27th clubs must reduce their roster from 90 to 75

+ Aug. 31st clubs must reduce their roster from 75 to 53

+ Sep. 4th the Practice Squad will be announced

This means that we must make our first cut after our third preseason game against the Browns and our second cut after our game against the Bengals. I will first start by projecting my 53 man roster and then evaluate the spot on the bubble.

Offense:

QB: Luck, Hasselbeck

RB: Ballard, Bradshaw, Brown, Williams

FB: Havili

WR: Wayne, DHB, Hilton, Whalen, Brazil, Reed(also KR)

TE: Allen, Fleener, Cunningham

OT: Castonzo, Cherilus, Cleary or Reitz

OG: Thomas, McGlynn, Thornton, Linkenbach

OC: Satele, Holmes

(25 players listed here. 1 will be moved to the PS after week 4 to make room for Brazil who is already listed. My guess is Williams or potentially Harnish. It is also a possibility to release someone, possibly Cleary or Reitz when Brazil returns.)

Defense:

DE: Redding, RJF, Hughes, Nevis, Moala

NT: Franklin, Chapman

OLB: Walden, Mathis, Werner, Sidbury, Rayford

ILB: Freeman, Angerer, Conner, Sheppard

CB: Davis, Toler, Butler, Vaughn, Chapman

S: Bethea, Landry, Lefeged, Howell

25 players listed here.

Special teams:

K: Vinatieri

P: Boomstick

LS: Overton

Okay first let me start by saying that I did some research on how these numbers compared to last team's 53 man roster. Here are the differences:

1) We kept 3 QBs on the roster last season. I say Harnish goes to the PS.

2) We didn't have a FB last year.

3) We carried 4 RBs on the roster last year (Brown, Ballard, Moore, Carter) subtract one

RB

and add a FB to make up the difference.

4) There were 5-6 WRs on the roster last year (Kris Adams being the forgotten WR). I say Reed makes the team b/c of the position he plays and especially because of Brazil's 4 game suspension. No one in camp has impressed enough to earn a spot below Whalen/Brazil.

5) There were 3 TEs on the roster. That is probably the hardest position to compare to last year because of Pep's affinity for the big TE sets and his various uses of the TE position, especially with the recent minor injuries to both Fleener and Allen. Depending on how Hamilton wants to use the TE, he could see a need for a 4th in Dominique Jones. I don't think we carry that many, which puts him on the bubble

6) We carried 9 offensive linemen last year. I have 9 up there this year as well. I think the final cut is going to come down between Cleary and Reitz. One of those could easily not make the roster this year.

7) Bleacher Report lists us as having only 6 defensive linemen last season in AJ, Redding, Moala, Nevis, Mathews, and Tevaseu. If we keep the same number this year than that would put Moala on notice (assuming the coaching staff has finally suplanted Nevis above him on the depth chart). Moala is also a bubble player and cannot be placed on the PS because he has played too many games to qualify.

8) There were 9 players on roster last year that were linebackers. I would have McNary and Sidbury fighting for the final LB spot. I know Sidbury is an OLB while Mcnary is a transplanted ILB, but I don't see us having much more than that. Rayford has supplanted himself on the final roster in my opinion due to his recent preseason production. My gut feeling is Sidbury will make the team and McNary will make the Practice Squad due to his eligibility.

9) We had 9 DBs on the roster last year and I'm fairly certain the nine listed above will be all that make it.

10) The special teams, center position, and fullback position are the only ones I think are set in stone and we will see no surprises in that.

NOW...I can finally get to the topic of my post. I wanted to give you guys an educated prediction on the final roster and compare them to last year's numbers for both offense and defense. Lets finally look at the people that are on the bubble or that would have potential trade value for another serviceable player at a different position.

1) Harnish is staying plane and simple. It's just a matter of if he makes the 53 man roster or if he goes on the practice squad.

2) Williams is a 7th round pick. I don't think he has done enough in preseason to generate a potential trade partner's interest. He will either make the team as a Kick returner or make the practice squad.

3) I really don't see anyone on our O-Line having any trade value because, well....they're not that good. I think Reitz and Cleary are fighting for the last spot. I personally like Reitz because while he has been working out at tackle, he is proven serviceable depth at the LG position as well. I think Reitz will be the utility lineman on the left side of the line while Link works the right side in case injuries happen. There is also Ijalana, but because of his inexperience and injury history has no value.

4) I think Tevaseau is a great candidate. The nose tackle position is stacked with Franklin and Chapman and having Hughes and even Redding (pass situations) playing tackle. Tevaseau signed his tenure this offseason, so we would certainly not save any money by trading him, but maybe we could still get something for him.

5) Moala is another interesting option. He was placed on IR last year and suffered another injury to put him on the PUP list for half of preseason, which would make any potential trade partner weary. I think he eeks into the final 53 and is last on the depth chart for the DE position.

6) As stated above, I think Sid and Mcnary are fighting for the final LB position. Sid has done nothing for us this preseason. I also would think Grigs would be reluctant to trade someone he just signed from ATL, but we are fairly deep at the LB position. I like McNary being on the PS to come up in case of an injury because he played OLB in college and is now working out as an ILB. He could be brought up in a pinch.

7) I don't think we have anyone in the secondary with any value unless we can find a sucker for Gordy like Grigs did lol.

8) Dominique Jones will be interesting to watch as well depending on if any team suffers more injuries to the TE position.

Anyway let me know what you guys think. I tried not to turn this into a "who will make the roster" post but rather give you guys my educated guess on who is on the bubble and could potentially be involved in a trade in the next week or so.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.