An Attempt at a “Perfect” 53-man Roster
Using Bill Barnwell’s guidelines to put together the best possible roster under the salary cap
This week Bill Barnwell unveiled his perfect 53-man roster under the salary cap. It’s a fun exercise he’s done for the past few years now and one I’ve tried my hand at, too — last year’s can be found here.
Here are the rules, per Barnwell:
- At least one player, but no more than three, from each team
- Players will count as their 2018 cap hit
- Start with a pick from each round plus a UDFA from the past four drafts (32 players) and a 2014 first-rounder playing on a fifth-year option. Then pick the other 20 players on veteran contracts.
- Fill out the back-end of the roster with special teams players.
- Fit some type of scheme.
I’m going to let Kyle Shanahan run my offense, because why wouldn’t that be the choice here? On defense, I’m going to hand it over to Gus Bradley. We can run a Cover 3 base, mix and match players along the defensive line, and rely heavily on multiple defensive backs — last season the Los Angeles Chargers were in dime a league-leading 46 percent of the time.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott, DAL ($726K), Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB ($3.3M), Joe Webb, HOU ($720K)
Getting a starting quarterback with a cap hit under $1 million is something hard to pass up. A lot of Prescott’s struggles in 2017 came when Tyron Smith missed time and left tackle and that shouldn’t be an issue with the offensive line we’ve got set up. A “perfect” roster probably doesn’t include Ryan Fitzpatrick, but if you don’t grab a Buccaneer in any of the draft classes, finding a good contract from that team is a tough ask. And if there’s a nuclear war, the two things that will survive are cockroaches and my backup quarterback. Webb is whatever as a third-string option and brings with him experience at wide receiver and on special teams.
Running Back
David Johnson, ARI ($2.1M), Alex Collins, BAL ($630K), Chris Carson, SEA ($571K), Jaylen Samuels, PIT ($544K)
Johnson can do anything needed of a lead running back, both on the ground and in the passing game. He’ll make up more than 50 percent of what we’ll pay for the position. Collins and Carson can easily spell Johnson at any point in the game and could be threats on the field in 21 personnel, which Shanahan ran more than any other team last season. We’re not going to carry a fullback, but Samuels, who played both running back and tight end at NC State could fit into that role if needed.
Wide Receiver
Odell Beckham, NYG ($8.5M), Adam Thielen, MIN ($6.1M), Cameron Meredith, NO ($2.7M), Juju Smith-Schuster, PIT ($736K), Pharoh Cooper, LAR ($767K), Jakeem Grant, MIA ($665K)
The wide receiver group is filled with players who could fit into multiple spots. Beckham is the clear №1, who can easily move from the outside to the slot. The same can be said for Thielen, who has one of the most valuable contracts in the league. Smith-Schuster adds another big play threat in three receiver sets. Meredith provides great value for someone of his talent level as he comes off a missed season due to injury. Cooper was the league’s most valuable kick and punt returners last season. Grant was not as good in that role, but could fill in when needed.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski, NE ($10.9M), George Kittle, SF ($630K), Ian Thomas, CAR ($667K)
This is all about giving the offense athletic freaks and matchup problems at tight end. No one fits that description more than Rob Gronkowski. Kittle is Shanahan’s current tight end and the Iowa product started to catch fire over the second half of the season with Jimmy Garoppolo. Thomas is a rookie in Carolina, but was tops at the position by SPARQ in this class.
Offensive Line
Trent Williams, WAS ($13.7M), Andrew Norwell, JAX ($5M), Alex Mack, ATL ($11.1M), David Decastro, PIT ($5.7M), Mitchell Schwartz, KC ($7.7M), Trent Brown, NE ($1.9M), Travis Swanson, NYJ ($1.4M), Connor Williams, DAL ($998K)
Nowhere on the roster was more money spent than the offensive line. If our quarterback gets hit or a running back gets tackled for a loss, something went horribly wrong. Depressed cap hits relative to average annual value (AAV) for Norwell and Decastro make this lineup possible. Williams and Schwartz are two of the best tackles in the league. Shanahan’s Atlanta offense really took off when Mack was added in the middle. Brown, a 2015 seventh-round pick, can work as a swing tackle. Williams has versatility to play both tackle and guard. Swanson is a rare cheap player who could also adequately fill in at center.
Defensive Tackle
Leonard Williams, NYJ ($5.9M), Mike Daniels, GB ($9.8M), Grady Jarrett, ATL ($2M), Julian Taylor, SF ($505K)
Elite run stoppers and all four can rush the passer from the interior. Williams can plug the middle and he’s due to see more sacks this season. Daniels is a monster who can match up against any lineman. Grady Jarrett continues to be a steal as a fifth-round pick. Taylor is a seventh-round rookie, but he’s already seen some time with the 1’s in practice and flashed during San Francisco’s first preseason game.
