Title says it all. Going to suggest a player to be drafted in either the first or second round (or third for HOU at the moment) for each team, along with a player to target in free agency, and a player to potentially trade for.
Trying to avoid overlap as best I can, but some may have similar targets. Resources used include PFF, The Draft Network, and OverTheCap. Enjoy!

Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

Trade Target: DT J.J. Watt, Houston Texans - The last deal between Arizona and Houston worked out well. Why not try again and add a serious piece to their pass rushing arsenal in Watt. An ideal interior fit for Arizona, Watt would help them push for the playoffs in his final seasons in the league.
Draft Pick: C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma - Reuniting Kyler Murray with his old center for the Sooners would be an excellent move. The Cardinals currently have Mason Cole at center, but could easily slide him over to guard to make room for Humphrey if they wanted a significant upgrade at an underrated position.
Free Agent Signing: TE Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans - Arizona would be wise to look at adding Jonnu Smith into the equation on offense. One of the NFL's best after the catch at the TE position, he'd be another fun weapon to slot alongside Murray and Hopkins.

Atlanta Falcons (4-12)

Trade Target: S Tracy Walker, Detroit Lions - With a new regime coming in, Detroit is headed towards an extended rebuild, and acquiring assets for up-and-down players like Walker could be a consideration. Now, still young, Walker has plenty of potential for the Falcons, and if the price is right, could be a tremendous bargain.
Draft Pick: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State - While Matt Ryan will remain the QB of the Falcons next season, due to his contract, the Falcons should plan for the future and add a Georgia native in Fields, one of the better QB's out of college football in recent years. He'd be able to develop behind Ryan under the tutelage of new head coach Arthur Smith.
Free Agent Signing: CB Mackensie Alexander, Cincinnati Bengals - The Falcons do not have positive cap space at the moment (currently projected $30 million over the limit) so even after reworking deals and cutting some players, they'll be bargain shopping more than anything else. PFF projects Alexander to fetch a deal of about 2-years, $6 million, which could be feasible for the Falcons. He'd be a solid veteran presence across from CB A.J. Terrell.

Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

Trade Target: OLB Whitney Mercilus, Houston - I list him in "trade target" as he's technically under contract in Houston going into 2021. However, it's 99% more likely that the Texans cut him and Baltimore pursues him as a newly released free agent. Kind of cheating on my listings, but I like the idea of Mercilus in Baltimore after Houston cuts him. It'd be a coup for Houston if they could get a pick for him. Mercilus is a veteran pass rusher who could step into a role in Baltimore should OLB Matt Judon depart for greener pastures...green meaning money of course.
Draft Pick: WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota - The idea of Bateman in Baltimore remains one of my favorite potential pairings for any player likely to be selected in the first round of the draft. Similar to Keenan Allen in my opinion, Bateman could become the go-to wide receiver the Ravens lacked last season.
Free Agent Signing: G Jon Feliciano, Buffalo Bills - The Ravens need to bolster the middle of their offensive line, and a tough veteran like Feliciano could be ideal target for the Ravens. With a big contract committed to LT Ronnie Staley, a cheaper veteran like Feliciano could match price tag with talent. Good value for the Ravens.

Buffalo Bills (13-3)

Trade Target: DT Malcom Brown, New Orleans Saints - The Saints are in cap space purgatory, and thus could be looking to offload some decent players like Brown simply to get back under the cap. He's a solid starting DT who could be available for cheap in the Saints push to real in their financial situation. A strong fit next to Ed Oliver on the inside.
Draft Pick: LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina - Given their limited cap space, the Bills may have to decide between re-signing OT Daryl Williams and LB Matt Milano. If so, a replacement like Surratt could be a smart move for Sean McDermott and co. as Surratt is a quick backer who excels in space and has shown plenty of promise in coverage.
Free Agent Signing: DE Romeo Okwara, Detroit Lions - The Bills aren't loaded with cap space (barely above 0 if the cap stays down at $175 million), but I'd imagine they'll find some ways to free some cap up. If they do, they may want to consider Okwara, a rising pass-rusher, as a replacement for some of their own departing edge rushers. He tallied 10 sacks this season after hitting 7.5 sacks in 2018 in Detroit. While not elite, Okwara's likely a solid value pass-rusher for a contender like the Bills.

Carolina Panthers (5-11)

Trade Target: DT Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears - The Panthers just drafted DT Derrick Brown, but pairing him and Hicks together could become a dominant duo in the middle of that defense. And with DT Kawann Short a likely cut candidate, Hicks could be an instant upgrade for Carolina.
Draft Pick: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State - Forget the QB position, if the Panthers have the opportunity to land Parsons at 8th overall, they should pull the trigger. He'd be an immediate boost of speed, instincts and athleticism into their linebacker corps, a strong replacement for Luke Kuechly.
Free Agent Signing: TE Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams - More of a move tight end than a traditional in-line blocker, Everett could be an exceptional value signing for someone, as he's not likely to command as much money as Hunter Henry or Jonnu Smith, but is a very good player himself.

Chicago Bears (8-8)

Trade Target: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers - Unless the Bears are set to bring back Mitch Trubisky, who played a bit better to end the season but still not strong enough, the Bears should look at the veteran QB market. While Garoppolo has had some injury issues, he's a notable upgrade over Trubisky and could give them a steady veteran presence for a couple of more years.
Draft Pick: OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech - There's growing buzz that Rashawn Slater could join Penei Sewell in the top-10, leaving him just out of the Bears' grasp. But Darrisaw is quite the consolation prize as he's a first-round caliber offensive tackle himself who could fill a big need for the offense in the Windy City.
Free Agent Signing: WR Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs - Watkins and Bears head coach Matt Nagy did not cross paths in Kansas City, but a recommendation from Andy Reid could push the two together. The Bears are another team facing some cap complications, and thus may need a cheaper replacement for Allen Robinson on the outside. If so, Watkins has been a strong complimentary receiver who could pair well with rising youngster Darnell Mooney.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)

Trade Target: G Joe Dahl, Detroit Lions - Finding protection and weapons for QB Joe Burrow is the primary goal for Cincinnati this offseason before they enter the coaching carousel in 2022. Dahl is a strong pass protector who has grown into a quality starter. However, with large contracts for C Frank Ragnow coming up, along with big deals in place for Decker and Vaitai, Detroit may need to send Dahl out for picks.
Draft Pick: OT Penei Sewell, Oregon - There is buzz that Northwestern's Rashawn Slater may be viewed as OT1, and I get the hype, however, I'm sticking with Sewell for now. The Bengals should draft Sewell and get him ready to go as their franchise left tackle in 2021.
Free Agent Signing: CB Troy Hill, Los Angeles Rams - The Bengals have a healthy chunk of cap space, and should use of that to bring back CB William Jackson III. However, they should not stop there, they should also make a push for a quality veteran cornerback like Hill to bolster their defense in the meantime.

