Originally Posted by
bacchys
Upshaw and Kruger aren't the same player.
Ozzie seems to highly value outside pass rush, especially from "tweeners" (guys like Bouleware and Suggs who played defensive end in college but are athletic enough to play OLB in the NFL). Kruger fits that bill. It won't surprise me if Newsome pays Kruger and lets Ellerbe walk if he's looking for too much money in Ozzie's opinion. What hurts Kruger's chances of staying here, imo, isn't Upshaw, but Suggs. Suggs is still (when not injured) a dominant player in the NFL, and he's in the role that Kruger best fills (as a starter). He's not an edge-setter. Upshaw is already better than Kruger against the run, imo. Upshaw is the heir to JJ, not Suggs.