Where there's smoke there's fire.

ELLIASJWILLIAMS said

Miss on QB and perhaps theres an OT and LT that can be placed around Winston but yeah I don't think they are looking to build around him, they are looking to replace him. His contract doesn't scream build around me money and neither does their obvious flirting with Watson then pivot back to Winston.

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Clearly they aren't committed to Winston as THE future and are more in a mode to give him a shot to show what he can do but, at the same point, if you really think there is a QB in this draft that is a future franchise QB that will be better than Winston, it seems like you don't commit $21 million to Winston in guaranteed money over two years. You sign a cheaper vet like Mariota, Bridgewater, or Dalton and then move up to get your guy no matter the cost. No point in having Winston on the roster for $10 million this year if you have Dalton to start at a much cheaper price until a rookie is ready.

So, I think if they really are doing this to get a QB in the top 5, then the front office is a mess and not thinking logically right now. But, that seems highly unlikely with Loomis, Harley, and Ireland still running the team.

The only small possibility I see is that they really like Willis but know he will take 2 years to develop so Winston for 2 years would make sense. But, that too seems like an odd strategy. I see now way you put Pickett on a team with Winston unless he happens to fall to #16 and you change QB strategy because something unexpected happened. Pickett may never be great, but he is ready to start from day one.