Cleveland Browns (11-5)

Trade Target: LB Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys - After looking like an elite linebacker from 2017-2019, Smith had a rough year under now fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. A fresh start in Cleveland could be ideal for both teams, as Smith is still young enough, 26 years, to be a strong piece to their defense for years to come.
Draft Pick: DT Daviyon Nixon, Iowa - The Browns are in a strong position at 26th overall to sit and see who the top defensive lineman on the board is. If they're lucky enough for it to be a high potential defensive tackle like Nixon, it'd be an ideal situation to bring him in the replace Ogunjobi. A defensive end like Jayson Oweh or Jaelan Phillips could also work here.
Free Agent Signing: S Marcus Williams, New Orleans Saints - The Browns could use a big upgrade on the back end, and Williams, at only 24 years old, would be a premium add for a team who finally broke through the playoffs. PFF projects Williams to command a deal around 4-years $57 million, and the Browns would likely have the money to make that happen, sitting tenth in cap space this offseason.

Dallas Cowboys (6-10)

Trade Target: CB Mike Hughes, Minnesota Vikings - Hughes was a first-round pick for the Vikings in 2018, but has not lived up to the billing so far. Dallas is in need of several new faces on its defensive backfield, and perhaps a new situation could be best for Hughes to turn his NFL career around. For Dallas, a cheap flier on defense.
Draft Pick: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama - The Cowboys defense is a mess at many levels, and so picking a premium defensive player like Surtain would be a wise for Dallas to get things straightened out. He's consistently been pegged as the top corner of this draft cycle and makes a lot of sense in Dallas.
Free Agent Signing: DT Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants - The Cowboys ranked 31st in total rushing yards surrendered in 2020, meaning they'll need to make it a priority to find a run-stuffer like Dalvin Tomlinson to get their defense back on track. While most teams are geared towards stopping the pass, you simply cannot be as bad in run stopping as Dallas was and expect to be competitive.

Denver Broncos (5-11)

Trade Target: QB Marcus Mariota, Las Vegas Raiders - An inter-divisional trade for a QB seems unlikely, but it's something for both sides to consider. The Broncos need to find a veteran QB to bring in to push QB Drew Lock, who has shown flashes in his first two years but has so far been too inconsistent to commit to long-term.
Draft Pick: EDGE Joe Tryon, Washington - More likely a second-round selection here, the Broncos should consider finding a player to develop into Von Miller's replacement, given all the complications with their star pass-rusher recently. Tryon has a high motor and excellent athleticism to develop across from Bradley Chubb.
Free Agent Signing: CB Quinton Dunbar, Seattle Seahawks - Dunbar was an excellent player for Washington previously, but did not meet expectations after getting moved to the Seahawks. Should he walk in free agency, perhaps putting him under a solid defensive coach like Vic Fangio could help him get back into the strong form that made him a coveted player in 2019.

Detroit Lions (5-11)

Trade Target: A Big Haul for Matt Stafford - We suggest one later on, but Detroit's in a full-on rebuild with Stafford wanting out. Peter King recently reported that at least five teams would be willing to offer their first-rounder for Stafford. Detroit should turn it into a bidding war and land as many draft picks as they can to bolster their rebuilding efforts.
Draft Pick: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State - The Lions are moving on from QB Matthew Stafford after he understandably requested out. With Detroit picking at 7th, there's a very good chance that Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson are all off the board. Thus, unless Detroit makes a bold move up the board, chances are that they go with Lance, who has the potential to be available with their pick. He has plenty of upside to develop into a starting QB behind a veteran QB, say Tyrod Taylor, reuniting with new Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn?
Free Agent Signing: LB Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills - If we were ranking worst position groups in the league, Detroit's LB corps is in strong contention. An outdated group of lethargic old-school thumpers, almost none of Detroit's LB's are capable of playing modern football at a high level. Detroit should invest some cash into someone who is, such as the Bills LB Matt Milano, an excellent backer with range and some ability in coverage.

Green Bay Packers

Trade Target: WR Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys - The Packers wide receivers performed quite well after all the criticism Green Bay received after not bringing in anyone for QB Aaron Rodgers. However, good is the enemy of great, and pairing Gallup with Davante Adams would give Green Bay an elite duo in terms of pass catchers.
Draft Pick: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri - If Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was here as well, I think he could be another strong option, but Bolton is an excellent linebacker who can fill gaps inside and fly from sideline-to-sideline.
Free Agent Signing: CB Gareon Conley, Houston Texans - Like the Falcons listed earlier, the Packers don't have positive cap space at the moment, and thus any free agent additions will likely be bargain bin deals. I like the example that PFF lists in their free agency preview, suggesting Conley could replicate Ronald Darby's return, taking a year deal with the aims of getting things turned around and landing a larger deal after that. An opportunity in Green Bay seems like a good start.

Houston Texans (4-12)

Trade Target: Every Pick they can get from the Jets - Even hiring a veteran coach like Culley to run the show and attempt to repair the relationship with Watson, it seems unlikely to me that Houston holds on, given the issues between Watson and owner Cal McNair. Thus, if forced to deal him, the Texans should aim to land at least three first rounders from a team like the Jets, who could see Watson as a better player than any of the QB's available behind Trevor Lawrence.
Draft Pick: QB Zach Wilson, BYU - This obviously assumes a trade with the Jets sends #2 overall to Houston. If so, Wilson looks like the next best bet behind Lawrence in my opinion. He, along with the boatload of additional assets that would come along in this trade, should be a solid foundation for Culley and co.'s rebuild.
Free Agent Signing: S Malik Hooker, Indianapolis Colts - The Texans will start their rebuild without any cap space, meaning that taking chances on younger guys like Hooker, 24 years old, to potentially find useful pieces is key. If they can land Hooker to play safety for them on a cheap 1-2 year deal, that'd be ideal for Houston.

Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Trade Target: QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions - Easy one here. If the Colts had Stafford in 2020 they probably would have replaced the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. Stafford is only 32 years, meaning he still has a strong 4-5 years left to help the Colts' well-rounded roster make a championship push. Surrendering a first round pick and potentially a 2022 3rd (if there competition from others) is a gamble I'd definitely make if I were Chris Ballard.
Draft Pick: DE Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh - Assuming the Colts use their first on the aforementioned Stafford deal, then finding a balanced edge rusher like Jones would be a great move for Indy. With players like Denico Autry and Justin Houston headed to free agency (and getting old), the Colts would get a terror on the edge with a tremendous motor and tools to develop.
Free Agent Signing: WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears - The Colts have a large amount of cap space, second in the league according to OTC's projections. Given that they will need to conserve some of that war chest for internal extensions, they would be wise to replace T.Y. Hilton with a more dominant receiver like Allen Robinson. An offseason adding Matt Stafford and Robinson together should make Frank Reich and Marcus Brady very excited for 2021.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15)

Trade Target: WR Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns - If the Browns are preparing to move on from Beckham Jr., then perhaps sending him down to Jacksonville to pair up with Urban Meyer could help get him playing elite football again. After posting 1,000 yard season in 3 of the previous 4 seasons, an injury once again cut his year short.
Draft Pick: OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State - Not at #1 overall obviously. We all know that will go to QB Trevor Lawrence. However, with the Rams 1st round selection (acquired via the Jalen Ramsey trade), the Jaguars should look to use it on an upgrade to their offensive line in the form of Radunz.
Free Agent Signing: OLB Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Provided new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen brings a Ravens style 3-4 defense with him, then adding a premier OLB like Barrett while K'Lavon Chaisson develops would be a great move for Jacksonville. With the NFL's lead in cap space, Jacksonville could afford Barrett along with some other instant contributors.

Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)

Trade Target: WR Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears - The Chiefs could easily lose WR Sammy Watkins to free agency, leaving an opening for another wideout to join the rotation. Miller has been fairly productive in Chicago, and could be a solid option to join Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce in Andy Reid's passing attack.
Draft Pick: G Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC - Vera-Tucker gets mocked to the Chiefs a lot, and it makes perfect sense why. A premier offensive line talent, he has some versatility after playing tackle for the Trojans. While I think his best fit is inside, he'd be an ideal player for Kansas City to add to bolster their protection after investing so much in QB Patrick Mahomes.
Free Agent Signing: C Ted Karras, Miami Dolphins - The Chiefs will also be bargain bin hunting, as they're currently over the cap by $18 million. Thus, a starting caliber center like Ted Karras could prove useful for the defending Super Bowl champs (at this point). Karras signed with the Dolphins for only $3 million last season, and a similar deal with KC could be an absolute bargain when all is said and done.

Las Vegas Raiders (8-8)

Trade Target: DT Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears - I mentioned Hicks for the Panthers as well, but he'd be a great add for either team, perhaps even more so for the Raiders, who could easily see DT Johnathan Hankins depart in free agency. A disruptive player in the middle, he'd be a nice add in Las Vegas.
Draft Pick: EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia - After shockingly selecting DE Clelin Ferrell at fourth overall in 2019, the Raiders have still been searching for a game changer at DE to go alongside the productive efforts of Maxx Crosby. Ojulari profiles as a high potential pass rusher to scratch that itch for Jon Gruden and co.
Free Agent Signing: S Anthony Harris, Minnesota Vikings - The Raiders may have to get creative to free up the cap space to land Harris, as they're currently over. But if they can do it, he'd be an ideal player to add to the Vegas' defense, now led by defensive coordinator Ken Whisen...uh...Gus Bradley. Harris is an elite free safety who would pair well with Jonathan Abram.

Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)

Trade Target: DT Danny Shelton, Detroit Lions - Shelton struggled in Detroit, but frankly, everyone on Patricia's defense did. Before that, Shelton posted strong results as a 3-4 interior gap-plugger, doing a quality job for both the Browns and Patriots before him. With Linval Joseph on the decline, adding a younger replacement for cheap could be in store.
Draft Pick: G Wyatt Davis, Ohio State - LA needs a couple of new starters on its offensive line, and if the tackles fly off the board before they can get one at 13th overall, then perhaps a top notch guard could also suffice. Davis has been a consistent player for the Buckeyes and projects as an instant impact lineman for someone at the next level.
Free Agent Signing: OT Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh Steelers - A sturdy, veteran left tackle should be a big priority for the Chargers, as the imperative to protect QB Justin Herbert is high. After a breakout season for Herbert, he gives the franchise a ton of optimism under new head coach Brandon Staley. Keeping him upright is something Villanueva would do well at.

Los Angeles Rams (10-6)

Trade Target: QB Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars - The Rams are in a pickle with QB Jared Goff. He has not been a strong point for the team recently, but his contract is a bit too heavy to move right now. Thus, a cheaper way to acquire some genuine competition for Goff could be to trade for the affordable Minshew, a solid starter in his own right. Jacksonville will be bringing in Trevor Lawrence anyways to replace him, so perhaps acquiring a pick or so to send him out could be a wise move.
Draft Pick: EDGE Quincy Roche, Miami - Provided that new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris isn't changing the scheme outright, Roche would be an excellent fit at 3-4 OLB in LAR. He's a dynamic pass rusher with excellent physical traits. If he falls to the Rams in the second-round they shouldn't think twice about selecting him.
Free Agent Signing: LB Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions - The Rams are another team already over the cap, so not a lot to spend on. However, they could use some help at inside linebacker, and Davis projects to be a relatively cheap piece to take a gamble on. Physically impressive, he's struggled with the mental side of the game. If Morris can get him sorted out, it could be excellent value.

Miami Dolphins (10-6)

Trade Target: WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons - The Dolphins will likely have the opportunity to draft a premier wide receiver in the first round, but could also use some of their stockpile to add an established star like Jones. Giving Tua as many options as you can is a wise move.
Draft Pick: RB Najee Harris, Alabama - Reuniting Harris and Tua in a backfield would fill a big need for the Dolphins. Whether taking him with their second selection in the first round or hoping he drops to the second, Miami should get serious about finding a talented running back,
Free Agent Signing: G Joe Thuney, New England Patriots - The Dolphins still have a decent amount of cap space (8th in the league) and could easily use some of that to target an upgrade to the interior of their offensive line by adding Thuney. Thuney crossed paths with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores in New England, and a reunion down south could be profitable for both parties.

Minnesota Vikings (7-9)

Trade Target: DT Tyquan Lewis, Indianapolis Colts - Lewis may not be on the trade block, but the Colts have both defensive tackles locked up ahead of him (Buckner, Grover Stewart). Perhaps they'd consider moving a young, promising 3-technique if Minnesota put together a quality offer for him. He'd instantly fill a need for the Vikings.
Draft Pick: EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami - With the failed Yannick Ngakoue tenure, the Vikings still need to find a premium pass rusher. Rousseau sat out 2020, but was dominant the year before and projects as a highly athletic piece for Zimmer to develop.
Free Agent Signing: OT Matt Feiler, Pittsburgh Steelers - Feiler offers a lot of versatility, which works great for Minnesota, as they could insert Feiler as a starting tackle, or slide G Ezra Cleveland into the LT position and put Feiler in at guard. Either way, a relatively affordable upgrade on the OL.

