Putting together the perfect NFL roster is a task general managers work on perfecting every year. But in today’s salary-capped league, it’s all but impossible.
Recently, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell put together the perfect roster while staying within the league’s current $167 million salary cap based on player’s current contracts. Barnwell’s list included a few rules.
The roster will include at least one, but not more than three, rookies from each team. It will have seven rookies as well as players who make their mark on special teams. The team will also be built around the offensive scheme ran in New England by Josh McDaniels and the defensive scheme ran by Philiadelphia’s Jim Schwartz.
Based on all of that, two members of the Los Angeles Chargers made the list. Wide receiver Tyrell Williams and defensive end Joey Bosa are part of the perfect roster.
Williams joins Odell Beckham, Amari Cooper, Michael Thomas, Mack Hollins and Jeremy Kerley on the six-man wide receiver corps. His paltry $615k contract makes him a perfect fit. In fact, he’s the lowest-paid wide receiver on this virtual team.
Can you imagine a defense that has J.J. Watt and Bosa as its starting defensive ends? This team has it. Bosa’s $5.88 million is almost $9 million less than Watt’s, making him an affordable option at the other side. That would be a scary proposition for opponents.
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Of course, a roster like this will only exist in the fantasy world, but it’s still nice to see these two players recognized for their talents. It is also a great illustration of the job general manager Tom Telesco has done in building this roster.
The best part? Both Williams (25) and Bosa (22) are young players with long, bright futures ahead. That likely means the contracts they are currently playing for will only increase, but both players can be guys the team builds around on each side of the ball.
Thrust into action last year when Keenan Allen went down with injury, Williams finished the season with 69 receptions and seven touchdowns. After a brief holdout, Bosa notched 10.5 sacks in 12 games.
It’s easy to see why Barnwell chose each of these guys for his “perfect” roster.