The IDP Implications of Trades in the NFC East

Brandon Salamat Posted On March 9, 2018

The new NFL season hasn’t even become official yet and we’re already getting some surprising movement on the defensive side of the ball. A couple of big names in the IDP community will be donning new uniforms next season: Michael Bennett and Alec Ogletree, formerly of the NFC West, will now be moving over to the East.

Michael Bennett got shipped to the Superbowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (along with a seventh-round pick) for a 2018 fifth-round pick and wide receiver Marcus Johnson. Then the Rams shipped Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants (also with a seventh) for a 2018 fourth round and sixth round pick. What does this mean for IDP purposes? That’s what I’m here for. We’re going to kick off with Michael Bennett.

Michael Bennett, DE PHI

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The Seahawks seem to be overhauling their stingy defense and their first order of business was Michael Bennett to the Eagles. Bennett’s tenure with the Seahawks was a good one. He played roughly 83% of the snaps, thanks to his ability to move inside in sub packages. From 2011-2017, he posted an average PFF (Pro Football Focus) grade of 87, which is pretty damn good. And if you watch him on the field, he does wreak havoc.

Over the last six seasons, he’s averaged 65 quarterback Pressures (hits and hurries) with an average of eight sacks per season and 43 total tackles. He’s also been pretty reliable to get on the field as he’s played all 16 games five of the last six seasons.

He’ll bring all that to an already filthy Eagles defensive line as he’s going to join forces with Super Bowl hero Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry (potentially on the move now), Fletcher Cox, Tim Jernigan, savvy vet Chris Long and a rising stud in Derek Barnett.

As far as what this means for IDP purposes, everything projected for Bennett pretty much stays the same but could take a slight dip because of the rotation in Philly. There were seven players who played 400 or more snaps last season on that front line, with Graham leading the way with 662 snaps. Here’s some perspective: Bennett has averaged 924 snaps the last four seasons, so if Bennett floats around 500-600 snaps he’ll probably just be a weekly spot starter. He could be an end-of-the-bench spot in deep leagues for your depth but don’t be afraid to cut bait if you see potential sitting on your waivers.

Alec Ogletree, LB NYG

Now we move on to Alec Ogletree, who immediately becomes the Giants’ best inside linebacker in a very long time – since the Antonio Pierce days. Ogletree just signed a four-year extension last off-season with the Rams so the Giants are taking on a pretty hefty contract. Although he’s still young (26) and in his prime, New York should still address ILB in the draft or free agency coming up to provide either A) another starter or B) quality depth that they’ve lacked for a while too.

The first thing many folks will do is base his past performances strictly on his PFF Grade, which wasn’t great. But does that tell all? Maybe a change of scenery and a new defensive scheme will help him in areas he can improve. It also doesn’t hurt that he’ll have a pretty solid defensive line (no diss to Aaron Donald – I love the dude) with Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon, and Damon Harrison all being solid.

Ogletree has put together a solid IDP track record with the Rams as he had to adapt to both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes while also moving over to the MIKE position recently. In his first five seasons, he averaged 101 tackles and 11 PDs as well as grabbing one interception in four of those seasons. He doesn’t blitz the QB often but still managed to get at least 17 QB pressures per season.

What does this mean for IDP owners? More of the same if you ask me. He’ll stay a weekly LB1 in New York and should play the weak-side ILB position in the new scheme. The Giants gave up a fourth and sixth for him so don’t expect him to be a part-time player. I’m actually surprised they thought about their glaring need at ILB for once. I couldn’t imagine how much longer they were going to ignore it.

On your rosters, I would hold him right now. if the market picks up again feel free to sell but he’s going to continue to eat in New York. I have a feeling he’ll play the “Dansby Role” in the defense, and Karlos Dansby was awesome in Arizona. The addition of Ogletree definitely hurts B.J. Goodson owners though. I expect him to play the strongside ILB role where he focuses on getting after the QB and stopping the run – which are his strengths. “Can Goodson stay healthy?” though is a whole new ballgame. After his 18-tackle performance last season in what felt like a breakout game, he got injured and disappeared.

Acquiring quality depth will be key this off-season. I’m sure the Giants must be tired of bringing back Kelvin Sheppard. Jonathan Casillas is another depth piece who can hold his own when healthy, and I could definitely see him competing with Goodson in the off-season for the second ILB spot.

The IDP Fallout

So to sum things up here on the IDP landscape:

Michael Bennett: He is a DE3 or a DE4 and no more than a depth piece if you need to carry an extra DE or two, especially in deep leagues. He can be left on waivers in shallow rosters (35 or less). He will have a good week or two and that’s when you’d hope he’s your spot starter.

Alec Ogletree: He is an LB1. You could argue his value takes a slight bump because at the moment there’s no real competition to battle for tackles outside of Landon Collins. I would hold unless you come across a deal you can’t pass up. Also, make sure you’re set at LB if moving on from Ogletree. If you’re looking for a rookie pick in a deal, I would take nothing less than a late second for Ogletree, unless it’s a third plus a player of some sort.

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