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Free Agency

Offense
The Thrashers were able to take a load of capital to acquire some talent from free agency. A significant amount was used to acquire OL Graig Regalado, the nine year veteran from Charlotte. Regaldo now at age 30 seems to still be in prime condition and should slide into the starting RT spot by the end of the preseason. In addition, C Stanley Chandler was brought in back-up and be a swing man on the interior line.

Defense / Special Teams
CB Steve Bland aims to fill the void by free agent losses and should fit with the team's overall theory of speedy secondary coverage. Patrick Smith SS looks to have a rotational role on the back end as well. WLB Matthew Sharpe will the do the same for the LB corp as well as Mark Moore DT for the front four. Last but not least, K George Miles was signed to be the team's long term answer to handle Kick-offs and Field Goal duty.

Draft
After trading away this year's first round pick (and next year's 1 and 2) for starter RG Marcellus Wallace, the team looked to fill some more gaps with two second round picks (one from Indy on a previous trade). The first picks saw Rocky Balboa, the SS from Arizona, come off the board. He'll join the team as a CB and see how camp turns out. If he excels, he could fit in a starting safety or corner role. The other second rounder was John J. Rambo, a hometown pick from Arkansas to shore up the LB corp. He's quick with a lot of potential to excel in zone coverage and run stopping.

The third round pick surprised many pundits with the signal caller already established with both Reese and Prentice, but GM and HoFer Timothy Thompson was looking to the future of the franchise with John "Demolition Man" Spartan the QB out of Arizona State. Most likely, the QB will develop over a couple of preseasons and take over by year two or three (if he has good camps). There's no rush here.

Arkansas only had two picks remaining but used them to add some depth to the secondary, if either pick. CB Marion Cobretti or FS Ray Quick, has an excellent camp, the chances are good to at least make the 53-man team. If not, welcome to Dumpsville.

Here's hoping to a great camp for the team.

Training Camp 2024

Offense

Significant moves occurred during this season's training camp. QB John Spartan had a great camp, improving six points overall. He still needs time to develop and will sit and learn from both Reese and Prentice the next year, and then the real competition starts. GM and Owner Timothy Thompson has expressed a commitment to Spartan as the long term franchise answer as long as he continues to progress.

Skill players such as RB Clarence Sorenson, TEs Charles Webber and Winston Wolfe, and WR Norman Fleming are all back healthy and looking to capitalize on a new season. However, longtime WR Robert Gutierrez had a setback during camp as well. His speed dropped during the offseason, and many are wondering if his retirement is approaching. He's the leading receiver for the team with over 400 catches, nearly 7000 receiving yards and 72 TDs going into the 2024 season.

The offensive line looks to be in best condition in franchise history. The addition of RT Graig Regalado has shored up the right side of the line after former starter James Walker gave up 9 sacks and nearly 40 tackles last season. Walker slides to a back-up role to start the preseason.

Defense

The defensive front four remains the same, but the addition of some DT M. Moore and DE B. Winners added some depth.

The retirement and subsequent (coincidental) death of LB Randall Knox shook the team and remains a sore spot into training camp. The emotional toll affected SLB Marcus Aston and recent signee WLB Matthew Sharpe so much that both their overall stats decreased. Not all is bad, second year WLB Vincent Vega looked great at camp. Rookie MLB John Rambo has developed to be a great run stopper but didn't quite develop in his zone skills as expected.

No major changes occurred during camp in the secondary. DB Rocky Balboa increased overall expectations with B/R coverage skills but still needs to develop better tackling and man-to-man skills. The skillset is there for Balboa to slide into a safety (or nickel) role in the future. DBs Cobretti and Quick had lackluster camps but will provide some depth in reserve roles.

During yesterday's presser, Owner/GM Timothy Thompson intimated that one surprising casualty to make the 53 man roster could be John Prentice, only two seasons removed from being the 2022 League MVP.

Currently, the Thrashers have to make four more cuts before the beginning of the regular season.