Steelers are interested in bringing back Lawrence Timmons

[polamalubeast]

http://dkpittsburghsports.com/2017/02/10/interest-shown-in-bringing-back-timmons/

[Born2Steel]

Me too.

[Rotorhead]

Me 3, he played great down the stretch.

[Born2Steel]

Plainly put, you cannot get rid of all veteran leadership. Who calls the front 7 defensive plays? Was it Cam before the injury?

[Psycho Ward 86]

i dont know how i feel about this. every year for about 3-4 consecutive years, Timmons had started extremely slow. This season he was a huge culprit to our defensive struggles in the 1st half of the season. He looked like his old self in the 2nd half of the season. I feel like were paying for a Jekyll and Hyde every season. I hope we dont sign him any longer than 2 years, for more than $5 million/season. Low guaranteed money please.

Fun fact: Timmons is the 4th highest paid inside linebacker in the league. Everyone ahead of him is hilariously better (Luke Kuechly, Bobby Wagner, Navorro Bowman). Wagner and Bowman are only getting paid about $1 million more a year than Timmons.

If we unexpectedly want to spend in free agency to really complete our defense: Zach Brown, Donta Hightower, or Kevin Minter would be good options. Minter I feel like could come cheaper than expected, the cardinal linebackers in general just seem to fly under the radar. Then you also have D'Qwell Jackson as a really cerebral stopgap that would be way cheaper than Timmons while we groom a new starter next to Shazier (question is, do we want to do something like when Ben is close to done?).

I wonder if Keenan Robinson on the giants is actually good or not. Lots of starting experience, including this year for a really good giants defense. But all i can find on the web about him is how inconsistent to awful he has been in the past with the redskins. Anyone know more about this kid?

[st33lersguy]

keep him

[teegre]

i dont know how i feel about this.
...
Anyone know more about this kid?

You make some very good points.

That said, Timmons is Tomlin's favorite player. So, he's not going anywhere. It's the human side of coaching.

Even Belichick is guilty of it. He kept Jerod Mayo a few years too long... because, Mayo is his all-time favorite player.

[Method28]

It's reported the Iggles are shopping Mychal Kendricks. What do you guys think about him?

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[86WARD]

I wouldn't mind Timmons re-signing but if he didn't, I wouldn't be too upset. I also wouldn't mind Hightower as a replacement.

[Mojouw]

Hightower is going to run about 12 million per year or more. Not sure that I want an ILB with limited coverage ability to get paid that much. And yes, I realize that Timmons was making that much last year - but that is the reason everyone was complaining about his contract and questioning whether or not he will return.

A 2 or 3 down ILB can't take up the money that Hightower will command.

[Psycho Ward 86]

It's reported the Iggles are shopping Mychal Kendricks. What do you guys think about him?

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thats a big contract to pick up...4 year extension in 2015 for $29 million and $16.4 million in guarantees

[SteelMayhem72]

im a big timmons fan and i think he has been solid his whole career...hes had some injuries but over all hes very dependable

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[Psycho Ward 86]

Hightower is going to run about 12 million per year or more. Not sure that I want an ILB with limited coverage ability to get paid that much. And yes, I realize that Timmons was making that much last year - but that is the reason everyone was complaining about his contract and questioning whether or not he will return.

A 2 or 3 down ILB can't take up the money that Hightower will command.

That would make him the highest paid or 2nd highest paid inside linebacker in the league behind only Luke Kuechly: http://overthecap.com/position/inside-linebacker/

I doubt that. But I agree that he will probably be out of our price range

[86WARD]

Hightower is going to run about 12 million per year or more. Not sure that I want an ILB with limited coverage ability to get paid that much. And yes, I realize that Timmons was making that much last year - but that is the reason everyone was complaining about his contract and questioning whether or not he will return.

A 2 or 3 down ILB can't take up the money that Hightower will command.

$12M per season? What makes you think it will be that much. I had him pegged more in the range of $6-8M...which I think was less than Timmons made in 2016. But for whatever reason he's pulling in $12M a season, he's not worth close to that money imo.

[Devilsdancefloor]

Keep him draft his replacement and let Timmons do some coaching on the young padawan

[Mojouw]

Here is my thinking for Hightower and his contract:

1. Jamie Collins got about $12.5 million per from the Browns.
2. Hightower has said he wants to get paid and get paid a lot. He has turned $10 million or so per year from the Pats twice according to reports.
3. FA's from SB winning teams always get a bit of a "bump" on the market.
4. Hightower's market value is about $10 million per year due to rising salary cap next few years.

