Ray_T

I think it depends. if hes the teams #2 WR hes gonna get more looks than he got as a WR3 in the old offense. either way I think if you get him for the price of a WR4 or WR5 he will probably do well enough for you.

with respect to Chark I'd like to point out something else: year 1 he didnt play much. he was a rookie. year 2, 15 GP 118 targets 73 Catches 1008 yards and 8 TD Year 3 13 GP 93 targets, 53 catches 706 yards and 5 TD (pro rated over 16 games hes 868 yards and 6 TD) Year 4----injured most of the year. Year 5 in detroit 11 GP, 52 targets 30 catches 502 yards and 3 TD. worth noting he was injured much of the early part of this season as well. but his last 6 games when he finally got a bit healthy he got 388 yards. 3 games where he got 90+ yards receiving. this is enough to make me wanna see this guy fully healthy and with a good QB. Year 6 was a dogs breakfast in Carolina. 525 yards and 5 TD playing on a bad team. not sure what to make of this. I've seen him play and at times he looks like a stud, but then he goes and disappears at times too. (usually as a result of some injury) hes one guy who I feel at some point may break out but if it doesnt happen I think it will be because of his inability to stay healthy. but he has the potential to be a starter. I'm just not sure if he will take that last step he needs to take to get there. but the talent IS there.

I think he will be given a chance to do more than hes done in the past. he got 769 total yards with 3 TD in his second year. Last year 581 yards and 2 TD in 11 GP. pro rated over 17 games we are getting close to 900 yards and 3 TD. so if he gets more playing time as I think he will, he could be a 1000 yard guy. I'm not a big fan of his TD stats though so even if he gets 1000 yards the TD's will likely be underwhelming so he may be a guy you can draft as a WR4/5 but could produce as a WR3. to get into WR1/2 territory he likely needs more than 7 or 8 TD or he needs 1100+ yards. I'm not seeing that, but I could definitely see him as a high end WR3 or (at best) a really low end WR2 if things fall right for him. bottom line, he needs a lot more TD if hes gonna become anything more than a WR3.

that wasnt necessarily the part that was uncalled for. but calling him a free yahoo league guy is a bit over the top. I consider all of you on this board (with one or two exceptions) to be above that level in terms of knowledge. Thats one of the reasons I like chatting on this board. yes, grabbing a guy like this in round 6 of a rookie draft is certainly fair and reasonable. but then again, most of your roster guys in a league like this dont come from round 6. so you are playing with house money if he turns out to be a player you got him almost for free.

with regards to argument 1) Cousins has actually been durable over the course of his career. I personally never had any thought that hed get hurt. There is a higher risk of injury in the first year back from a major surgery on the knee. I dont know what the stats are on an Achilles. The only question I have is whether hes ready to play on day 1 of camp. if he appears on the PUP list I'll have my answer but I suspect he will be fine there. with respect to argument 2- I dont care if it hurts his feelings. Lots of players put up their best statistical seasons of their careers when there is a potential replacement sitting on the bench. and I agree fully with your point here. with argument 3- I dont know that this team was ready to win now. they need to take a step or two first. Actually making the playoffs being the first step and I think Cousins likely gets them there. but its also about developing and evaluating the young talent on the offense as well I'm also not sold on Penix but I think he has a chance to be a good pro. he needs to work on some footwork and mechanics, so sitting behind a proven QB who at least can get them to the playoffs isnt a bad thing. we can debate how long it will be before the guy will play but in reality we dont know. but the team can afford to wait when they have Cousins under contract. while I dont love the move, I also dont hate it. but I do understand it. Lots of us are speculating how this will go, but likely only those behind the scenes truly know what the deal is.

I dont think the packers play worked out that bad. This is the second time they ended up with a franchise QB after letting him sit behind their starter for a couple years. this move looks no different. Maybe cousins is there to help them win, but maybe hes also there to mentor the kid. I find it hard to believe that cousins takes them to the superbowl. hes not won in the playoffs historically hes only been a top regular season QB. that said i dont know that there was a better option in free agency and they have some young pieces on offense who are at a place in their careers where the team needs to evaluate whether they should sign keep them (and extend) or dump. tough to figure that out when you have a bad QB like they had the last couple years or a rookie like they were planning on drafting this year knowing hes not ready to start out of the gate. so I think they swallowed hard and signed cousins. with a legit guy at QB and what I consider to be one of the top O lines in the league, you at least can properly evaluate the talent at the rest of the offensive positions (WR, TE, RB) so there is value here even if cousins doesnt get them past the first round of the playoffs. only time will tell if its the right solution. I do think there will be a breakout at WR or TE with cousins there (possibly both) and if that happens and they mentor the kid who gets to see up close how cousins does things I think there is a lot to be gained here. if cousins performs well, his contract can be moved. I know he has a full no trade, but if the team tells him that hes gonna be the backup, cousins would waive that no trade clause in a hurry if it gets him a chance to start elsewhere. So I dont think the team is fully handcuffed here. and Cousins, knowing his replacement is already on the team may actually perform better than he has in the past. I fully admit this is a best case scenario. I am not saying this will happen but its one possible outcome out of many.