New England Patriots (7-9)

Trade Target: TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles are another team finding themselves in a less-than-ideal cap situation, and thus, will likely explore moving a top player like Ertz. While the Patriots have drafted a handful of decent role players at TE, they've lacked a player of Ertz's caliber. He'd be a nice upgrade to help whomever the Patriots land at QB.
Draft Pick: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama - It seems unlikely that Devonta Smith or Ja'Marr Chase slip to New England, but I'd imagine they'd be perfectly content with a potential stud like Waddle to bolster their mediocre group of pass catchers. He's a very smooth player with a lot of potential.
Free Agent Signing: QB Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys - Dalton got off to a rough start with Dallas in relief of QB Dak Prescott, scoring a total of 13 points in 2 games while throwing 1 touchdown to 3 interceptions. However, he was admirable after that, throwing 13 touchdowns to 5 interceptions while posting a 4-3 record over that stretch. Dalton could be an upgrade over Cam Newton for New England while they hunt for a new franchise QB to replace Tom Brady.

New Orleans Saints (12-4)

Trade Target: Draft Picks for Kwon Alexander, Nick Easton, or Latavius Murray - The Saints game isn't necessarily who they should bring in, but if they can get picks for some players with bloated contracts that they may need to cut. If they can score some late-round picks to move these guys (or others) elsewhere, they need to pull the trigger.
Draft Pick: WR Kadarius Toney, Florida - While it seems like the hype train on Toney has left the station, it'd be incredible if he slipped to the Saints at 28th overall in this draft. An explosive player, he'd be an ideal partner for WR Michael Thomas, giving Taysom Hill or maybe Jameis(?) some excellent weapons.
Free Agent Signing: TE Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks - The Saints, as mentioned, are in cap purgatory. Their signings will be quite minimum once they make the trades, cuts, and restructures required to get them back under the cap. However, one cheaper option could be a solid TE like Hollister, as TE Jared Cook is set to depart. Putting up 25 catches including 3 touchdowns at a price tag a shade over $3 million could be in New Orleans price range.

New York Giants (6-10)

Trade Target: G Gabe Jackson, Las Vegas Raiders - Jackson has been rumored to be available for a little while now. Not yet 30 years old, he's a steady veteran option on the interior of any offensive line and would fit quite well with the Giants.
Draft Pick: WR Devonta Smith, Alabama - If the Dolphins don't take Smith, the Giants certainly should. Ensuring that QB Daniel Jones has the weapons he needs to grow into the franchise QB role is pertinent. Smith is a stud pass catcher and would be an excellent pick if he were on the board at 10th overall.
Free Agent Signing: EDGE Matt Judon, Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens have let a handful of pass rushers walk, and if they do so with Judon this year, the Giants should go get him. While Yannick could also be a Ravens OLB on the market, Judon fits Joe Judge's style a little bit more than Yannick does, and could be available for cheaper, which is important for another cap squeezed team like the Giants.

New York Jets (2-14)

Trade Target: QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans - As I do think Justin Fields or Zach Wilson can be good franchise QB's, Watson already is an exceptional one. The Jets should put together a package of picks to go land the beleaguered QB and unite him with Robert Saleh, whom he listed as one of the guys he originally wanted Houston to interview.
Draft Pick: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC - Assuming the Jets send both first-round selections to the Texans in the hypothetical Watson trade, the Jets would still have a premium pick to start off the second-round, one they should use to add a top tier WR like St. Brown who could be a star quickly.
Free Agent Signing: CB William Jackson III, Cincinnati Bengals - If the Bengals can't lock Jackson up to an extension before free agency, the Jets should throw some cash at him to be a foundational piece of Saleh's defense in the Big Apple.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1)

Trade Target: Draft Picks for Zach Ertz, DeSean Jackson, and Alshon Jeffery - Like the Saints, the Eagles probably should focus on offloading bloated contracts rather than bringing anyone in. The cheap rookie contracts that draft picks provide will be needed to steer themselves out of cap purgatory.
Draft Pick: WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU - The Eagles and Chase are an ideal fit, and new head coach Nick Sirianni sure could use the big play ability that Chase provides. Whichever QB ends up getting the start, they'll be happy to have a guy like Chase to throw to.
Free Agent Signing: CB Bashaud Breeland, Kansas City Chiefs - The Eagles have a horrific cap situation themselves, and thus, a lower-end veteran like Breeland can give them a solid starter at an affordable price as the Eagles try and sort out their defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Trade Target: QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets - The Steelers may have brought in Dwayne Haskins, but frankly I have little faith there. Instead, they should call up the Jets to figure out what Darnold will cost them. One season behind Roethlisberger in his final go could be a great change of pace for Darnold before taking over.
Draft Pick: RB Travis Etienne, Clemson - Everyone is too cool for elite running backs in the wannabe scouting world. But Etienne is a stud, and the Steelers need a big upgrade at running back. If they don't like their options for QB late into the first, they should give serious weight to taking Etienne and landing an elite player rather than reach for a lesser player elsewhere.
Free Agent Signing: G Elijah Wilkinson, Denver Broncos - Wilkinson had a very rough 2019 season, but has been a good deal better in 2020. He's still on the younger end, not even 26 years old, and could be an affordable gamble for Pittsburgh, who also needs to find their way back under the cap ($35 million over).

San Francisco 49ers (6-10)

Trade Target: QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions - If the Colts don't land Stafford, the 49ers absolutely should. Pairing Stafford and Kyle Shanahan would be fun to watch, and he'd be a much most consistent player for the 49ers than the oft-injured Jimmy G. It's a big move, but one Shanahan may want to consider to make another championship run.
Draft Pick: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech - If the 49ers don't move for Stafford and keep their first-round selection, they should target a top tier corner like Farley as they have a handful of corners (Sherman, Witherspoon, Williams) set to hit the open market.
Free Agent Signing: DT Shelby Harris, Denver Broncos - The 49ers top priority should be retaining OT Trent Williams, but after that, adding a veteran pass rusher on the interior could be a good move. Harris has been a consistent player for Denver, but has yet to be rewarded with a big opportunity, something he could get here alongside Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead.

Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

Trade Target: DT Jonathan Allen, Washington Football Team - I'm not sure the Football Team would move him, but he is on the final year of his deal, and Washington's going to have weigh future deals for DE's Montez Sweat and Chase Young into the equation. If they aren't willing to pony up for three studs on the defensive line, they may look to add some picks in exchange for Allen.
Draft Pick: CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern - A late riser up the board after a stellar junior year in Evanston. Newsome has ideal size (6'1, 190 lbs) for Seattle and could help fill a gap if they have to choose between Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar.
Free Agent Signing: DE Carl Lawson, Cincinnati Bengals - A really good fit here, as the Seahawks very much need some pass-rushing help. Lawson has been an excellent player for the Bengals and could find the chance to compete in the playoffs if he heads west for Seattle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)

Trade Target: QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets - The Bucs are another team that should explore the asking price for Darnold. While Brady is still winning his battle against time, it seems unrealistic to expect it to continue for too much longer. The Bucs could potentially land his heir apparent in Darnold.
Draft Pick: Christian Barmore, Alabama - Between Barmore and Daviyon Nixon, I think both have a case to make as DT1 in this class, but Barmore projects as a bit better fit to Todd Bowles' 3-4 defense than Nixon does. The Bucs add an impact defensive lineman to pair on the inside with Vita Vea, giving them flexibility in replacing Ndamukong Suh.
Free Agent Signing: OLB Tyus Bowser, Baltimore Ravens - The Bucs have a good chunk of cap space available, but will need to prioritize some re-signings like LB Lavonte David, OLB Shaq Barrett, and TE Rob Gronkowski. Thus, they may not have a lot of cash to throw out there after bringing back some of their own. Bowser is a good value to add as a rotational pass rusher, scoring some decent grades from PFF as a backup for Matt Judon and Yannick in Baltimore. An expanded role in Tampa could pay off for both sides.

Tennessee Titans (11-5)

Trade Target: OLB Jacob Martin, Houston Texans - As sad as it is, Martin's 3 sacks in 2020 would have led the team for Tennessee. In a passing era, you need to get after the QB better than the Texans are doing. While team's are hesitant to trade within the division, the Texans should be more focused on acquiring picks to rebuild, which they could get by moving a decent rotational pass-rusher.
Draft Pick: OLB Joseph Ossai, Texas - Really the Titans should be focused on landing a high potential pass-rusher, and Ossai figures to be a hot name in that range. He's a springy pass rusher who can inject some life into one of the league's worst team's at getting to the QB.
Free Agent Signing: WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts - After a strong season in 2020, WR Corey Davis seems a bit unlikely to return, as he'll likely fetch more on the market than the Titans can afford to pay him. Thus, they should consider adding a veteran replacement to pair with budding star A.J. Brown at wide receiver.

Washington Football Team (7-9)

Trade Target: QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans - Another team I think should really make a push for Watson. It'll cost them at least a 2021 and 2022 first-round pick, along with probably another second and DT Jonathan Allen or some other player. It could definitely cost more than that! But Watson would solidify Washington as the top team in the NFC East for the next few years. With QB and DE locked in with Watson, Sweat, and Young, this could be a potential dynasty in the division.
Draft Pick: OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State - A potential second-round target, Washington should look to find a developmental tackle to eventually slot into their lineup. Morgan Moses and Cornelius Lucas were a solid pairing last year, but both are about to turn 30 years old, and Jenkins has a lot of potential. A year to develop before taking a spot in the starting lineup would ideal for everyone involved.
Free Agent Signing: WR Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions - Washington managed to build a passing attack out of Terry McLaurin and a handful of role players at RB and TE. While it worked in 2020, it does not seem very sustainable, as Washington should use its cap space to bring in a premier WR to pair with Terry McLaurin. Pairing up McLaurin's speed with Golladay's ability to go win contested balls is an ideal complementary pairing.

Possibly Moving To Omaha, Local Laws To Know?

A New Page Option/Answer Questions For Our Chicago Bears

So let me start off by saying this is all based on my opinion & ideas, I get many may not like it but as a diehard fan I am sick of the team doing the same old mistakes over & over again so its time to try a new approach.
What to do with our current QB?

So we only have 1 QB under contract and that is Nick Foles who is 32. In 2020 he played 7 with a record of 2-5, he completed 64.7% of passes (202 of 312) and had 1,852 yards 10 TD & 8 INT. If you look at his career he has a record of 28-27 with completion rate of 62.3%, along with 13,753 yards 81 TD & 43 INT. He is under contract for 2 more seasons (til 2022). In 2021 he will have a cap hit of $6.6 million ( he is guaranteed $4 million plus a $2.6 million prorated bonus). In 2022 if he makes the roster he will have a cap hit of $10.6 million (he gets a base of $4 million plus a $2.6 million prorated bonus & $4 million roster bonus), if he does not make the roster he is only guaranteed $1 million. So he will cost the team $17.2 million (if he stays on the roster til 2022) or cost the team $7.6 million (if he is cut after the 2021 season).
My idea originally was to buyout the contract, but that will cost too much to just let him go. Instead my new idea is to trade Nick Foles, believe it or not he still has value being a former Superbowl winner. My ideal pick is to trade him to the Detroit Lions, I am 100% positive the Detroit Lion will be trading Matthew Stafford to either the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts this off season. The Detroit Lions have the 7th overall pick & easily can draft North Dakota State QB Trey Lance, but they will need a veteran bridge QB to allow Trey Lance to develop without rushing him. Nick Foles is a perfect option to lead the team to a mediocre record (most likely 6-10) which will result in good draft placement to continue to build a young core. Trey Lance may only need 1 season to learn the playbook & system, therefore the Detroit Lions could end up cutting Nick Foles after the 2021 season and he will only cost $7.6 million in the end of it all and hand the reigns over to Trey Lance.
The Chicago Bears would not get much in return most likely a 4th round pick (same thing we gave Jacksonville to acquire him). But looking at Ryan Pace is track record he has been pretty good with his draft pick from the 3rd round forward (he sucks at 1st & 2nd round picks).

Where to look for 2 new QBs?

Well many will say make a big trade for Deshaun Watson, but honestly he will cost at least 2 1st round picks along with a player of caliber (Mack, Cohen, etc), way too high of a price plus he has no intentions of coming to Chicago. Others will say go big & sign Dak Prescott and I hate to inform them that there is no way he would ever come to Chicago, plus there is definitely not enough cap room to even consider him. At one point I thought why not bring home Jimmy Garoppolo but I see that he is an older, more injured version of Mitch Trubisky, plus he is owed quite a bit of money definitely not worth it.
I've seen some say lets draft a new QB to groom well lets face it the Chicago Bears have the 20th pick in the draft, there will be no worthy QB left on the board to draft by then. We would have to give up way too much to move up in the draft into the top 10 in order to have a shot (not even a guarantee) to draft one of the good QBs. So I would personally say fill other holes in this draft like offensive line, wide receivers, safeties, cornerbacks & edge. Wait till next year to draft a QB where you'll have QBs Kedon Slovis (USC), Sam Howell (North Carolina), Tyler Shough (Oregon), Brock Purdy (Iowa State) & Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) in the draft class.
So my idea is to acquire 2 project QBs which will come at low cost, with potential for high gain. Then next year when drafting the QB which ever project QB was more impressive you keep, the other you cut and use the QB you keep as a bridge while the QB drafted learns the system. Therefore one project QB is a 1 year option, and potentially ends up sticking around on the practice squad at option number 3 who knows the playbook & system. The other project QB is a 2 year starter, then potentially ends up as a cheap long term backup who knows the playbook & system. Long term this cost way less money then signing an over glorified backup and allows a drafted QB time to develop, the Chicago Bears do have the tendency to rush young QBs (Grossman, Orton & Trubiskys)

