re: I think we’ll be fine at the defensive tackle spot this year

quote:

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We will have 9 defensive tackles this year and we had 9 on the roster last year.

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While technically true, all depth is not created equally. Last year you had Smith, Wingo, Jefferson, Guillory, and Lee - all pretty big guys (Wingo being the smallest) and all fairly experienced (Lee being the least experienced, I think). Wingo still wound up having to play an absurd number of snaps.

This year you have Guillory, Lee, Washington, and the rest are either converting from DE or are incoming freshmen.

If McKinley comes in and contributes immediately, Guillory stays healthy, Washington turns out to be a legit starter, and one or both converting DE’s have success… it could be a very deep group.

OTOH if McKinley takes some time, Guillory gets injured, and we don’t get as much as we hope out of Washington/Shand/Jones.. DT could be a major liability.

I know that all sounds obvious but my point is just that there are a lot of unknowns with this group. I think it’s reasonable to be anywhere from concerned to cautiously optimistic but beyond that it feels like a crapshoot.

One thing we do know is that we have a much better coaching situation on the DL. Hopefully that turns out to be the difference maker.