Dashon Goldson, A Long Term Deal and Next Year's Expectations

We are entering the latest phase of the Dashon Goldson watch; he has until Monday to reach a deal with the Front Office. Barring that, he will be forced to sign his franchise tender, which would pay the man slightly over $6 Million next year. He would become a Free Agent next year.

So, I think it pertinent to examine what Mr. Goldson brings to the team before forming an opinion about how much he ought to be paid.

Goldson's Strengths:

• Growing awesome dreads.
• Making the occasional awesome and explosive play that tricks you into thinking he is an above average Safety.
• Run Support.

Goldson's Weaknesses:

• Covering opposing players.

Okay, so this is clearly facetious. I get that. That's part of the point. It's somewhat like his style of play - upfront, bold, but lacking when examined closely. So yeah, my analysis above totally breaks down under scrutiny. It's sort of like a hotel bed. Man, that sure looks comfy. Just don't turn on ye olde black light.

That's sort of how Goldson's coverage is. He makes some incredible plays. Just beautiful plays. The type of plays that would warrant a massive contract. But, for every one of those plays, the man makes a huge mistake. He frequently over-pursues, gets lost in coverage, and he is only average in run support, according to Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus, which is his supposed strength.

Granted, Goldson's play did shape up over the course of the season last year. He started to become a more complete and consistent player - but not an elite Safety in this league. The inconsistent coverage would need to shoot way down. The man has a lot of athleticism and tools, so I don't doubt it could happen. I just wouldn't bet millions of dollars on it.

So, I like the idea of having next year as an evaluation year. See how he plays; if he has built off of last year's average, but improving, play; and where he might fit in the defense and for how much money.

Dashon's already been burnt in Free Agency before. I don't think that's a mistake he would like to make again. If he has a good year - or rather, a career year - then we should pay him a reasonable amount. If not, it's not like he is the centerpiece of the defense anyway.