Team Capsules: San Juan Scorpions

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

The San Juan Scorpions began the 2019 season as defending Super Bowl champions looking to maintain their grasp on the crown. The team had reason for optimism, returning largely the same lineup and cast of playmakers from their championship season. With a strong core of veterans — minus receiver A.J. Green, who was out for the season — supplemented by a talented rookie class, the Scorpions were well on their way. San Juan kicked off the season with a bang, scoring the most points in the league in a Week 1 victory. The Scorpions would go on to rattle off 7 more victories to finish 8-5 on the season. Unfortunately for them, they split the season series with division rival Jamaica, who finished 9-4 and took home the West Division title. San Juan entered the Northwest Conference playoffs as the #4 seed and had to do battle with the league’s superpower — the team with the best record and most points scored — the Ukraine Grainers. Ukraine ensured there would be no repeat as they ended San Juan’s season short of the finish line.

A look ahead

For several seasons, San Juan has been known to be the running back capital of the league. Year in and year out the Scorpions have cycled in young studs in the backfield and have won a lot of games because of it. But something interesting shifted last season and will continue to do so this year. While the running backs were young and on rookie deals, the Scorpions carried a “Big 3” at receiver in veterans A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton and Alshon Jeffery. Green missed the entire year, Jeffery missed half the year, and Hilton missed part of the year — and his starting quarterback. The Scorpions had to rely on some younger receivers, plus veteran John Brown, to step up in their place. Now what we will see is a handful of receivers on rookie deals while the Scorpions’ running backs will likely be veterans on their second contracts. With decisions looming on a handful of free agents, this offseason will be a pivotal one for the Scorpions that determines what direction they’re headed in 2020.

Quarterback analysis

The Scorpions carried the deepest quarterback depth chart, with Rookie Corral included, in the MFFL in 2019. They currently have three under contract and two in the Corral headed into 2020. To say that they are set at the position would be an understatement. Nevertheless, if a good value is available to them, don’t rule out any wheeling and dealing. Although veteran Kirk Cousins returned to the team fresh off leading them to the 2018 championship, he would eventually hand over the reigns to second-year pro Josh Allen, who proceeded to have a terrific sophomore season, finishing as a Top 7 quarterback in the league. Allen’s big arm combined with his ability to pick up yards on the ground makes him a dangerous MFFL weapon, and he’s under contract with the Scorpions for two more seasons on a terrific deal. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton is a low-cost third option. Meanwhile, the team has Dwayne Haskins and Josh Rosen developing in the Corral and awaiting a call-up or a trade if and when they’re ever needed.

Running Back analysis

As mentioned previously, the Scorpions have consistently had one of the best running back depth charts in the MFFL for quite some time now, and they owe it to their terrific scouting department. The Scorpions landed some big draft hits with Alvin Kamara and Marlon Mack in the 2017 Draft and Nick Chubb in the 2018 Draft. Being able to roll with strong running backs on rookie deals helped San Juan manage the cap well. Now is where the rubber meets the road, though. The Scorpions have only Chubb under contract for 2020 and no backs in the Rookie Corral. Kamara and Mack are up for contract and likely will command big pay days in the 2020 Auction. The Scorpions presently have the sixth-most cap space and the third-highest cash average in the league. Retaining Kamara and Mack, as I’m sure they’d like to do, will devour anywhere from half to nearly three-quarters of the team’s $41.25 million of available space. Kamara and Mack are both restricted free agents, thus the Scorpions can match the highest offers for them. But placing a prohibitive EFT or an inhibitive NFT on either or both could help keep cost down. It’ll be interesting to see what direction the team goes.

Wide Receiver analysis

As the Scorpions battled injuries in the middle of the 2019 season, the team needed to supplement their playoff drive with some additional bodies. Prior to the league’s trade deadline, San Juan sent two of its Big 3 receivers — A.J. Green and T.Y. Hilton — to Switzerland for veteran receivers Adam Thielen and Robert Woods. As luck (or unluck) would have it, Thielen spent some of his own time in the trainer’s room during his brief San Juan tenure. After the season, San Juan shipped Thielen back to Switzerland and traded John Brown to Nagasaki as part of a deal that landed them Stefon Diggs. Now, with Diggs and Jeffery, along with second-year pros DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin, the Scorpions have a solid-looking receiving corps heading into the 2020 season. San Juan also owns the unrestricted free agent rights to Robert Woods, and a tag is not out of the question although it will be costly. To have that position ready, if not complete, prior to the auction allows them to focus their attention on filling out the running back depth chart. Additionally, the Scorpions have receivers Andy Isabella and Jalen Hurd sitting in the Rookie Corral as developmental prospects.

Tight End analysis

The Scorpions will have a decision to make on veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who is an unrestricted free agent. Ertz, although getting long in the tooth and competing for targets, is still a capable and dependable tight end. He finished fourth among tight ends in 2019, and at a position as erratic as tight end, it helps to have a reliable one. The Scorpions have just one tight end under contract in Josh Oliver. They have second-year pro Irv Smith in the Rookie Corral. But retaining Ertz should remain a priority. Depending on what they decide to do with their free agent running backs, and whether or not they choose to tag either or both of them, the NFT remains a viable option for Ertz. Should they tag him, he’d have an opening bid of $4.25 million, but the two draft pick compensation would likely scare away other teams.

“What could be…”

The Scorpions don’t rebuild, they reload. There will be no “down year” in San Juan, pending health. San Juan has the cash reserves to retain its own free agents, plus the overall firepower to be title contenders again in 2020. Now, it’s just a matter of which offseason door they plan to open. Do they tempt fate and allow Kamara and Mack to hit the open market and see how much money they command from RB-hungry teams? Or do they tag one or both of them? Kamara is the better option for the EFT or NFT as he seems to be more of the “sure thing” of the two. The EFT, of course, limits the retention of a player to one year, but it also kicks the can down the road and buys a team time to assess using the NFT the following season. If the Scorpions use the NFT on either running back, that still might entice some owners to pony up the draft picks and the cash to bid on them, but it should at least keep cost down. As for their unrestricted free agents, Woods and Ertz are the only cost-efficient, tag-worthy options. Woods is least likely to receive a tag — even the TT — because the team will run into some cap space issues if they retain Kamara, Mack and Ertz. The Scorpions certainly have some big decisions to make as the tag deadline looms a little less than 40 days from now. One thing is for sure: they’ll be a tough squad in 2020.

Next up: Jamaica Jerks