2026 NFL Draft, Free Agency

[lorimike]

Well, It Could be a very high pick. Have at it

[Fiji Skins Fan]

is this the right place to discuss Jayden Daniels & the ramifications of his injury? maybe lorimike can amend the topic line ...

[Skins-R-Us]

Well, It Could be a very high pick. Have at it

Well, draft is going to be a pretty short conversation with 2 higher picks, no second and 4 high round picks. May be free agency will be better, but the fact we didn't do any trades is a disappointment.

[SkinsGuru]

Well, It Could be a very high pick. Have at it

If its high enough . . . do we trade down to get a couple of high picks?

[Moe]

If its high enough . . . do we trade down to get a couple of high picks?

With all the needs across the D, yeah more picks would be a good idea.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

We need as many draft picks as possible & we need to add younger players

we are now looked at as a place where players can come & be rewarded for their effort to be a better player

[Farmer Ted]

We need so much, but I would prioritize WR. We need a big target wide receiver more than anything. And we need a stud TE and a stud RB. I would try to improve the big areas of need on defense through FA and blind luck.

[Winnipeg_Skins_Fan]

At 3-7, our season is cooked. I want WC to win every game but it’s probably better they lose out and get s higher draft pick.
The D needs help on every level: edge rusher, LB and secondary. If we get a high enough pick maybe trade down and recoup some traded picks. I like the LB from Ohio State, Arvelle Reese in a trade down.
Curious to see other opinions.

[Farmer Ted]

I want to see Sam Hartman start the rest of the season.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

I'd love to have a high draft pick & be able to trade down but I doubt that we'll see these guys throw in the towel

[Winnipeg_Skins_Fan]

I want to see Sam Hartman start the rest of the season.

So you’re in my camp, then.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

In hindsight, last season's 12-5 record PLUS being 1 game away from playing in the Super Bowl 'hurt' the franchise a lot more than it helped. Nearly all of the media, & some fans were convinced we were on the right track & just needed some minor pieces to be as good if not better this season. We were really a 5-12 team that had a lot of luck and we needed to address a lot more areas on our roster than most thought.

Most thought the previous issues were not as bad as we deep down knew they were because of terrible drafts and bad FO decisions roster wise.

Adam Peters will continue to rebuild this roster - there are going to be a lot of changes here soon with both the coaching staff and the players

[Farmer Ted]

Don't put this on the media and fans. The GM of the team clearly showed that we were in a championship window when he started cashing in our draft picks for old players. You don't trade for a LT going into his 10th season if you think you are in building to win in 2-3 years. You don't trade for Deebo, going into his 7th season, if you are building. You do that because you think it will push the team over the top.

Adam Peters was clearly wrong last off-season. And that's ignoring his decision to cut Forbes (still on the Rams and had a pick yesterday) and make the disastrous trade for Lattimore. The money we wasted on Lattimore this year could have gone to resigning Dyami Brown or Zaccheus (if not both). We'd be a lot better with the cheap, crappy CB and depth at WR than what we've had this year.

Don't forget, a large reason why Peters looked like a genius in the first off-season was because he was handed a big pile of draft picks and a lot of cap-space. Since then, he hasn't inspired much confidence, imo.

[Skins-R-Us]

Don't put this on the media and fans. The GM of the team clearly showed that we were in a championship window when he started cashing in our draft picks for old players. You don't trade for a LT going into his 10th season if you think you are in building to win in 2-3 years. You don't trade for Deebo, going into his 7th season, if you are building. You do that because you think it will push the team over the top.

Adam Peters was clearly wrong last off-season. And that's ignoring his decision to cut Forbes (still on the Rams and had a pick yesterday) and make the disastrous trade for Lattimore. The money we wasted on Lattimore this year could have gone to resigning Dyami Brown or Zaccheus (if not both). We'd be a lot better with the cheap, crappy CB and depth at WR than what we've had this year.

Don't forget, a large reason why Peters looked like a genius in the first off-season was because he was handed a big pile of draft picks and a lot of cap-space. Since then, he hasn't inspired much confidence, imo.

Yeah, I tend to agree. AP still may be good in the end, but he totally bit on the mirage that was last year. We have been so thirsty for so long, we really thought we had a tall cold glass of water last year. Yes, he picked Daniels, and last year that clearly looked like the right pick. But based on performance and injuries this year that is no longer the sure consensus. Maye, Williams and Nix all are playing better, staying healthy and making their teams better. Mean while, we are back to a historically bad dumpster fire, without a lot of draft picks to try and fix the mess. Feels pretty bleak at this point. Then the decision to back up the money truck for Daniels is getting dangerously close. If we do that we won't have money to build. If we choose to go that route. Peters is going to have to earn every penny of his salary to salvage his reputation after this fiasco.

