re: Where we are with the cap and how we can free up space to make a few moves:

I think we should draft Dion Jordan, dude is an Aldon Smith Clone.

good job as usual Thrill, thanks for the effort. We get endless suggestions of signing free agent X or Y but no one ever addresses the cap implications or how can you make such an idea work (if at all).

If there is one thing Loomis is good at is cap management. He regularly surprises us with what rabbits he can pull out of the cap hat. Last year might have been his best for what was accomplished with what cap space was available. Definitely a step up in challenge this year. I might expect one moderate starter/impact type player signed somehow. Beyond that I expect no more than fillers.

That said, there could be some short term fillers for not bank breaking money (like Reed mentioned). Richard Seymour and Shaun Phillips are two of the best looking targets to me. Guys that still have some game left that are looking for one last ride with a championship contending team.

Hope to see more threads like this have some life

There's a lotta guys with a lotta football knowledge around here. Unfortunately it is a small percentage that have more than a cursory understanding or idea of the cap and how it stands with our team. I'd say a Madden mentality is more common. Overall and continued team success is as dependent on good cap management as on the field performance.

I use this standard... How does the player's performance match to his cap number? Is he earning his pay? Is he overpaid or is he a value?

Maybe another good thread idea...

Grade each player in a ratio of performance to salary cap hit.

Example: (skill players are easier to quantify)

Colston 83 catches, 1154yds, 10TDS
@ $3.3million (and doubles to $6.6 in '13)

Graham 85 catches, 982yds, 9 TDs
@ $706,286

Almost identical production but measured against their cap numbers would be-

Colston $39759 per catch (almost $80K per catch next year)

Graham $8310 per catch

Those kinda players are what amke championships

I'm with the trade out of the first for more picks group. Unless the staff sees what they perceive to be a game-changer at 15, I think it only makes sense.