It would be a lot cheaper to promote Allen to starting OG and Stephenson to starting RT and then sign FA's or draft for depth.
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It would be a lot cheaper to promote Allen to starting OG and Stephenson to starting RT and then sign FA's or draft for depth.
Why he was released instead of traded?
Winston took the booing personal. 1. It was hit fault Cassel got hit. He got beat. 2. He is in no position to call out an entire fan base the way he did. It gave the Chiefs fan base a very bad reputation as his response went viral in the National Media about how poor the Chiefs fan base was. 3. He was very skeptical as a player all year. I thought when we signed him he was going to be a rock at RT. I think Stephenson will be an upgrade, if the Chiefs don't move Albert to RT which by the Way he said on Twitter was a big NO WAY.
I am not happy to see him go, but I could care less if he stayed. I liked it better when our offensive lineman had a rule to never speak to the media, because he was voice of excuses. He was a true leader of a losing team.
I've actually been trying to find something on this too. Its highly possible that either Hali or DJ could get traded. When their contracts are up we wont be able to resign all these guys anyway. We may as well get something for them now. If our offense can score points we could win games without one of these guys, and we would be helping our own cause in the long run.
I'm not hoping to see this, but I would be ok, and would understand such a move.
I love the intellectual speculation! It's what makes this site great IMO! :smile
...That is all!
But of course, Albert thinks he knows what's best for a team coming off a 2-14 season. If he signs the tender, he'll play where they tell him to or he could face suspension without pay. The final say ISN'T his. Anyone remember 1999 1st round draftee LT John Tait? He was a better LT than Albert will ever be, and yet, nobody heard him complain about the move to RT when Willie Roaf was brought in.
Albert would do well to lay off the contraband substance he's known for and step into the world of reality. In case he hasn't noticed, there is a new Sherriff in town & they don't owe him the time of day.
I don't view Hali and D.J. as being in the same kind of situation as Winston. Winston apparently had injury issues, he didn't play well last season, he's not known for his pass-blocking skills, he was only guaranteed $1M, there's at least one suitable backup on the team to replace him, he's not a pro bowl player, and he pissed off the fan base.
D.J. and Hali are players at the top of their position and they're not exactly breaking the bank. Yes, they could provide some cap relief, but to what end? The Chiefs aren't going to find upgrades or even comparable talent for the money they'd be saving by releasing these guys. There certainly isn't a suitable backup for either of these players considering that the Chiefs are already looking to fill one of the ILB spots on this defense. Cutting D.J. and Hali would create 3 holes on a LB corp that is currently 1 player away from perhaps being the best LB unit in the league.
Now, that doesn't mean that bringing up a contract restructure with these guys wouldn't be advantageous, but trading or releasing these guys wouldn't bring back the value they currently offer the franchise. If it were possible to get comparable talent at a MUCH lower rate, I might be for it... but where are you going to get that from? You can't bank on getting elite talent in free agency or the draft. Winston was a relative easy cut because you could find or currently possess comparable talent at a much lower cost.
The final say ultimately IS his. If he doesn't want to play LT, he doesn't HAVE to. There would definitely be consequences to that action, such as the one you pointed out, but if he thinks he's damaging his career by making that switch, he doesn't HAVE to play.