I had been holding off putting together a projection of the practice squad. However, today Maiocco posted a quality Q&A that included a question about the practice squad. MM posted his projection at this point, so I thought we'd post that and use that as a catalyst for discussion:
The practice squad will consist of eight players. Let's go with OL Alex Boone and Matt Spanos; OLB Diyral Briggs; TE J.J. Finley; QB Nate Davis; FB Brit Miller; CB Terrail Lambert and DT Khalif Mitchell. Others who might be near the top of the list are: CB Carlos Thomas, DE Pannel Egboh, WR Dominique Zeigler (torn between PS and active roster) and OLB Jay Moore.
I'll admit that until recently I was convinced there was no way Nate Davis ended up on the practice squad. I'm still leaning towards no, but the next two games will clear that up a little more. Part of this depends on how quickly the #1 QB decision is made (more thoughts on that tomorrow probably). If Davis gets next to know playing time this preseason, it's hard to justify a spot on the 53-man roster if they also keep Huard.
And yet I continue to think somebody would claim him off waivers. Say you're the Indianapolis Colts (as just one example). You've got Manning and Sorgi. Would it be worth taking a flier on a guy like Davis as your #3 emergency QB? Manning won't play forever and I don't think they view Sorgi as a long-term answer. So why not stash a rookie?
I know many folks think Boone ends up on the 53-man roster, but it's still too early to make a solid conclusion. It'll be interesting to see how he and Barry Sims perform the next two weekends. Whether you think Sims is crap or not, the "veteran presence" can be alluring.
The rest of the candidates seem like reasonable options. I know some folks are intrigued by Lambert and Mitchell and they seem to be some decent PS options. Anybody think there are obvious omissions?