There's no question Jace Amaro has been struggling heavily in training camp. He can't wrap his head around the playbook and has been dropping passes more than Stephen Hill. Meanwhile Zach Sudfeld has been stepping up and making big time catches. Rex lauded his work ethic calling him one of the most hardest working guys. If the rookie continues to struggle, Zach Sudfeld may take his spot as #2 TE on the depth chart. If Amaro continues to struggle, do you think they will mostly sit him in the No. 3 spot until late in the year when he has a better grasp of the playbook? Discuss below.
If Amaro is playing in games like he has been practicing no way you can put him out there he will only be hurting the team.
Cut the rook some slack , preseason is only a day away... Give em a chance. But Cumberland is already listed as our #1?
Wasn't it pretty well-known he'd need a year or two coming from the Texas Tech offense as pretty much a WR into the west coast offense as a TE? Let's relax a bit.
I don't think it would be a bad idea if he's having trouble adjusting, especially if Sudfield is out performing him anyway. But it is still early, he's got a lot of time left to get used to the speed of the game. Let's see what he can do in pre-season first.
Hopefully Cumberland steps up so that we don't have to rely on Amaro. He needs to develop at his own pace.
Amaro seems like the type of guy that will begin emerging as the season goes on. Give him 8 games or so and he'll be at #2 or better. Learning MM's offense isn't exactly a piece of cake
He's better as a decoy than Sudfeld is. No one on D is going "keep an eye on Sudfeld". Amaro, even if he's struggling, can open things up for other guys. At the very least they should design some red zone plays for him early on. Get him a TD or 2. Get the confidence up. Ease him along.
Amaro will definitely not have a redshirt year. He'll have to be on the regular roster since you can't put a 2nd round pick on the practice squad (someone else would claim him during the 24 hour window, and that would be a borderline fireable offense for a GM)- so the question is whether he'll always be one of the 8 inactive players on the roster week in, week out. I don't think he will be. He'll definitely be in on special teams, and I can see MM giving him some simpler routes to ease him into the league and build up his confidence with some easy completions. He'll just be used situationally at first, with very limited responsibilities. Maybe some red zone packages- where his height will give him a big advantage and make up for his struggles with route running to some degree. (If you put it up where only Amaro can reach, he won't have to rely on gaining a lot of separation / awesome route running.) And by the end of the season, he may be able to play more as he gains familiarity with the offense and gains confidence. By year 2 he should be a starter, and by years 3 and 4 we will know whether he's going to be a top end TE.
So far he's been clueless and dropping every ball thrown his way. But we're not even at the first pre-season game yet. I have no doubt he'll get lots of reps tomorrow and the weeks to come to show if he's ready. The kids off to an awful start but it's still very, very early.
I am far from clear that Cumberland should be viewed as a solid #1 TE in the depth chart. I along with many here had so much hope he was going to be that player. But he has not shown that. It is entirely possible we could see Sudfield on the field so much so as to effectively be that #1 TE. Not a prediction at this point. But all we hear seems to be what a great camp Sudfield is having. Still, as someone else more or less said, this question is probalby not going to be answered, even temporarily, until some pre-season games have gone by.
Well one more day and we will get to see what we have on offence, The D is just fine and no worries, Actually I think they got better with the few pickups they made. But I am routing for Amaro and hope that with a few pre-season games he can settle in some. Have to see what this kid can do in live action. I cant wait.
It's a long season. I thoroughly expect Amaro to get playing time as the season goes on. I think everyone jumping to the conclusion that he was going to be a significant contributor right away was kind of silly, but he will get better.
I can see Amaro being used in just a few packages as he still needs time getting a handle on the playbook. Those packages will probably be used near the redzone when MM wants big bodies that are hard to cover. Will teams really be able to cover Decker, Nelson Amaro and Sudfeld in the RZ ...
For a player that doesn't have much experience in a vast WCO playbook - this would be expected for Amaro. Come game day, if you want him to get involved dial up plays that make Amaro feel comfortable that can exploit the defense - this would be until he can catch up to the other aspects of the playbook. Fans will need to be patient with this guy.
Its early but its pretty disconcerting to be hearing that a guy we drafted in the top 50 to be a playmaker is having trouble learning the playbook
