Off Season D.S. Temporary Increase

[Nittany Dodgers]

Here's another idea to toss around while we have little to do until the off season free agency (research? who need to do research?). This idea would not take effect until next off season. Also, this issue may be addressed somewhere in our development squad changes, but I could not find it anywhere. Please let me know if I did indeed miss it somewhere.

Anyways, my idea is that we increase the slots we have on our developmental squad between the rookie draft and August 15th (the date that we have to assign contract years). We would increase it by the number of draft picks each seperate team have in the draft. It would work like this;

Team A has 3 players on the DS. During the previous year, they moved no one up to the active squad, so going into the offseason, they still have three players there. They also have three draft picks. The draft three players, and they automatically go to the DS. Then they are free to sign up to the normal 16 players for the active squad. Then, on August 15th when we have to assign contract years and such, the team can either release players from the DS, release players from the active squad so that DS players can move up, or release newly signed players. At the end of the 15th, enough players have to be moved so that only 16 remain active, and the 3 (or four next year?) remain on the DS. All the normal cap hits would still take place (except for the newly drafted players who take no hit if cut by 8/15), so its not entirely advantageous to sign so many players. But this does help teams who have players on the DS they would like another training camp to look at.

Likewise, if a team has 3 DS players going into the draft and 4 draft picks, they'd be able to assign all players to the DS until 8/15. This would only apply to draft picks, and not just for anyone to pick up scrubs and throw on the DS to hoard players.

What do people think? Is this a good idea, or is this already accounted for?

Let me know what you think.

[Royal Hawaiian Opihi]

At first reading, I didn't like this suggestion... then (after letting it "soak in" a bit and rereading the post) I realized that it was something I could support. I think especially if all the cap hits still remain in place, it should work.

I like the idea of getting to use all of one's draft picks each year. I was thinking about next year's draft... and wondering how it would play out. I think by allowing us to "exceed" the developmental squad limits ONLY FROM ROOKIE DRAFT THROUGH AUG.15 we retain the integrity of the rookie draft and development squad. Then we'd be able to release any of the NEW rookies drafted w/o cap hit. But if we opted to keep a new rook, and release a '02 DS rook, then we take the mandated DS cap hit.

Sounds like a plan to me. I'd vote yes.