Take all that together and Hightower would be foolish to sign for anything less than $12 million per year over say the next 4 years. This will be his last "big" contract.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Here is my thinking for Hightower and his contract:

1. Jamie Collins got about $12.5 million per from the Browns.
2. Hightower has said he wants to get paid and get paid a lot. He has turned $10 million or so per year from the Pats twice according to reports.
3. FA's from SB winning teams always get a bit of a "bump" on the market.
4. Hightower's market value is about $10 million per year due to rising salary cap next few years.

Take all that together and Hightower would be foolish to sign for anything less than $12 million per year over say the next 4 years. This will be his last "big" contract.

Oh geez, i hope Timmons doesnt see all of this

[Psycho Ward 86]

the other thing that really bothers me about people who clamor for re-signing Timmons with a big part of the logic being that Vince Williams supposedly cant cover (i think he's really shown improvement there) is the fact that when we strip some of the linebackers off the field to add another DB in our nickel/dime packages, Timmons is frequently the one who comes off anyways. Is it really that big of a deal to let loose a guy who:

1) Is on the wrong side of 30?
2) Seems to start the past several seasons extremely poorly?
3) Has become victimized in the passing game?
4) Is taken off the field in subpackages, which are basically our base defense anyways?
5) Is probably going to cost a lot (recalling the fact that the steelers and Timmons tried to reach an extension agreement last season and reportedly weren't even close)?
6) May have viable replacements that are younger and the same price/cheaper on the FA market?

I mean im not trying to tell people to think one way or another because im still torn on this one, but im still leaning 60% of the way on letting Timmons walk. That money could potentially go towards shoring up his spot or another position in ways that could more than make up for his loss. The way I always try to look at potential free agency losses at the fundamental level are: 1) how good is this player? 2) how consistent/healthy is this player? 3) how old is this player? 4) how much is this player? And perhaps one of the most important one....5) how much will we miss this player if he's gone?

Timmons gets questionable marks in all of these areas from me at this stage of his career assuming that his past couple of seasons indicate a trend. Timmons is one of the highest paid ILB's in the league right now and the people ahead of him are so much better than him (Kuechly, Wagner, Bowman). There are players out there at lower pricetags who could be much brighter all-around long term solutions, especially in coverage. I did want Danny Trevathan last season and although his season ended halfway, he came quite a bit cheaper than Timmons. At the end of the day, i think keeping Timmons and not signing/drafting a viable replacement is the worst move we could do but that could turn out fine anyhow. My preference would still be either: 1) Sign Kevin Minter or some other good/young free agent ILB that would cost less than Timmons 2) Or give Williams/Matakevich a chance 3) Give Williams/Matakevich a chance and draft an heir apparent

Just my 2 cents

[Born2Steel]

the other thing that really bothers me about people who clamor for re-signing Timmons with a big part of the logic being that Vince Williams supposedly cant cover (i think he's really shown improvement there) is the fact that when we strip some of the linebackers off the field to add another DB in our nickel/dime packages, Timmons is frequently the one who comes off anyways. Is it really that big of a deal to let loose a guy who:

1) Is on the wrong side of 30?
2) Seems to start the past several seasons extremely poorly?
3) Has become victimized in the passing game?
4) Is taken off the field in subpackages, which are basically our base defense anyways?
5) Is probably going to cost a lot (recalling the fact that the steelers and Timmons tried to reach an extension agreement last season and reportedly weren't even close)?
6) May have viable replacements that are younger and the same price/cheaper on the FA market?

I mean im not trying to tell people to think one way or another because im still torn on this one, but im still leaning 60% of the way on letting Timmons walk. That money could potentially go towards shoring up his spot or another position in ways that could more than make up for his loss. The way I always try to look at potential free agency losses at the fundamental level are: 1) how good is this player? 2) how consistent/healthy is this player? 3) how old is this player? 4) how much is this player? And perhaps one of the most important one....5) how much will we miss this player if he's gone?