Which 2 QBs to get that work well? (Came Up With 4 Options)

Well my first option/choice would be a QB acquired by trade and that is Gardner Minshew who will be 25. He played in 8 games in 2020 and had a record of 1-7, he completed 66.1% of passes (216 of 327) and had 2,259 yards 16 TD & 5 INT. In his career he has a 7-13 record and a completion rate of 62.9% with 5,530 yards 37 TD & 11 INT. He is under contract for 2 seasons (til 2022). In 2021 he will have a cap hit of $897,904 ($850,000 base & $47,904 prorated bonus) & in 2022 he will have a cap hit of $1,012,904 ($965,000 base & $47,904 prorated bonus). So at most he will have a max cap hit of $1,910,808 (in his contract their are options to save cap space if he is cut by June 1st then he could have a cap hit as low as $1,767,096). I would see him as the project QB to keep around for 2 seasons as a bridge QB, he has some potential at low cost low gamble & could turn into a solid cheap backup.
My second option/choice would be a QB signed in the free agency and that is Kyle Allen who will be 25. He played in 4 games in 2020 and had a record of 1-3, he completed 69% of passes (60 if 87) and had 610 yards 4 TD & 1 INT. In his career he has a 7-10 record and a completion rate of 63.1% with 4,198 yards 23 TD 17 INT. He has flashed signs of promise both with the Carolina Panthers & Washington Redskins & definitely could be a cheap 1 year sign of $675,000 to $775,000 cap hit which is a great bargain. I could see him being either a 2 year startebridge QB leading to long term cheap backup or he could be a simple 1 year backup leading to a 3rd option on the practice squad.
My third option/choice would be a QB signed in free agency and that is Nick Mullen who will be 26. He played in 8 games in 2020 and had a record of 2-6, he completed 64.7% of passes (211 of 326) and had 2,437 yards 12 TD & 12 INT. In his career he has a 5-11 record and a completion rate of 64.5% with 4,714 yards 25 TD & 22 INT. He has shown some flashes of potential & definitely could be a cheap 1 year sign of $750,000 to $850,000 cap hit which is a great bargain. I do not see him as a possible 2 year starter he is more of a backup option incase of an injury, definitely could be a 3rd option on the practice squad.
My fourth option/choice would be a QB signed in free agency and that is CJ Beathard who will be 28. He played in 2 games in 2020 and had a record of 1-1, he completed 63.5% of passes (66 of 104) and had 787 yards 6 TD & 0 INT. In his career he has a 2-10 record and a completion rate of 58.6% with 3,469 yards 18 TD & 13 INT. He was pretty bad the first two years (2017 & 2018) with a 1-9 record & completing 57.3% of passes (225 of 393) with 2,682 yards 12 TD & 13 INT which lead him to be on the practice squad in 2019. Yet in 2020 his pass completion went up dramatically (2017 it was 54.9%, 2018 it was 60.4% & in 2020 it was 63.5%), along with his improvement in decision making by throwing 0 INT. So he is definitely at best a 1 year cheap backup that could turn into a 3rd option on the practice squad, market value shows he could be signed anywhere between $650,000 to $825,000.

Which 2 of those QB options would be the best case?

Hands down Gardner Minshew & Kyle Allen would be the best two to sign both have the most potential & are the most cost effective. Again I know all 4 of my picks will be critiqued hard but I am sick of the Chicago Bears rushing young QB doomed to fail or signing overrated high price veterans who end up disappointing. Plus a project QB could lead to more quality draft placement to stock & build a future or it could lead to a surprise to the fans of a signs of good to come and much needed depth at a QB position the team has lacked since the early 80s.

So if not a QB who do the Chicago Bears draft in 2021?

So Chicago Bears have a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th round pick of their own & a 7th round pick from the Dolphins giving them 6 draft picks in 2021. So here is my picks they should draft

Round 1: Alex Leatherwood OT/G (Alabama) - best NFL ready offensive lineman to quickly improve the line
Round 2: Marques Stevenson WR (Houston) - he is a solid & speedy receiver who could be a duo threat with Mooney in the receiver core
Round 3: Richard LaCounte S (Gerogia) - he adds depth and shows similarities to Eddie Jackson possibly another steal like Jackson was.
Round 5: Rico Bussey Jr. WR (Hawaii) - he has an injury issue but still maintained an impressive season after recovering & playing well after the transfer
Round 6: Wyatt Hubert DE (Kansas State) - he can definitely get after the QB if he can continue to improve he can be a late draft steal
Round 7: Drew Himmelman OT (Illinois State) - depth for the offensive line, he is also local & can grow

Bears QB Prospect Rankings

The Weekly Mock Draft 4.0: Jets move on from Darnold, Bengals add receiving threat