Defensive Ends
Von Miller, DEN ($10.1M), Michael Bennett, PHI ($5.7M), Trey Flowers, NE ($2M), Yannick Ngakoue, JAX ($949K), Eddie Yarbrough, BUF ($555K)
Miller is the clear star here and we get a break with a $10.1M cap hit. Bennett is the second-highest paid player here, but will likely serve as more of the rotational piece he will be in Philadelphia this season who can also kick inside when needed. Flowers and Ngakoue are stars in the making on the edge. Ngakoue already has 20 sacks in his two-year career and Flowers was 11th among all defenders in pressures last season (42.5, a half more than Joey Bosa) on a Patriots defense that couldn’t create pressure outside of him. Yarbrough is a great depth piece as a former undrafted free agent who has flashed whenever he’s gotten on the field.
Linebackers
Christian Kirksey, CLE ($6.2M), Deion Jones, ATL ($1.2M), Haason Reddick, ARI ($3M), Fred Warner, SF ($733K), Azeem Victor, OAK ($510K)
Here we’re worried about players who can cover. Kirksey is ninth among all defenders in Defeats over the past three seasons and he might not even be our №1 linebacker. That could be Jones whose 4.4 adjusted yards allowed per attempt was fourth among linebackers last season, per Football Outsiders Almanac. Haason Reddick played at all three levels of the defense in college, so he can help with coverage and rushing the passer. Warner spent his BYU career as a slot-linebacker hybrid. Victor gives us someone from Oakland.
Cornerbacks
Jalen Ramsey, JAX ($6.4M), Casey Hayward, LAC ($6.8M), Bryce Callahan, CHI ($1.9M), Quandre Diggs, DET ($1.9M), Shaquill Griffin, SEA ($778K), Terence Newman, MIN ($720K)
Ramsey and Hayward make a pretty intimidating duo at corner. They’re both versed in the Seattle-style Cover 3 system, too. When there’s three cornerbacks on the field, Hayward can bump inside and Shaquill Griffin can take over on the outside. In his rookie season, Griffin was 12th among corners in Success Rate and eighth among in adjusted yards allowed per pass. Callahan, Diggs, and Newman all have experience playing at different corner spots.
Safeties
Landon Collins, NYG ($1.9M), Derwin James, LAC ($2.3M), Tyrann Mathieu, HOU ($7M), Brynden Trawick, TEN ($1.8M), Clayton Fejedelem, CIN ($646K), Xavier Woods, DAL($595K)
I’m salivating at the thought of a Landon Collins-Derwin James safety duo. Then there’s the thought of a Collins-James-Tyrann Mathieu three-safety look. Yes, please. The other safeties are more important for special teams, though Woods can hopefully fill in on defense. Trawick has been a special teams ace and was voted to the Pro Bowl for it in 2017. Fejedelem’s 15 special teams tackles were sixth-most in the league last season. He also added 42 tackles on defense with a quarterback hit and an interception.
Special Teams
K: Justin Tucker, BAL ($5M), P: Rigoberto Sanchez, IND ($559K), LS: Tanner Carew, CHI ($480K)
Tucker is the best kicker in the league, so that’s self-explanatory. Sanchez might need some more explanation. A 2017 undrafted free agent, Sanchez was among the league’s most valuable punters last season — in fact the Colts had the highest value on punts, per Football Outsiders. Sanchez was the best punter at not allowing a return last season — just 22 percent, against a league average of 43.4 percent. Carew, a long snapper at Oregon last year and an undrafted free agent, has already been cut by Seattle earlier in the offseason, but he was just signed by Chicago and he’s good enough to make this squad.
Overall this team costs $175.8 million, which just fits under the $177 million cap. Here’s what the starting lineup would look like:
QB: Dak Prescott
RB: David Johnson
WR: Odell Beckham, Adam Thielen, Juju Smith-Schuster
TE: Rob Gronkowski
OL: Trent Williams, Andrew Norwell, Alex Mack, David Decastro, Mitchell Schwartz
DT: Leonard Williams, Mike Daniels
DE: Von Miller, Michael Bennett
LB: Deion Jones
CB: Jalen Ramsey, Casey Hayward, Shaquill Griffin
S: Landon Collins, Derwin James, Tyrann Mathieu
K: Justin Tucker
P: Rigoberto Sanchez
LS: Tanner Carew