Timmons gets questionable marks in all of these areas from me at this stage of his career assuming that his past couple of seasons indicate a trend. Timmons is one of the highest paid ILB's in the league right now and the people ahead of him are so much better than him (Kuechly, Wagner, Bowman). There are players out there at lower pricetags who could be much brighter all-around long term solutions, especially in coverage. I did want Danny Trevathan last season and although his season ended halfway, he came quite a bit cheaper than Timmons. At the end of the day, i think keeping Timmons and not signing/drafting a viable replacement is the worst move we could do but that could turn out fine anyhow. My preference would still be either: 1) Sign Kevin Minter or some other good/young free agent ILB that would cost less than Timmons 2) Or give Williams/Matakevich a chance 3) Give Williams/Matakevich a chance and draft an heir apparent

Just my 2 cents

Alonso from Miami plays a lot like Kuechly but would/should be much cheaper. Just a thought. He played well against us with a club for a hand in the wildcard.

[Mojouw]

What if Timmons comes back for like 5 million?


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[Psycho Ward 86]

Alonso from Miami plays a lot like Kuechly but would/should be much cheaper. Just a thought. He played well against us with a club for a hand in the wildcard.

perfect. i remember you bringing him up a while ago. although i think the dolphins recently trading for him so recently would put a damper on that idea i would take him in a heartbeat if he came at basically Timmons current contract. Feel like he'd come in at less based on what the top guys make

- - - Updated - - -


What if Timmons comes back for like 5 million?


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per year?

[Mojouw]

perfect. i remember you bringing him up a while ago. although i think the dolphins recently trading for him so recently would put a damper on that idea i would take him in a heartbeat if he came at basically Timmons current contract. Feel like he'd come in at less based on what the top guys make

- - - Updated - - -



per year?

Yeah.


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[Psycho Ward 86]

Yeah.


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id be ok with that as long as its 1 or 2 years. or one of those 3 year deals we've been favoring with veteran players that are easy to opt out of fairly painlessly. id just prefer that we move on and actually do something with the money that will instantly help the defense at ILB or in other areas. i honestly wouldnt be surprised for example if signing captain munnerlyn and alex okafor/alex minter would cost only a little bit more than what timmons wants from us. if that turns out to be true, wouldnt you take that deal?

[Mojouw]

id be ok with that as long as its 1 or 2 years. or one of those 3 year deals we've been favoring with veteran players that are easy to opt out of fairly painlessly. id just prefer that we move on and actually do something with the money that will instantly help the defense at ILB or in other areas. i honestly wouldnt be surprised for example if signing captain munnerlyn and alex okafor/alex minter would cost only a little bit more than what timmons wants from us. if that turns out to be true, wouldnt you take that deal?

Yeah, I could be talked into that. But I figure Munnerlyn alone will want what they are likely willing to give Timmons. He was making 4.2 million last year. Figure he wants a raise. So 5-6 per on the FA market? I'm operating under the assumption that Steelers are only going to go 4-5 for Timmons.

Plus, unless I am wrong, Minter is a 2 down ILB at worst and shaky coverage skills at best - isn't that basically Timmons or Williams at this point?

I like your proposed deal structure for Timmons. Then draft and develop a sideline to sideline replacement for him.

[SteelMayhem72]

I dont think timmons is gonna try to break our bank...hes not one of "those guys"

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[pczach]

I love Timmons but I would love to see a younger, quicker, and more athletic ILB to pair with Shazier.

I've never been a fan of Hightower. I don't think he's worth the money. He's also not great in coverage and is a guy they get off the field or try to protect in coverage.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I dont think timmons is gonna try to break our bank...hes not one of "those guys"

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all evidence to the contrary

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/10867389-74/steelers-timmons-contract

[Mojouw]

Not sure if this is the right place for it, but I will put it here anyways.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/O/OkafAl00.htm

Why does anyone have any interest in bringing this guy in? Okafor has done almost nothing as a pro and the Cardinals have brought in 2 guys to replace him in Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

If Jarvis Jones isn't going to cut it, why should this guy? He has almost no record of NFL production.

[Born2Steel]

Not sure if this is the right place for it, but I will put it here anyways.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/O/OkafAl00.htm

Why does anyone have any interest in bringing this guy in? Okafor has done almost nothing as a pro and the Cardinals have brought in 2 guys to replace him in Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

If Jarvis Jones isn't going to cut it, why should this guy? He has almost no record of NFL production.

Not necessarily a want, but the Cards used him as a DE. In 2012 at Texas, he played OLB and had great success. He hasn't been used in that role since for some reason. I don't know if he could play 3-4 OLB or not. He hasn't been much of a DE though.