[lorimike]

Don't put this on the media and fans. The GM of the team clearly showed that we were in a championship window when he started cashing in our draft picks for old players. You don't trade for a LT going into his 10th season if you think you are in building to win in 2-3 years. You don't trade for Deebo, going into his 7th season, if you are building. You do that because you think it will push the team over the top.

Adam Peters was clearly wrong last off-season. And that's ignoring his decision to cut Forbes (still on the Rams and had a pick yesterday) and make the disastrous trade for Lattimore. The money we wasted on Lattimore this year could have gone to resigning Dyami Brown or Zaccheus (if not both). We'd be a lot better with the cheap, crappy CB and depth at WR than what we've had this year.

Don't forget, a large reason why Peters looked like a genius in the first off-season was because he was handed a big pile of draft picks and a lot of cap-space. Since then, he hasn't inspired much confidence, imo.

San Fran drafted Trey Lance 3rd overall. Then lucked out on Purdy in the 7th otherwise they would be in football purgatory. While Peters was the assistant Gm he was on that staff.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

Since Adam Peters came in he has done the best he can for both the short term and especially the long term - his decisions can be second guessed but it will not affect his efforts to make this franchise better We are lucky to have someone who is astute as he is

[ILikeSonny09]

Sorry, I love you guys but too much of the second guessing is overblown. A bit comical, even. It seems as though everything you guys were sure about in the positive direction you're now sure about in the negative direction. This kind of stuff happens to teams pretty often as they transition from one season to the next, whether it's chemistry, injury, schedule, momentum, luck, you name it. To me, it's inconceivable that we can improve the roster seemingly as dramatically as we did this past off season, only to have the wheels fall off by the time we're halfway through. Yet it's happened. FWIW, I blame the coordinators more than anything. But that's a guess: it's hard to be sure until after the ship gets righted and we see what changes brought it about. Meanwhile, I have more confidence in what AP has done than anyone else short of Daniels. I think coaching changes could get far better production out of our players than what we're seeing.

[Skins-R-Us]

Since Adam Peters came in he has done the best he can for both the short term and especially the long term - his decisions can be second guessed but it will not affect his efforts to make this franchise better We are lucky to have someone who is astute as he is

You've got a little too much blind faith. His moves are looking a little suspect at the moment. I hope he does awesome, but right now, we are the worst we've ever been. Some of that is based on his moves.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

You've got a little too much blind faith. His moves are looking a little suspect at the moment. I hope he does awesome, but right now, we are the worst we've ever been. Some of that is based on his moves.

I'm not blind to what is going on but I'm sure that we're a lot better off with Adam Peters than we have been for decades. These guys took over a franchise that was a mess & while we have been badly hurt by injuries, the coaching has also been a huge factor
Peters will find a way to get things back on track here - every coach & player will be held accountable

At the end of the Snyder era I thought we were 3 - 5 years away from being a decent team again - we are 2 years into the Harris regime & we have great potential at QB in Jaylen Daniels

[Skins-R-Us]

I'm not blind to what is going on but I'm sure that we're a lot better off with Adam Peters than we have been for decades. These guys took over a franchise that was a mess & while we have been badly hurt by injuries, the coaching has also been a huge factor
Peters will find a way to get things back on track here - every coach & player will be held accountable

At the end of the Snyder era I thought we were 3 - 5 years away from being a decent team again - we are 2 years into the Harris regime & we have great potential at QB in Jaylen Daniels

That is the definition of Blind faith. AP hired these coaches, they brought in these players and they traded a bunch of picks, especially the Lattimore pick. The team is at a historic state of suck right now. I hope Peters and ownership make the right moves, but right now there is a lot to make someone question their choices.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

That is the definition of Blind faith. AP hired these coaches, they brought in these players and they traded a bunch of picks, especially the Lattimore pick. The team is at a historic state of suck right now. I hope Peters and ownership make the right moves, but right now there is a lot to make someone question their choices.

I remember how I felt about our future under Dan Snyder & this ain't that bad. I agree that things are bad but the future is a lot better with Adam Peters as GM than it has been since before the Snyder era. We shall see.

Adam Peters knows what he's doing & he will get us through this - I did not feel at all like that with Snyder's FO

[Skins-R-Us]

I remember how I felt about our future under Dan Snyder & this ain't that bad. I agree that things are bad but the future is a lot better with Adam Peters as GM than it has been since before the Snyder era. We shall see.

Adam Peters knows what he's doing & he will get us through this - I did not feel at all like that with Snyder's FO

But at this moment second season in, we are historically bad. This is the worst defense in 50 years. The offense even when Jayden was healthy was not great. The Green Bay game was pathetic. Green Bay looked unbeatable after that game, oh wait no, it's only because they played us. We are horrible this year with and without Jayden. Not sure how we pulled off the Charger win. We must have roofied them at halftime. Yes we want Peters to succeed, I had very high hopes, but based on the evidence presented so far, he is failing in my eyes. Hopefully he can figure it out. But there is no way I can utter the same words as you "the future IS a whole lot brighter with Adam Peters", I am hoping it's a lot brighter, but I do have serious doubts based on draft picks, salaries, future salaries and the massive load of changes coming.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

^^ We have all seen teams get better sooner than expected - I'm hoping that happens to us.

