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A.J. McGee, Harold Rogers, Casey Schaplowsky, Junior Bullock, and Brandon Sponable retired, a combined 58 seasons of Bombers football, and the remnants of the first, and only, championship Washington squad.
Austin Austin... three full seasons, decent QB rating, a 32-17 record. Should (probably) be a slam-dunk re-sign, but... well, first of all, he wouldn't take a (reasonable) long-term contract last year, so here he is in free agency. He's dumb as a post, so won't end up a mentor. So do we try and haul back in a 27-year old system QB that folds in the playoffs? Or do we cut ties with Washington's all-time winningest QB? This is a tough one. I predict we'll make a run at him in FA - but if someone wants to get ridiculous with him, we'll take our chances.
The running game - this is actually pretty good looking in 2025. 2nd year backfield Hanks & Tuiososopo oughta make a nice wrecking crew. Hanks didn't light the world on fire, but he did end up quietly tallying 1400 yards of offense and 7 TDs - the offensive Rookie of the Year. And that was minus a decent run-blocking FB for most of the season, as Tui was out with an injury.
Receivers - Still happy with Webb and Corbett, and will certainly try to retain Danny Russell (oops). But they are aging fast, and we don't have a TE on the roster. It won't take a whole lot to solidify this bunch for one more season, but it willl take some work and luck to make it an improvement.
Offensive line - This is where the patchwork is really starting to show. Donovan Mark is an unquestioned stud on OL, and Tim Hill looks adequate. We could really use another bona fide starter here.
Defensive line - another place where we could use some new bodies, but not necessarily starters. Mikeska and Grabulis will keep this line afloat, but hoping to land someone else at one of the other (presumably) two spots.
Linebackers - pretty threadbare here. Bromell, stud. Enochs, hopefully hangs on to his ratings and gets by at MLB one more year. We need depth and a legit starter either at MLB or WLB.
Defensive backs - Bit of a mess. Gaither, Stone, locked in. Broemer, Metcalf, desirable, but in FA (double oops). Nate Graham is on crutches, and there are no other safeties on the roster.
Very much a theme for the Bombers this off-season... we have half a starting roster of good starters, but that means we have half a starting roster to fill. We'll need to be active in FA and fortunate in the draft to stay on top. Should prove to be a real interesting off-season. On the plus side, we're in very good cap status, so we do have wiggle room to make this all work.
Austin Austin... three full seasons, decent QB rating, a 32-17 record. Should (probably) be a slam-dunk re-sign, but... well, first of all, he wouldn't take a (reasonable) long-term contract last year, so here he is in free agency. He's dumb as a post, so won't end up a mentor. So do we try and haul back in a 27-year old system QB that folds in the playoffs? Or do we cut ties with Washington's all-time winningest QB? This is a tough one. I predict we'll make a run at him in FA - but if someone wants to get ridiculous with him, we'll take our chances.
The running game - this is actually pretty good looking in 2025. 2nd year backfield Hanks & Tuiososopo oughta make a nice wrecking crew. Hanks didn't light the world on fire, but he did end up quietly tallying 1400 yards of offense and 7 TDs - the offensive Rookie of the Year. And that was minus a decent run-blocking FB for most of the season, as Tui was out with an injury.
Receivers - Still happy with Webb and Corbett, and will certainly try to retain Danny Russell (oops). But they are aging fast, and we don't have a TE on the roster. It won't take a whole lot to solidify this bunch for one more season, but it willl take some work and luck to make it an improvement.
Offensive line - This is where the patchwork is really starting to show. Donovan Mark is an unquestioned stud on OL, and Tim Hill looks adequate. We could really use another bona fide starter here.
Defensive line - another place where we could use some new bodies, but not necessarily starters. Mikeska and Grabulis will keep this line afloat, but hoping to land someone else at one of the other (presumably) two spots.
Linebackers - pretty threadbare here. Bromell, stud. Enochs, hopefully hangs on to his ratings and gets by at MLB one more year. We need depth and a legit starter either at MLB or WLB.
Defensive backs - Bit of a mess. Gaither, Stone, locked in. Broemer, Metcalf, desirable, but in FA (double oops). Nate Graham is on crutches, and there are no other safeties on the roster.
Very much a theme for the Bombers this off-season... we have half a starting roster of good starters, but that means we have half a starting roster to fill. We'll need to be active in FA and fortunate in the draft to stay on top. Should prove to be a real interesting off-season. On the plus side, we're in very good cap status, so we do have wiggle room to make this all work.
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