[Mojouw]

Not necessarily a want, but the Cards used him as a DE. In 2012 at Texas, he played OLB and had great success. He hasn't been used in that role since for some reason. I don't know if he could play 3-4 OLB or not. He hasn't been much of a DE though.

He is listed as LB in 2014 and 2015. In '14 it seems like he had some success with 8 sacks over 13 games. But then has totally flamed out since.

Jarvis Jones had success at college as well. Just sayin'. I mean if he wants to come to camp and compete for a spot for not a lot of money, then great. Can't hurt anything.

But they can't bring in a "meh" guy like Okafor and then sit back and do nothing else.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Not sure if this is the right place for it, but I will put it here anyways.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/O/OkafAl00.htm

Why does anyone have any interest in bringing this guy in? Okafor has done almost nothing as a pro and the Cardinals have brought in 2 guys to replace him in Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

If Jarvis Jones isn't going to cut it, why should this guy? He has almost no record of NFL production.

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/defensive-hurries

Thats fair. In his defense he probably has more pressures than you would think and played through some toe injuries/a bicep tear. Just a name to throw around. And ive been very biased towards cardinal linebackers for some time now :). Okafor did play with his hand in the ground plenty of times with the cardinals

[Mojouw]

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/defensive-hurries

Thats fair. In his defense he probably has more pressures than you would think and played through some toe injuries/a bicep tear. Just a name to throw around. And ive been very biased towards cardinal linebackers for some time now :). Okafor did play with his hand in the ground plenty of times with the cardinals

I am probably being a bit harsh on him. Like I said, my opinion of him changes based on the terms of the contract he would agree to. I'm all for it if he is cheap and cutable.

[Rotorhead]

If Timmons wants more than the Steelers are going to pay he can test FA, we have VW who is younger and just as capable. I would like LT back and have him end his career here, but not at big $$. I am happy they let his contract play out rather than push $$ down the road again, so a 2yr deal ala JH and we are set with good depth for his position.

[Born2Steel]

I would think Timmons wants to play here. He would probably sign any reasonable offer, and quickly. This shouldn't be hard to get done at all.

[BlackAndGold]

838826052092850178

Ignore the question cause it's not going to happen. But uh oh, is it VW time?

[steelreserve]

lol, he's not getting a blockbuster deal here, that's for sure. Take your Larry Foote money, or go be like Larry Foote and play somewhere else for a year, for the same amount of money, then realize you fucked up.

[Mojouw]

If Timmons leaves and Vince Williams gets beat like a drum in coverage - it is gonna get ugly around here. To me, Vince Williams is guy the other team isolates in coverages and just goes at him all day long.

Be interesting to see if the Steelers replace Timmons with another LB in the draft or if they go with a safety/CB and maybe drop Davis or Mitchell down a level in their nickel looks.

[AtlantaDan]

If Timmons leaves and Vince Williams gets beat like a drum in coverage - it is gonna get ugly around here. To me, Vince Williams is guy the other team isolates in coverages and just goes at him all day long.

Be interesting to see if the Steelers replace Timmons with another LB in the draft or if they go with a safety/CB and maybe drop Davis or Mitchell down a level in their nickel looks.

Timmons stepped up his play in 2016 compared to 2015 but the reason the Steelers took the full cap hit on his salary this past year was that he has been in decline and the Steelers did not want to defer having dead money on the books for him after this past season

The end stage of Timmons career reminds me of Farrior, who was bad in 2009, improved in 2010, then declined drastically in his final year in 2011 - someone will overpay him but it should not be the Steelers

[Mojouw]

The finances are one important factor. The other thing is that I honestly believe that in 2017 Timmons will be a better overall LB than Vince Williams will be. Now in 2018? Who knows.

I think for many of the reasons stated, Timmons is going to be on another team next year.

My immediate reaction to that is how do they "hide" Williams in pass coverage?

[Psycho Ward 86]

If Timmons leaves and Vince Williams gets beat like a drum in coverage - it is gonna get ugly around here. To me, Vince Williams is guy the other team isolates in coverages and just goes at him all day long.