I agree that things are bad but I just think that this ownership group knows what is going on & whether they have the right people in charge of the team - Dan Snyder did not have a clue.

[Farmer Ted]

But at this moment second season in, we are historically bad. This is the worst defense in 50 years. The offense even when Jayden was healthy was not great. The Green Bay game was pathetic. Green Bay looked unbeatable after that game, oh wait no, it's only because they played us. We are horrible this year with and without Jayden. Not sure how we pulled off the Charger win. We must have roofied them at halftime. Yes we want Peters to succeed, I had very high hopes, but based on the evidence presented so far, he is failing in my eyes. Hopefully he can figure it out. But there is no way I can utter the same words as you "the future IS a whole lot brighter with Adam Peters", I am hoping it's a lot brighter, but I do have serious doubts based on draft picks, salaries, future salaries and the massive load of changes coming.

Last Sunday was a major low point. It was pretty clear that the defense quit before the game started. Maybe they just hate Joe Whitt, and now that he has been demoted, they will actually try to compete again. And yeah, they have been crushed by injury, but no one outside of maybe Reaves and Wagner gave any effort. The whole game was a cake walk for Detroit.

If we see more zero effort from the D for the rest of the season, then I suspect Quinn will be gone. When the team quits on the head coach, you have to replace him.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

IF we continue to see the same effort from coaches & players they will not be here next season & maybe we could end up with a high pick in the draft which we could use to add to our draft picks

[Moe]

Last Sunday was a major low point. It was pretty clear that the defense quit before the game started. Maybe they just hate Joe Whitt, and now that he has been demoted, they will actually try to compete again. And yeah, they have been crushed by injury, but no one outside of maybe Reaves and Wagner gave any effort. The whole game was a cake walk for Detroit.

If we see more zero effort from the D for the rest of the season, then I suspect Quinn will be gone. When the team quits on the head coach, you have to replace him.

The impact of the injuries cannot be minimized, it is undoubtably limiting factor. You cannot win without talent and in the first few weeks of the season the D gave the appearance of being improved from last year, whether that was a mirage or not we'll never know. That being said, as I've watched this game for decades I'm 100% convinced that defense is more tied to coaching than is offfense, in large part because by nature, it is reactive and if you have the right scheme set with the proper execution then you can really make things hard for the opponent.
This particular unit seems incapable of finding that scheme. To consistently hear about miscommunication tells me all I need to know; if the players are confused then the coaching isn't solid. If the players can't/won't tackle correctly then the technique isn't being taught and/or it isn't a priority.
Quinn and Whitt have a long history together and in an incestuous league it's not surprising that they have stuck together, but at this point a divorce is due. Whitt found success in Dallas because those flawed D's created tons of turnovers which made up for the overall lack of talent. Creating turnovers is a mantra for all DC's, and there are elements of that being a skillset but in general it's an unreliable factor that varies from season to season. I see DC's like Spagnuolo or Anarumo or Fangio or Schwartz or Flores or Joseph or McDonald (to name several) that can change teams and still manage to consistently put out strong units, even with player turnover. Quinn had success in Seattle, he did a decent job in ATL and his Dallas units were at least passable to point of getting to the playoffs albeit supported by a productive offense. This offense has the potential to be such a supporting cast with a few tweaks but the D needs an absolute change of design and an influx of younger talent that marries into that scheme. I don't have any real options to slide in but I do hope the FO does and can execute.

[Moe]

ESPN had a list of early free agents they expect to get a lot of attention this off-season. Here's a few on the defensive side that would interest me:
" Travis Jones, DT
Current team: Baltimore Ravens
2025 salary: $3.4 million
Age entering 2026 season: 26
What he brings: At 6-foot-4 and 341 pounds, Jones is a physical presence on the interior of the front, with the power to displace blockers and fill gaps. Over 3½ seasons in Baltimore, Warren has 5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 33 pressures. He's also a high-energy player on tape. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: Multiple teams consider him the best defensive tackle to potentially be available. "He's awesome," an NFC executive said. "Very tough to block, elite run stopper. A wide-bodied guy who has enough pass rush." The Ravens could attempt to re-sign Jones but aren't afraid to let key players leave via free agency. One player comp from an NFC exec: Dalvin Tomlinson, who got $57 million over four years from Cleveland in 2023. -- Fowler