What is The Weekly Mock Draft?
Every Wednesday/Thursday of the season (starting today and ending after Week 17), I will post a mock draft. The order is determined by Tankathon (record and SOS) and will be updated weekly as well. This will be used as a tool to determine how the stocks of the top prospects changed throughout the year and for the fans to have something to look forward to once football games are over for the week. The teams will pick players as if they are drafting today. Enjoy!
1. NY Giants: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
After passing on Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons for OT Andrew Thomas this past April, the Giants need to address the LB position. There is a split opinion on whether the team will part ways with the turnover-prone Daniel Jones but truth be told, he has no receiving weapons other than Darius Slayton. The most likely scenario in this case would involve the Giants trading picks with a team in dire need of a QB but since there are no trades in this mock draft, the Giants opt to add a lightning quick off-ball LB to their lackluster defense.
2. Atlanta: Gregory Rousseau., EDGE, Miami
Although viewers of the Monday night matchup between Atlanta and Green Bay watched Matt Ryan throw 0 touchdowns and rely on Todd Gurley for scores, QB is not the problem for the Falcons. Defense should be Atlanta's top priority going into the 2021 offseason and if Parsons is not available, Rousseau is the next best choice. Takkarist McKinley and Dante Fowler Jr. have not lived up to their Round 1 selections and while Rousseau is still developing as a player, his physical traits and athleticism raise his value to the point where a team in the top 5 would be willing to make the gamble.
3. NY Jets: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Sam Darnold has not been provided with the supporting cast necessary to thrive as a franchise QB but with Adam Gase almost certainly out of town after this season, a new QB could be coming to the Jets. New coaches tend to come as a package deal with a top QB prospect in the draft and Trevor Lawrence is the obvious choice. The Clemson junior has a perfect blend of size, athleticism, and arm talent and has shown the ability to play well under pressure. His game is devoid of any glaring weaknesses and with a brand new coach and QB on the team, the Jets will be one step closer to becoming a playoff team.
4. Houston → MIA: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
Miami spent the 18th pick this year on OT Austin Jackson and he has lots of time to grow. They also selected Louisiana's Robert Hunt Round 2 and although he is the current backup at RT, he is capable of moving to the interior to make room for Sewell. Jesse Davis is under contract until 2023 but he is nowhere near a franchise OT and a strong blocker like Sewell would be an instant upgrade. Tua Tagovailoa is a lock to be Miami’s QB starting next season and the Dolphins must do everything in their power to keep him healthy.
5. Dallas: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Chidobe Awuzie is a solid corner but his injury has exposed the depth Dallas has at CB in a negative fashion. Jourdan Lewis has allowed 6 receptions out of 9 targets and Trevon DIggs has underperformed. Diggs has time to grow as a player and is expected to make improvements but Lewis will be a free agent next year and the Cowboys should address their secondary. Farley may be new to the position, but he plays like a polished corner and has tremendous awareness.
6. Washington: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU
Terry McLaurin may have been a pleasant surprise, earning PFWA All-Rookie honors last year, but fellow receivers Steven Sims Jr. and Dontrelle Inman are not expected to be core parts of the offense. With a top 5 prospect in Ja'Marr Chase still on the board, Washington needs to provide Dwayne Haskins Jr. with weapons if they want a productive passing game.Chase is a natural pass catcher with terrific vision and could certainly give the offense a significant boost.
7. LA Chargers: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
With Chris Harris Jr. on the IR, Desmond King II, who was unhappy with his playing time weeks ago, is now starting at CB alongside former Pro Bowler Casey Hayward Jr. and although they are both generally solid, King II will be a free agent after this season and so will Hayward Jr. the year after. Harris Jr. will also be on the market with the latter, but both players are catching up in age and may not be back with the Chargers once their contracts expire. With Caleb Farley off the board, the next logical choice is Alabama defender Patrick Surtain II. The 6'1" junior provides an ideal combination of height and length, and displays a high competitive drive and aggressiveness. The Chargers need an injection of youth on the defensive side of the ball and this selection gives them that.
8. Miami: Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
Although Miami could decide to find Tua Tagovailoa a WR after providing him with protection, they also need to address their defense, specifically EDGE and LB. Miami's starting ILBs, Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker, have been the terrible and Dylan Moses would be an instant upgrade. Moses is a unique athlete with great instincts and range, making him an attractive LB prospect for the Dolphins to pursue.
9. Detroit: Marvin Wilson, IDL, Florida State
Nick Williams and Danny Shelton stand at the helm of Detroit's defensive line and although Shelton is a solid player, Williams can be replaced if the Lions can find an IDL worth taking. Florida State star Marvin Wilson is currently a top 15 prospect but has the potential to sneak into the top 10 with a quality senior year. After the emergence of Aaron Donald and other mobile DTs, players like Wilson became more valued and Detroit should definitely look into drafting another defensive player after spending the 3rd pick on a CB last year.
10. Denver: Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
Despite several rumors, the Broncos are not likely to move on from Drew Lock for an enticing QB like Justin Fields. Lock has showed enough promise to clarify that if he had never been injured, the Broncos would not be 1-3. However, Denver does need to focus on the secondary and to be more specific, the CB position. A.J. Bouye is regressing, rookie Michael Ojemudia has not shown enough to be considered a proper replacement. Besides, Bouye and Bryce Callahan will both be free agents in 2022 and neither of them are locks to return, especially the former, leaving Denver with little depth at CB. Tyson Campbell has not been on scouts' radars as much as top CBs such as Farley and Surtain II, but the outside corner from Georgia is much better than advertised and also provides the team with special teams ability.
11. Jacksonville: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
After a great season opener against the Colts at home, Gardner Minshew II has not replicated his heroics since then. In the last three games, Minshew II has been thrown 5 TD, 4 INT, and suffered a loss at the hands of a Dolphins defense missing their star CB. This could very well just be a short slump and the former Washington St QB might make a case to stay as the starter in Jacksonville, but with a top 3 QB in Justin Fields still on the board at 11, the value is just too good to pass up. An effortless thrower, Fields has a natural arm and excellent delivery, along with the ability to survive under pressure and beating defenders outside of the pocket. A new head coach is likely to be in Jacksonville next year and if a player like Fields is available, the new regime should move on from Minshew II.
12. Minnesota: Creed Humphrey, IOL, Oklahoma
Since Pat Elflein's injury, rumors have emerged that he may not be a Viking after this season and it is clear that Minnesota needs to fix their IOL. Although C Garrett Bradbury has been great, LG Dakota Dozier is not a long-term option and RG Dru Samia has been a liability, allowing 3 sacks so far. Rookie Ezra Cleveland is the obvious choice to become a starter sooner rather than later and adding Creed Humphrey to the offensive line would pay off tremendously. The Oklahoma blocker has been praised for his leadership, responsibility, and strength, and the Vikings need to keep Kirk Cousins healthy if they want to go back to the playoffs next year.
13. Cincinnati: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Cincinnati's most glaring need so far this season has been OT and they will not hesitate to pick Sewell if he is available. However, the next best OT, Alex Leatherwood, would be a reach at 13 and since there are no trades in this scenario, the Bengals provide their QB of the future, Joe Burrow, with a reliable WR to throw to in DeVonta Smith. A.J. Green is seemingly not the star WR he used to be and Cincinnati needs to find a replacement for him. Smith may not be explosive, but he displays quickness and fearlessness, perfect for a Bengals team hoping to contend in the near future.