Be interesting to see if the Steelers replace Timmons with another LB in the draft or if they go with a safety/CB and maybe drop Davis or Mitchell down a level in their nickel looks.

this is also Timmons. Seeing Williams beat like a drum is the cheaper alternative. I feel like our best case scenario is managing to upgrade instantly at ILB with a guy like Haason Reddick, or we really need to fortify the defense everywhere else to compensate. No defense last season was bulletproof honestly. We can still be a really good defense with one achilles heel

[pczach]

The finances are one important factor. The other thing is that I honestly believe that in 2017 Timmons will be a better overall LB than Vince Williams will be. Now in 2018? Who knows.

I think for many of the reasons stated, Timmons is going to be on another team next year.

My immediate reaction to that is how do they "hide" Williams in pass coverage?


They draft an athletic ILB early in this draft like Reddick or Foster.

Or....They draft a hybrid safety that they can move all over the field, play on third downs and be versatile enough to stay on the field on first and second downs in spots, and keep the snaps of Vince Williams to a minimum.

Or both.

Williams isn't going to like it, but I'm with you. I see him as a liability in coverage.

[steelreserve]

My immediate reaction to that is how do they "hide" Williams in pass coverage?


Safety covers the tight end like they should be doing anyway, unless the tight end is a completely incompetent receiver.

Shazier covers the underneath stuff out of the backfield unless the RB is a completely incompetent receiver.

This is not rocket science. Unfortunately, our coaches aren't rocket scientists.

But seriously, I'm not that worried. Williams has been on the field roughly as much as any of our other LBs over the past three seasons, and it's not like that killed us. Just like always with him, he may not look cut out for the job, but he manages somehow.

[BlackAndGold]

839606604353929218

[Psycho Ward 86]

839606604353929218

Fins have over $40 million in cap room. He seems as good as gone. Hopefully he signs a mega-contract so we get another 3rd round pick next season

[BlackAndGold]

I wouldn't be so sure he's gone. Not the first time the Steelers have let a free agent test free agency. I still believe he'll be back.

[tube68]

They may pull a late phone call like what they did with Ryan Clark. That comp pick has changed their outlook on free agency. Forgot to post the article link about that

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[steelreserve]

I wouldn't be so sure he's gone. Not the first time the Steelers have let a free agent test free agency. I still believe he'll be back.


Usually when one of our free agents actually starts talking to other teams, that means he'll be signing somewhere else 2 minutes after the start of free agency. The chances he'll be back are slim and none. Looks like another linebacker is in the cards for this year's draft.

[polamalubeast]

Usually when one of our free agents actually starts talking to other teams, that means he'll be signing somewhere else 2 minutes after the start of free agency. The chances he'll be back are slim and none. Looks like another linebacker is in the cards for this year's draft.


In 2010, Ryan Clark had visited another team before signing with the steelers.Same thing for Ike Taylor in 2011.

Sometimes you visit another team for a question of leverage

[Shoes]

Fins have over $40 million in cap room. He seems as good as gone. Hopefully he signs a mega-contract so we get another 3rd round pick next season

Hope so, because we lost our R6.

[BurghBoy412]

Hightower??

[pczach]

Hightower??

I think Hightower is going to demand too much money based on the success of the Patriots. However I think he's a liability in pass coverage and I am not high on him in general. Definitely not worth the money. I would rather roll with Vince Williams than to sign Hightower and put that much money onto the cap by paying him big bucks.

[Psycho Ward 86]

https://twitter.com/AKinkhabwala/status/839914366317244417

[Shoes]

I think Hightower is going to demand too much money based on the success of the Patriots. However I think he's a liability in pass coverage and I am not high on him in general. Definitely not worth the money. I would rather roll with Vince Williams than to sign Hightower and put that much money onto the cap by paying him big bucks.


Agreed, I'd surely pass and go draft. But I do think the Steelers liked him in the draft, hopefully they don't anymore.

[teegre]

But I do think the Steelers liked him in the draft, hopefully they don't anymore.

Keith Butler LOVED Hightower in that draft.

[SteelMayhem72]

Im keeping Timmons unless hes wanting stupid money

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[tube517]

Keith Butler LOVED Hightower in that draft.

http://www.steelersuniverse.com/forums/showthread.php/12824-Steelers-best-bet-It-s-Hightower?highlight=hightower

[pczach]

Keith Butler LOVED Hightower in that draft.


Hightower is basically a slightly more talented Vince Williams.

He's a very good player. He's tough in the box and against the run. The problem is that he isn't great in coverage. That's exactly the problem we have now with the current personnel on the roster at his position. Why in the world would they want to spend a ton of cash for a slight upgrade when they can draft a much more athletic player to develop and have him cheap for four years?

