While I agree he picked the wrong squad to sign with,...you know as well as I do that the NFL is cyclical. Teams shift towards the pass and defenses get smaller and faster, then offense shift towards the run to compensate and defenses then get bigger to adjust. Right now teams are shifting more towards the power run game. We are, Seattle is, and a few teams in the east as well...if thats a trend thats going to continue then teams will find a spot for a two down NT...and with all the hybrid built guys we have it may not hurt to have a specialist...especially if we may have to face the tush push in the playoffs at some point. You can bet JG would want to win that game more than anything.
Both Nichols and Jones are a bit light in the pants to be NT's at roughly 310 each...... But Tomlinson is 325, which shows the team recognizes a need to get heavier in the middle.
with all the special teams "aces" we have signed over the last couple seasons at other positions its possible one of them get cut to free up a roster spot for a specialist who fills a specific need....especially when you have weaker untested ILB's that you really need to keep clean for them to be effective
I also think our defense has a very specific 4th down package. Where you will see players like Rabbit, Dante Stills and Owen Pappoe (who is excellent in man coverage). So like when Gannon says Elijah Jones is practicing well and is getting snaps with the 4th down situations, its pretty meaningful. I am
sure on 4th and 3 last year, we sometimes had 8 players who could cover man to man which really disguises who is blitzing and who isn’t. It is the type of situation where the offense is looking for a quick hitter. Budda was often lurking as a LB or covering and shutting down someone like Cooper Kupp which he did multiple times on 4th down in week 2.
Like Dante Stills made a huge stop on 4th and 1 vs DET last season. So that just makes it harder to see Simmons making the team.
Then with Calais, if he is going to only have 30-35 snaps, you want him in for run stuffing on that play.
Makes me want to go back and look to see who was actually on the field on 4th down with this defense last year. Certain situations where you want to gamble with your young athletic players to make plays on short yardage 4th down vs relying on experience. There is a reason why Rallis red zone defense is so good.