2023 Official Roster Build Thread - The Initial 53 / Practice Squad

[Critty]

Since the Titans are trying to dump Derrick Henry and they have the 11th pick isn't the writing pretty much on the wall that they are probably looking at drafting Bijan at 11? Chargers are probably going to lose Ekeler and Bijan will be long gone because I don't see them trading into the top 10 to draft him!

Telesco has traded up many times before.
Staley loves a football playing jessie.
For Bijan Robinson.
10% chance they trade up to 8-10.
25% chance they trade up to 11-14.
50% chance they trade up to 15-17.
75% chance they trade up 18-20.
100% chance they draft Bijan at #21.

[Fouts2herbert]

This situation has all the makings of a draft day deal. If the right RB is there for Chargers to draft, then they pull the trigger on a trade. If not they keep him and have him play out the final year of his contract.

I’m super bummed he might be gone, this is not good for the chargers, if you can’t pay a kid like this then who? Oh yeah, the high draft picks that underachieve, yeah we pay those guys because it makes the FO look like they know how to draft, LOL…

[Fouts2herbert]

Ekeler's happy pay rate is too high for Stalesco.
I'm think he wants top 10 RB money and thinks he can get it.
Pay me or Trade me.

Why wouldn’t want top ten pay? Unless you believe that he hasn’t performed like a top ten back…

[RockyMtnBoltFan]

I’m super bummed he might be gone, this is not good for the chargers, if you can’t pay a kid like this then who? Oh yeah, the high draft picks that underachieve, yeah we pay those guys because it makes the FO look like they know how to draft, LOL…

agree…talk about sending the wrong message to the team. Not willing to fairly compensate someone that has been as valuable as anyone on this team the past 2 years. Works his ass off, prepares, delivers at a high level….no soup for you!!!

[SAY OW 55]

Suppose they could. Cordarelle Paterson is 31 and losing carries to Algier. But picking 8th, that isn't cool with RBs anymore lol.

Just seems like a Falcons thing. Take the best most explosive offensive player just like Julio Jones again. With Kyle Pitts is there the back helps.

[SAY OW 55]

That’s why I bought up Jabry Gibbs I just think he’s the most realistic pic. Comp to Eckler cheap rookie deal. The chargers look at the running back position as interchangeable but you can’t factor in stuff like work ethic because you don’t know that until you get them in the building.

I just think Robinson will be off the board. With teams like the Titans and Falcons teams will want backs.

he will still be there and you get your 4.3 guy.

[SAY OW 55]

Eckler works his ass off. One of our Hardest workers. That’s who I want working with our Quarterback Justin Herbert. Austin Eckler deserves a contract.

[Critty]

Why wouldn’t want top ten pay? Unless you believe that he hasn’t performed like a top ten back…

I would pay him.

[jamrock]

agree…talk about sending the wrong message to the team. Not willing to fairly compensate someone that has been as valuable as anyone on this team the past 2 years. Works his ass off, prepares, delivers at a high level….no soup for you!!!

They already sent that message to a lesser extent with Chenna and Kyzir and now Tranq.

[Fouts2herbert]

agree…talk about sending the wrong message to the team. Not willing to fairly compensate someone that has been as valuable as anyone on this team the past 2 years. Works his ass off, prepares, delivers at a high level….no soup for you!!!

For all the folks that wanted the Chargers to trade for CMC when the Panthers shopped him before the deadline, I guess the grass is always greener here on the forums…would you believe me if I told you guys that the chargers have their own version of CMC?

Ekeler 811 rush attempts 3,727 yards 4.6 yard avg 34 rushing TD’s 389 receptions 3,448 yards 8.9 avg per reception 29 TD’s

CMC 1,025 rush attempts 4,726 yards 4.6 yard avg 38 rushing TD’s 442 receptions 3,756 yards 8.5 avg per reception 22 TD’s

Look at the fucking numbers they don’t lie!!!

Austin is one year and 9 days older than CMC but he also has 214 less carries and 53 less catches for a total of 267 less touches although both entered the league in 2017, Austin wasn’t featured until 2020…and he hasn’t missed the huge chunks of time due to injury that CMC has…Also on 267 less touches Austin has 3 more TD’s than CMC! So his TD efficiency rating is actually higher than CMC’s!

Also, the 49ers sent the panthers their 2nd, 3rd, and 4rth round picks in this 2023 draft plus an additional 5th rounder in the 2024 draft…

Austin turns 28 in late May and CMC turns 27 in early June…but CMC has also had much more severe injuries in his NFL career…so is CMC really that much better? The production based on touches says no, the TD efficiency says no, so it is it simply that he’s more of a household name and was drafted high in 2017 vs Austin going undrafted?

So Austin is a year older but has one year less of wear and tear, plus he’s more efficient than CMC at scoring TD’s…

[Fouts2herbert]

I should also mention that in 2020 CMC signed a 4 year extension worth 60 mil and with 32 mil in guaranteed money, in 2022 after the trade the 49ers “refreshed” his deal by adding an additional year at 12 mil per and giving him another bonus of 27 mil up front, counting his rookie contract CMC has recieved over 60 mil just in bonuses.

that same year in 2020 Austin got his 4 year 24 mil deal and here’s the kicker, since 2020 he’s vastly outperformed CMC while earning much less than half, hell, just one CMC’s bonuses was more than the entire sum of money Austin has earned in his career!!!

I’ve been saying it for years that players need to be slotted flat pay based on draft position and playing position, then they should compete for the rest of the cap money thru incentive based pay, and no team would ever have to worry about hold outs or whatever, and the guys that stay healthy and kick ass earn the most…you can’t look at those numbers and deny that the system is broken…I’m 100% behind Austin and he DESERVES the money!

[Bolt4Knob]

I am not seeing alot of disrespect for Ekler, more seeing understanding of the salary cap, where the Chargers are in relation to that, and positional heirachy in the NFL and where RBs fall into that

Its not disrespect

I respect the heck out of Ekeler being a UDFA and getting that big contract

Its the NFL and these are the tough decisions. Personally, I thopught it would be Allen and so did Popper and so did others. And if choosing today, I still would have moved on from Allen over Ekeler

That said, I also understand the Chargers offense was pretty sporadic and sputtering last year. And I get there were injuries to LT , WR, etc and that made Ekeler shoulder more of the load. They do need a better running game to compliment him. But they also need to open the passing game more and not these dump offs to Ek all game.