Thats a bit uncalled for. Hes right to be somewhat skeptical about Rattler. He appeared to regress after a good start to his college career. I'm not about to so far as to say hes not gonna play in the NFL as it is possible he does. but he is one of those players whose floor is low and whose ceiling is high. (boom or bust) he just happens to think its gonna be the latter and you obviously think its the former. if he was that good a QB prospect he would have been drafted in round 1. That said, scouts make mistakes all the time.. Look at all the first round duds over the years....... and Brady was drafted in roughly the same part of the draft back in his day. but given where he was drafted, if things dont work out, the team will be far more likely to kick him to the curb and cut their losses. As a first rounder, usually you will get multiple chances to prove you can play. Thats the biggest difference.

yeah, the team as a whole is pretty solid. I have to think the team will finish higher in the standings over the next year or two while Cousins starts. so I am not expecting a better QB will fall to them in future years. This might have been the deepest draft in a generation at QB. most years only have 2-3 draftable QB in round 1 and one is usually a dud. this year there were 6 first round QB. so the better move is to take one and develop him behind a solid starter. if his development comes along more quickly than expected you can pivot. If cousins gets hurt (as is the risk with an older qb) then your guy plays early.

yeah, in 1 QB leagues hes likely a very good backup who can likely start in select matchups. in 2 QB leagues hes a nice guy to have on the roster. so its all about perspective, and the type of league you are in.

haha we need to make sure we specify if we are talking fantasy football, or real life football. the two are not the same

you're probably right. I just thought the offense looked better with him there. that does not always translate into numbers. you also need to look at situation. most of his time in Oakland he didnt have much in the way of WR to throw to until that final season. not sure what happened that final year, but it seems Carr was not ideally suited to the offense they installed that year. in NO the line wasnt outstanding so if they fix that alone I suspect this offense will be better. whether he can take advantage of that remains to be seen, but I do like Carr as a QB. obviously you avoid if there are bonus points for QB's who run the ball but otherwise hes solid. I may target him in my 2 QB league this year if I decide not to keep Cousins.

agreed. though I feel they did perform better as an offense when Kamara returned. Not sure if it shows on the stat sheet or not, but the offense looked better as the season wore on. if they resolve even some of the line issues I see every aspect of that offense improving

I saw that. I like him. hes fast. I think 4.35 speed. but still at times has shown he need a little polish on his route running. but more importantly, he seems to get injured a lot. hes a nice dark horse or late round lotto ticket

I think we know who he is. and he may turn into a player. but it may take a year or two. McConkey is likely the guy there, but they may still sign another WR to add to the group. Its not a lock that McConkey is highly productive as a rookie. I hope he is, but the guy looked(to me) like a high talent player who may need a little time to put it all together. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. The talent is still there. The best argument for selecting him is the fact he likely is the most talented WR on the roster and hes playing for a gifted QB. That may be enough.

if he could stay on the field, he would likely still be a Charger.

sadly this is far too common. then the player thinks he can do no wrong. like hes above the law.... then they give him millions of dollars. what could possibly go wrong?

or he gets a season to get healthy while cousins plays. Might be a good thing.

well, its starting to look like a pattern of behaviour. I was wondering how such a talented guy slid so far in the draft..... now I know.

its funny how that happens. The injury is never nearly as bad once a potential replacement is on the roster.

based on some of the scouting reports I saw, he would have gone a lot earlier in the draft if it wasnt for the injury history.

well, it feels like Penix is a better deep ball thrower and Nix is a better scrambler. While Penix has that tool in the toolbox, the fact hes been injured a lot likely makes him a bad candidate to play this way. if I was his coach I'd tell him not to scramble unless he absolutely has to. I'd groom him as a pocket passer. I think this kid will be able to play if he has a good line in front of him. but that good line is necessary. not only to aid his development but also to keep him from taking too many hits. if you dont want your QB to scramble, you gotta build a good line to keep a clean pocket for your guy to work behind.

well, if Rodgers was almost healthy enough to play late in the year, I figured Cousins would likely be ready for camp provided there were no setbacks in his recovery

it is hard to say when you have a small sample size. so yeah, projecting his deep ball ability is not necessarily easy. it could also be a function of the WR that were on the roster, coaching preferences etc. as for the fidgety when the first read not there, that is a bit concerning. I fully admit. could also be a case where the WR are not where they should be. it can be a double edged sword and I dont watch enough of the tape to know how the play is supposed to run. If I was scouting professionally I'd watch some practices to see. if the coach has the play run and the WR are where they are supposed to be and hes behaving like that when the first read isnt there, thats very concerning. but I know at the college level, some WR dont run the route the way they should and end up being in the wrong place. That makes it real tough on a QB. Back in the day when I played, That was the toughest part as a QB. when you go to your second(or third) read and the guy isnt where hes supposed to be. I have to assume if the team liked him they would have gone to the effort to find out if its a QB issue or a WR issue but as I've gotten older I dont know that the scouting is always that 'in depth' and the reality is.... it should be. like I said, I honestly have not seen enough of the guy to be able to make that determination but it is a question that needs to be answered with this guy. (which is likely the reason he wasnt drafted sooner) Personally I had him pegged as a 2nd round pick rather than a first rounder, but clearly someone felt differently.

historically hes had a good YPC average. whether he sticks may depend on a number of factors which include salary. if hes on a team friendly deal maybe they ditch someone else. the link didnt say how much the contract was for, but I'd suggest that his staying power may depend largely on how team friendly that contract actually is.

like I said, earlier....... if hes on the PUP when the pre season starts i'd be concerned, because he will be sitting at a time when he should be establishing a connection with his new WR's but Cousins game does not really depend on mobility. and he looked super sharp before he went down. so as long as he can throw a football, and shuffle in the pocket like he typically does, he should be fine. Rodgers, on the other hand does depend some on his mobility so in theory the injury should hurt him more. That said Rodgers can still throw effectively in the pocket so I dont think it hurts him all that much either. but I would rule out significant rushing yards from Rodgers. Granted thats not as huge a part of his game as it once was anyhow. anyhow, my point is an achilles isnt a death sentence for a QB like it is for a RB. certainly its not a good thing but you need to look at the injury in the context of the skillset. This injury hurts someone like Lamar Jackson far more than it hurts a guy like Cousins because their mobility and threat to run forces teams to do other things on defense that make them more effective as a QB.