Team Capsules: Switzerland Squirrels

In a 12-part series, we take a look at each MFFL team, where they’ve been and where they’re going. We analyze the strength of their current roster build, what areas need improvement, and speculate what they might do in the coming months.

A look back

If the Switzerland Squirrels wanted to use a term to summarize their 2019 season, may I suggest “The Walking Wounded”? The Squirrels had the misfortune of losing running back Lamar Miller to a torn ACL just days after they signed him to a 1-year, $5.50 million deal in the MFFL’s 2019 Auction. To lose a key contributor at an important position is a tremendous setback. Sensing the need to rebuild by midseason, the team traded fan favorite Adam Thielen (who would later get hurt) to San Juan for A.J. Green — who missed the entire season with an injury. To make matters worse, the Squirrels had swapped first-round picks with Jamaica before the season, meaning they couldn’t even tank for a better draft pick in Round 1. Instead, they rode out the season trying to play spoiler as they acquired some younger pieces with the hopes of a brighter 2020.

A look ahead

The Squirrels acquired the free agent rights to a pair of veterans this offseason, wide receiver Adam Thielen and running back Mark Ingram. Thielen already received the Non-exclusive Franchise Tag, giving him a starting bid of $13 million and it is expected that Ingram will receive a tag, too. Whether it’s the EFT or TT remains to be seen, but it’ll likely be the former in order to lock him into a one-year contract. Assuming Thielen stays put in Switzerland, the team has a trio of strong receivers with T.Y. Hilton and D.J. Chark joining Thielen. The Squirrels could use some help at running back and tight end, and have some uncertainty at quarterback. Switzerland has the second-highest cash average, needing only to sign six players. They don’t have any RFAs, and they don’t have a lot of draft capital, holding just the 8th and 16th picks in this year’s draft.

Quarterback analysis

The Squirrels were opportunistic on the Waiver Wire last year, picking up quarterback Jameis Winston when Ukraine released him in September. Switzerland rode Winston to a Top 6 quarterback finish. Unfortunately, things change quickly in the world of professional football and Winston appears to be a man without a country this offseason. At $4.25 million per year for the next two years, Winston’s contract is exorbitant. It’s high for a star quarterback, let alone for one who might be a backup in 2020. Winston could find himself as a cap casualty of the Squirrels before June 1. Likewise, backup quarterback Derek Carr faces uncertainty heading into the 2020 season. It’s likely that he’ll be a starter in 2020, at least initially. But he’ll have competition breathing down his neck. At $0.25 million, though, his salary is completely palatable.

Running Back analysis

The Squirrels traded away a handful of young talent, including the impressive Deebo Samuel, for unrestricted free agent running back Mark Ingram. You don’t give away that kind of talent for a UFA unless you have every intention of retaining that player. Hence, an EFT on Ingram seems like the best choice moving forward. The Squirrels have a deficiency at running back and will likely need to spend some of their cash on an additional free agent to join Ingram. At Pick 8, the Squirrels might be able to land a rookie running back, but one who might not be able to contribute right away. If the Squirrels want to be competitive in 2020, they’ll have to aggressively target a running back in the Auction.

Wide Receiver analysis

With six under contract and one under the NFT, the Squirrels presently have the most wide receivers of any team in the league. This clearly is the strength of the ball club for the 2020 season. As previously mentioned, the trio of Thielen, Hilton and Chark is a formidable one, and the Switzerland offense is likely to run through them. There probably is no need to address the position moving forward unless the Squirrels want to strengthen the bottom half of the depth chart. But given that their focus will be on filling holes at some other positions, it’s likely they’ll stand pat.

Tight End analysis

Third-year pro Mike Gesicki is the only tight end currently under contract with the Squirrels. Gesicki had a solid sophomore season, hauling in 51 balls for 570 yards and 5 touchdowns. He finished the season as a fringe TE1/TE2. The Squirrels have a choice at the position. They can ride with Gesicki to see if he matches or improves his second-year total. Or, they can place the Transition Tag on unrestricted free agent Tyler Higbee, who finished as a Top 7 tight end. The choice is a difficult one as upgrading the running back position and getting a bona fide starting quarterback are likely more important moves to make and will require the extra cash.

“What could be…”

With only six spots on the Active Roster to fill, the Squirrels could be a little aggressive in the 2020 Auction. It is unclear how much action will occur on Thielen, as teams likely will shy away from the two first-round draft picks they’d have to give up as compensation for him. If he stays around $13 million and Ingram is given the $10 million EFT, that’ll leave the Squirrels with about $21.75 million to find a No. 1 quarterback and an additional starting running back. Of course, they’ll have three other positions to fill, but they’ll mostly be fringe players added to fill out the roster. The Squirrels could free up some extra cash if they cut Winston, but would have to take a half-year cap hit this season and next in order for it to make a difference toward this season’s cap. But there’s still time before they have to make a decision on him and anything could happen.

Next up: Ecuador Ewoks