Originally posted by SofaKing:
Originally posted by Willisfn4life:
Yup. Harbaugh's first season. I think the versatility of a team's offensive line is what weighs the heaviest during cuts. That's why these multiple position guys are becoming more and more in-demand.
Exactly. If we have a swing tackle and an interior lineman who can backup at G and C, we could probably get away with carrying 8. I think only 7 dress on gamedays usually.
Regarding the OL, I know versatility plays an important part in determining how many to keep on the 53 but so does the injury factor for this position group, one that gets beat up over the course of a season. Thus, I'd prefer the Niners to go with 9 on the OL (dress 7 on game day) as it's one of the most important position groups in thinking about winning the battle of the trenches.
For the DL, I'm thinking they'll keep at least 8, maybe 9, in running a 4-3. What you'd have now in combining the OL & DL numbers is at least 17 total towards the 53. I wish the 53 would one day expand by at least a few, maybe to 56 or more, due to so many injuries during a season and also these teams do so much evaluating and finding talent (draft, undrafted free agents, etc.) yet they can only keep so many due to the 53 limitation. There's the PS, but those players aren't team-protected in any way, unfortunately.