Butler must see something that I just don't see. He is vulnerable against the pass.

[Craic]

Hightower??

Why would we want a cop on our team?

https://3putt.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/hightower.jpg

[teegre]

Hightower is basically a slightly more talented Vince Williams.

He's a very good player. He's tough in the box and against the run. The problem is that he isn't great in coverage. That's exactly the problem we have now with the current personnel on the roster at his position. Why in the world would they want to spend a ton of cash for a slight upgrade when they can draft a much more athletic player to develop and have him cheap for four years?

Butler must see something that I just don't see. He is vulnerable against the pass.

That was 2012... his opinion might be different now.

[BurghBoy412]

Why would we want a cop on our team?

https://3putt.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/hightower.jpg
LMAO!!!

[tube517]

Why would we want a cop on our team?

https://3putt.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/hightower.jpg
[emoji38]

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[Born2Steel]

Hightower??

If Timmons signs elsewhere, Hightower would be the ONLY FA ILB that can replace his production. What you lose in coverage ability, you gain in pass rush ability. I don't know what price tag he would come with, but I would have no problem with signing Hightower, to a decent contract, if Timmons leaves.

[BurghBoy412]

If Timmons signs elsewhere, Hightower would be the ONLY FA ILB that can replace his production. What you lose in coverage ability, you gain in pass rush ability. I don't know what price tag he would come with, but I would have no problem with signing Hightower, to a decent contract, if Timmons leaves.
Completely agree with your assessment. I listened to an interview Hightower did with Shefter last week. It sounds like he's looking for a monster paycheck.

[Born2Steel]

Completely agree with your assessment. I listened to an interview Hightower did with Shefter last week. It sounds like he's looking for a monster paycheck.

That's not our typical move. He would need to EARN a monster paycheck with his play here first. Worth discussion, only if Timmons leaves. Holding pattern but interested.

[BlackAndGold]

840289080340553731

[steel striker]

840289080340553731
Well we need a LB that can cover now!

[SteelMayhem72]

Damn...timmons signs with the dolphins...timmons was one of my favs and hate to see him go...had 101 consecutive starts... Gonna be hard to replace him

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[tube517]

Bye Law dog.

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[Mojouw]

This one might bite us in the ass. However it does open up an interesting "larger" conversation:

1. Is this a Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone team still? Or is Butler attempting to oversee a transition to Cover 1 or Zone man?
2. If not a zone team, then does Teegre's long called for Duane Buchannon clone make sense at ILB rather than the traditional "thumper" at ILB?
3. What about Williams and Matekavich?

[BlackAndGold]

Vince Williams is the man now beside Shazier.

[Born2Steel]

Wow! This one is a bit of a surprise.

[AtlantaDan]

ESPN shares my view that is a lot of money to guarantee for 2018 - Steelers were not willing to keep Timmons from testing the market and the risk someone will overpay happened

Grade: C
It was unlikely that Timmons would return to the Steelers because of the hometown premium (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/ed-reed-brian-urlacher-and-the-curse-of-the-hometown-premium/), the weird economic problem where players are more likely to take pay cuts from other organizations than they are from their own. Timmons made $8.8 million as part of his staggering $15.1 million cap hit with the Steelers in the final year of his oft-restructured deal, and it was tough to imagine Pittsburgh matching that annual salary while managing raises for Antonio Brown (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13934/antonio-brown) and Le'Veon Bell (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/15825/leveon-bell).

So, Timmons instead finds his way to Miami, which has struck out repeatedly in trying to sign linebackers in free agency and just gave Kiko Alonso (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/15819/kiko-alonso) a first-round tender out of the fear that somebody would try and swoop him away for a second-round pick with a large contract. (A second-round pick for Kiko Alonso, if I'm not being clear, would be an excellent deal for the pick-strapped Dolphins.) With Alonso likely moving to the weakside, Timmons will move to a 4-3 for the first time in his professional career and play middle linebacker behind Ndamukong Suh (http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/13234/ndamukong-suh).