Alontae Taylor, CB
Current team: New Orleans Saints
2025 salary: $3.7 million
Age entering 2026 season: 27
What he brings: Taylor's versatility and urgent play style shows on tape. He has the speed to cover on the perimeter, but he can also play a disruptive role in the slot. In four seasons with the Saints, Taylor has 3 interceptions, 37 pass breakups and 6 sacks. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: Taylor gets the edge as the top corner based on teams consulted for this exercise. He has good size (6 feet, 199 pounds) with the flexibility to play inside and out. The Saints and Taylor once discussed an extension, but a deal never happened, which made him a trade candidate at last week's deadline. The Bears and Colts showed interest. As a reference point, the top 2025 free agent corners earned about $18 million per year on new deals. -- Fowler

Quay Walker, LB (I like this guy, love to have him)
Current team: Green Bay Packers
2025 salary: $2.6 million
Age entering 2026 season: 26
What he brings: Walker's explosive traits create playmaking upside; he can cover ground as a run-and-hit defender. Plus, Walker is diagnosing the run game at a quicker rate in 2025. He is averaging 8.6 tackles this season to go with his 1.5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 3 pass breakups. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: It pays to have speed, and Walker's range from sideline to sideline is unique. So is his size (6-foot-4, 241 pounds). He can blitz or matchup one-on-one with running backs. The Packers opened dialogue on an extension with Walker in the preseason but hit an impasse. It wouldn't surprise if Green Bay tries again. He's the type of player the Packers would try to keep. -- Fowler

Riq Woolen, CB
Current team: Seattle Seahawks
2025 salary: $5.4 million
Age entering 2026 season: 27
What he brings: Woolen has 11 interceptions and 33 pass breakups in his four-year career. Inconsistent tackling and lapses in eye discipline have prevented him from reaching his ceiling, but Woolen has the physical traits and speed at 6-foot-4 to help a defense majoring in man coverage. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: Woolen's elite traits and Pro Bowl talent should create a strong market. His two pass breakups Sunday against the Cardinals were a good reminder of that. Expect Woolen to hit be available in free agency as opposed to a re-signing with Seattle, which hasn't been a scheme fit for him under coach Mike Macdonald. But for teams that need man coverage help, he has tremendous upside. -- Fowler

Devin Lloyd, LB
Current team: Jacksonville Jaguars
2025 salary: $2.5 million
Age entering 2026 season: 27
What he brings: Lloyd's on-the-ball production increases his value heading into free agency. Lloyd has four interceptions on the season, returning one for a touchdown. He's a solid starter who has shown Pro Bowl flashes this season. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: Lloyd is having a dynamic contract year, coupling his high-end athleticism and physicality with those four interceptions. He struggled through parts of 2022 and 2023, so interested teams will want to reconcile that. Still, he has used his ideal size and length to improve his pass coverage. -- Fowler

Quentin Lake, S
Current team: Los Angeles Rams
2025 salary: $3.4 million
Age entering 2026 season: 27
What he brings: An interchangeable safety with matchup traits in the slot, Lake brings both versatility and ball disruption to the field. He has one interception and nine pass breakups, plus he has added a sack, forced fumble and five pressures. He's around the ball for a reason. -- Bowen
What we're hearing: The safety position has a lot of depth but is not as top-heavy as last free agency. Multiple executives consulted on the position considered Lake the most versatile of the bunch. He's a team captain, plays every snap, plays multiple positions and has ball production in a contract year. The Rams have interest in extending Lake but have also shown a penchant for letting key defensive players on the back seven walk. -- Fowler

[Fiji Skins Fan]

I agree with Moe, injuries & our defense are a major cause for the issues we are facing - Moe also makes a great point about how Whitt's coaching & game planning have led to breakdowns & poor play
ALSO
the free agency breakdown is a great look at a number of players that could help

Dan Quinn is HC & if he cannot get things straightened out here, Adam Peters will

[Skins-R-Us]

I agree with Moe, injuries & our defense are a major cause for the issues we are facing - Moe also makes a great point about how Whitt's coaching & game planning have led to breakdowns & poor play
ALSO
the free agency breakdown is a great look at a number of players that could help

Dan Quinn is HC & if he cannot get things straightened out here, Adam Peters will

I think we need to figure out if Kliff's offense last year was an anomaly and maybe fire Quinn and make him head coach. We need a one of the young innovative coaches. Quinn seems to be one of the dinosaurs. The NFL is a way different league now we need a shift. I would rather not have JD5 have to learn a new offense, consistency can go a long way. Maybe demote Quinn to defensive coordinator. Not sure if that can happen, but if that would be the normal progression to go do that somewhere else, why not with us. But if Kingsbury is good, I would rather him do his thing here then succeed in NY or something. We have let a lot of young guns go.

[Fiji Skins Fan]

After today's loss to the Dolphins we have the 7th pick - this should improve over the next week