Statistical reasons to Scratch Ickey from returning as a LT--Even in 2027

[kass]

6 hours ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

Not sure you can blame the front office there. We had 3 OL have the equivalent of season ending injuries between Hunt, BC, and Icky despite having a good unit IMO.

Now... I do blame the front office drafting RBs and old college busts (DJ) when we had more pressing needs

I think having consistency and keeping most of the unit is key to success and one reason the oline did not fall apart despite all the injuries. Was it 11 different combinations? Have to give credit to the O-line coach also.

but... an aging unit, probably mean a higher risk of injuries. So with a unit of 9 players, cant just add vets to the group. Then you probably end up with having to draft multiple players some drafts. 

[Khyber53]

While I really hope things pan out for the young man, sometimes you've got to make a calculated guess on your returns.

I wanted so bad to see us use our first round pick on a LB, C or TE this season, but I think this one injury changes everything.

I might suggest taking the best and the second best OTs available in the draft with our first and second round picks. The injury to Icky really makes the first one a good choice and an affordable one. And Moton, who is long in the tooth, needs someone in the wings behind him. 

This also means that BC is going to need to get a contract for this upcoming season both as a starter at LT and to train the younger player behind him. Also it means that we need to extend a solid contract to Cade Mays and lock him down as our Center for the next four years.

Maybe Icky can recover fully and be a starting LT again, but the odds aren't in his favor. Maybe he could be back in line to play as a guard right as our current starters' contracts wind down.

It's not pretty having to spend all your picks and money on the line, but it seems to be the wise investment in light of everything.

[Panthero]

Based on these numbers, Id cut the guy if you can avoid paying him 17 million for a 5th year.

[Captain Morgan]

1 hour ago, Panthero said:

Based on these numbers, Id cut the guy if you can avoid paying him 17 million for a 5th year.

we can cut him, but 5th year option has been exercised, and his salary is guaranteed

[pantherclaw]

I hate it for Ickey. He has been dependable and improved every year. 

Unfortunately,  Morgan can't depend on him moving forward.   I understand if they retain him throughout his recovery, and possible position switch should he regain a majority of his ability.  

They definitely need to look at bring in another LT.  it certainly makes the off-season a bit more challenging for the front office.  Next few months are going to be interesting to see how they manage the situation.  

[Urrymonster2]

We’ve got a gluten of holes on the roster, at least at quality starter level. However I wouldn’t hesitate to invest at OLine if a premium player was available to us.

Wonder if we can pick up some decent veteran depth though to avoid dependence on a rookie. Nothing crazy priced, but something that gives Icky room to recover and is to take the BPA

 

[MHS831]

19 hours ago, csx said:

Slater is expected  to return for camp and Brown returned to play in a little over a year (texans signed him with the knee issue)

 

Its certainly a terrible situation and Icky wont play next season but be careful using AI to summarize info. It doesn't replace reading the current information yourself. It always takes in to account out of date speculation and displays it as facts.

I know--I would also caution anyone from using isolated incidents to make general assumptions--every injury is different.  If this were my knee, I would not use AI.  On a football chat board, different story.  My concerns with the AI--were they talking about all positions or just OL?  Then OTs.  Hard to find that information but your point is valid and always assumed when usingAI.  I do encourage stats that counter this because I would love to be wrong

Edited 12 minutes ago by MHS831

[rebelrouser]

He is only under contract through 2026 and won't be playing any in that year so we won't really know the extent of his injury recovery before we must give him a new contract.  That means we are in a really tough spot.  That also probably means we have to use our no. 1 on LT.  I think there are four legit round one left tackle talents (Fano, Mauigoa, Proctor, and Lomu). I think it would be risky to wait for round 2 (Tiernan or Freeling) but we could roll the dice and move Moton over to LT while the new guy gets his feet under him.  I do not see how we could possibly not use one of the first two picks on a LT.