It's hardly out of the question Timmons will be worth his deal, especially in the first year. I'd be worried about committing to a second season, as the Dolphins have done by guaranteeing $11 million of Timmons' $12 million total, for an inside linebacker who will be in his age-32 season in 2018. Timmons will be a much-needed upgrade on Jelani Jenkins in Miami's nickel packages, but Timmons himself was taken advantage of at times by teams who exploited his declining foot speed. The Dolphins upgraded, but again, there's the question of whether they've paid a premium at a spot in their lineup where that wasn't necessary.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx2017FAgrades/bill-barnwell-grades-big-2017-free-agent-deals-nfl

[Born2Steel]

What I'm taking from that article is that the Dolphins won't be competition for drafting Reddick now. :whoo:

[vader29]

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[BlackAndGold]

840306565278240776

Meh, let him rot down there in Miami.

[Psycho Ward 86]

gonna miss the guy, but the longer the offseason went on, the more i preferred that we didnt sign him. in all likelihood we'll see some dropoff from Timmons to Williams taking over, but i dont think itll be quite as bad as some people think. And we wont be paying a lot of money for Williams to get the job done. No way should we have given Timmons guaranteed money to compete with the dolphins offer.

"But Vince Williams cant cover!"....are we totally sure about this? He doesnt exactly get sent into coverage a lot. Besides, no defense is bulletproof. I think Mitchell will still be a bigger deficiency on this defense than Williams. As long as we really shore up in other places, we can compensate for a few weakpoints and continue have this defense on the rise. Timmons has been getting taken advantage of more and more the past few years anyways, so now were just letting it happen at a cheaper pricetag.

1) I guess this might shoot Haason Reddick up our draft board?
2) I swear to god, dont say Donta Hightower
3) Kevin Minter is a good sleeper pick up if we arent feeling confident enough at ILB. Any takers?

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[Psycho Ward 86]

Does anyone know if it's true that we can't get anything higher than a 5th round compensatory pick for Timmons?

When Alan Faneca left after his Pro Bowl year in 2008 the Steelers received a 5th round comp and weren't happy about it. Per John Clayton:

"The Steelers asked the same question at the owners’ meeting. What they found out is that a departing free agent older than 30 can’t net anything better than a fifth-round choice. They were banking on a third, too. They received the max value. They simply didn’t know the rule that has been there for a few years in the compensatory formula.”

[SteelerFanInStl]

I'm not real comfortable with the situation that we're in right now. It's not so much that Timmons left but that I think we've got too many important spots to fill now. Timmons isn't worth what Miami gave him, especially the guaranteed money. Vince can step in to the starting lineup for now but no, he's not good in coverage. How much worse is he than Timmons though, if at all? Both are a liability in coverage.

All this does for me is re-emphasize that we need someone like Reddick in the first. I like the idea of drafting him and moving him to ILB to pair with Shazier.

[Born2Steel]

I'm not real comfortable with the situation that we're in right now. It's not so much that Timmons left but that I think we've got too many important spots to fill now. Timmons isn't worth what Miami gave him, especially the guaranteed money. Vince can step in to the starting lineup for now but no, he's not good in coverage. How much worse is he than Timmons though, if at all? Both are a liability in coverage.

All this does for me is re-emphasize that we need someone like Reddick in the first. I like the idea of drafting him and moving him to ILB to pair with Shazier.

Makes it a position of need. I would love to sign Hightower/Brown, AND draft Reddick. Stopping the run makes teams have to pass which allows our blitz packages to be more effective.

[BurghBoy412]

gonna miss the guy, but the longer the offseason went on, the more i preferred that we didnt sign him. in all likelihood we'll see some dropoff from Timmons to Williams taking over, but i dont think itll be quite as bad as some people think. And we wont be paying a lot of money for Williams to get the job done. No way should we have given Timmons guaranteed money to compete with the dolphins offer.

"But Vince Williams cant cover!"....are we totally sure about this? He doesnt exactly get sent into coverage a lot. Besides, no defense is bulletproof. I think Mitchell will still be a bigger deficiency on this defense than Williams. As long as we really shore up in other places, we can compensate for a few weakpoints and continue have this defense on the rise. Timmons has been getting taken advantage of more and more the past few years anyways, so now were just letting it happen at a cheaper pricetag.

1) I guess this might shoot Haason Reddick up our draft board?
2) I swear to god, dont say Donta Hightower
3) Kevin Minter is a good sleeper pick up if we arent feeling confident enough at ILB. Any takers?

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170311/47bf34b6ea90ab37cc03aeb5ecec3a74.jpg
Mr. Dont'a Hightower