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One side effect of moving the unrestricted free agent (UFA) bar from four to six years has been the increase in the potential interest around the league for restricted free agent (RFA) trade options and aging UFA veterans. The evidence for this can be found in the daily postings on the Insider Rumor Central section that detail the plethora of deals and signings of this nature that are being considered around the league.
While many of these potential transactions would be sensible, there are three that the numbers say would be slam-dunk winners.
The first of these is Baltimore Ravens LT Jared Gaither. Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons, and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a "one-on-one sack" (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap).
That illustrates Gaither's dominant pass-blocking skills, but his run-blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the point of attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years, and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time.
That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, fewer than one out of 10 offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries.
Put these two factors together and it equals a truly elite blindside blocker. Add to this the question marks surrounding many of the left tackles in this year's draft and it means Gaither is hands down the best choice in the market at his position, especially since acquiring him reportedly will cost only a second-round pick.
I would be a huge fan of this..he is a young, athletic tackle who is proven as a dominant tackle...isnt that WELL worth a 2nd rounder, especially if we're planning on getting a tackle in the 2nd or 1st anyways (which I'd hope we are, at least in one of those rounds)? I know it has been discussed but seeing these metrics really proves his value to me.
While many of these potential transactions would be sensible, there are three that the numbers say would be slam-dunk winners.
The first of these is Baltimore Ravens LT Jared Gaither. Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons, and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a "one-on-one sack" (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap).
That illustrates Gaither's dominant pass-blocking skills, but his run-blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the point of attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years, and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time.
That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, fewer than one out of 10 offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries.
Put these two factors together and it equals a truly elite blindside blocker. Add to this the question marks surrounding many of the left tackles in this year's draft and it means Gaither is hands down the best choice in the market at his position, especially since acquiring him reportedly will cost only a second-round pick.
I would be a huge fan of this..he is a young, athletic tackle who is proven as a dominant tackle...isnt that WELL worth a 2nd rounder, especially if we're planning on getting a tackle in the 2nd or 1st anyways (which I'd hope we are, at least in one of those rounds)? I know it has been discussed but seeing these metrics really proves his value to me.
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