14. Carolina: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Teddy Bridgewater has been good enough to potentially stay as Carolina's starting QB throughout his entire contract but that should not deter the Panthers from searching for their true franchise QB. It was clear when Bridgewater was signed that he would serve as a bridge QB for the team's next passer and if Trey Lance falls outside of the top 10, Carolina has to choose him. A player like Pat Freiermuth or Wyatt Davis might be on their board but since QB is the biggest need in Carolina, Lance is the pick.
15. Arizona: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
The acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins gave Arizona's offense an astronomical boost but with Larry Fitzgerald headed for retirement soon and Christian Kirk not living up to his expectations as the WR2, the Cardinals could be looking for a receiver to pair with Hopkins. Although Arizona does need help on the offensive and defensive lines, Humphrey and Wilson are off the board, and Rondale Moore beats out Wyatt Davis as the best player available. Moore has been compared to a human joystick and showcases amazing RAC skills.
16. Las Vegas: Wyatt Davis, IOL, Ohio State
Rodney Hudson can hold his own as the leader of Las Vegas's offensive line but OGs John Simpson and Gabe Jackson have not impressed so far. A new IOL is not a top priority for the Raiders but Davis does fit the size profile of an OT, providing versatility, and the team could shift certain players around to fit Davis in and help protect Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs. The aggressive Ohio State blocker offers power and fluidity, and would upgrade an offensive line that needs help.
17. New England: Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama
DTs Lawrence Guy and Byron Cowart form a middling defensive duo and although Guy is the better of the two, he will be a free agent in 2021 and there is no clear answer to whether he will return to the Patriots. However, Cowart is mediocre and can be replaced if a tempting prospect like Barmore is available. Barmore is not fully developed and has room to grow as an interior defender, but he possesses immense power and an array of moves that make him a great defensive player with star potential.
18. San Francisco: Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State
Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Emmanuel Moseley will all be free agents next year and the 49ers need to prepare for the future at the CB position. Sherman is likely to only sign one more contract with the team before retiring, Witherspoon has not looked great but the sample size is too small, and Moseley should return if all goes as planned. This leaves the 49ers with only one CB they can depend on for years to come, proving CB is a priority for San Francisco. Shaun Wade is the perfect pick here and his stock can only soar from here on out with the spotlight on him.
19. Philadelphia: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
Darius Slay is undoubtedly a core member of Philadelphia's defense and could be labeled as a cornerstone if he stays in town for the entirety of his contract. Avonte Maddox, on the other hand, is replaceable and not worth re-signing in 2022 if the Eagles can find better options in the draft. Stanford corner Paulson Adebo would be a welcome addition to Philadelphia's secondary with his dynamic skills and instincts, and would be an upgrade over Maddox.
20. New Orleans: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Jared Cook might retire next offseason or leave for a new team and although the Saints traded up to select him, Adam Trautman has not been a focal point of the offense, only amassing 3 receptions for 34 receiving yards. New Orleans could either be in the mix for another TE or they could be completely fine with their current players at the position, but there is no denying that Freiermuth would drastically improve the offense. The Penn State TE is a borderline top 15 prospect and has garnered comparisons to Rob Gronkowski. He can function as a blocker or a pass catcher and would be a dependable target for whoever the Saints play at QB in the future.
21. Tampa Bay: Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami
Ndamukong Suh is nearing retirement and will be a free agent next year, and Jason Pierre-Paul and William Gholston will both be on the market in 2022, with the former also close to the end of his career. Shaquil Barrett is expected to return to the Buccaneers on a new contract next year but the team still needs to improve their defense. Quincy Roche is quite underrated due to Gregory Rousseau receiving most of the attention for Miami's defensive efforts, but he still brings explosiveness and fluidity to the table. The 235 lb defender has excellent vision, strength, and length, and functions as a great run defender, which will be useful in a division housing many great rushing attacks.
22. Cleveland: Josh Myers, IOL, Ohio State
All three of Cleveland's starters on the IOL are incredible, but their contracts also expire within the next three years. The team's cap space will be spent on securing Nick Chubb, Denzel Ward, and potentially even Baker Mayfield to long-term contracts and there may not be enough money to keep all three interior linemen on the roster. In that case, the Browns will have to think long-term and find a player to fill in a future need at IOL, and Josh Myers is capable of doing so. Although he would be a reach at 22, the Browns have zero need for players like Alex Leatherwood and Kyle Pitts, making Myers a possible choice.
23. Indianapolis: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State
With Malik Hooker on the IR, the Colts have turned to rookie Julian Blackmon to replace him and he has been solid. Khari Willis has also played at an average level, but overall, the team needs more explosiveness in the secondary and Nasirildeen would add much needed depth.
24. Baltimore: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Besides Marquise Brown, who is somewhat inconsistent, the Ravens have no reliable WRs in the passing game and with Willie Snead IV headed for free agency next year, Baltimore could be in search of the yang to Brown’s yin. Bateman has an exciting set of receiving skills and can deliver on big plays, which should make Baltimore’s offense even more dangerous than it already is.
25. Chicago: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Allen Robinson II should be Chicago’s priority in free agency and although the emergence of Darnell Mooney has been nice, the sample size is too small and he needs to prove that he can be the long-term WR2. As of now, QB and WR are two of Chicago’s biggest needs and with the top 3 passers off the board, Jaylen Waddle is the pick. Whether Chicago sticks with Foles/Trubisky or moves on to a new QB, the team’s passer will have a legitimate receiving duo in Robinson and Waddle.
26. LA Rams → JAX: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
After drafting their new franchise QB in Justin Fields, the Jaguars decide to protect him with 310 lb Alabama OT Alex Leatherwood. Cam Robinson is not Jacksonville’s LT of the future and the smart move would be to let him go in free agency and find a promising prospect like Leatherwood through the draft. Florida TE Kyle Pitts is also a possible choice but protecting Justin Fields should be the first priority.
27. Pittsburgh: Jay Tufele, IDL, USC
According to PFF, NT Tyson Alualu has been phenomenal for the Steelers and DT Cameron Heyward has been also amazing. Heyward is under contract until 2025 and Alualu will be a free agent next year, and if all goes as planned, both players will be on the roster for next season. However, Alualu is 33 years old and nearing the end of his career, which means the Steelers should not hesitate to draft a replacement if the value is there. Tufele is a quick and balanced athlete that can sufficiently generate pressure in the passing game and use his power to get past interior linemen and rush the passer.
28. Tennessee: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Jonnu Smith has been the starting TE in Tennessee since 2017 and in that timeframe, he has gathered 1035 yds. In 2019 alone, rising star Darren Waller of the Oakland Raiders had 1145 yds. Waller is also a perfect comparison for Florida’s Kyle Pitts. It is clear that Smith is not as important to Tennessee’s offense as Waller is for the Raiders, but an outstanding player like Pitts would be crucial in helping a team win. The 6’5” junior is a TE on paper but acts as an extra WR, which is a need considering the fact that Corey Davis and Kalif Raymond will be free agents after this season.
29. Kansas City: Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
The Chiefs selected TCU’s Lucas Niang in Round 3 of the 2020 draft to succeed current RT Mitchell Schwartz once he starts declining. However, the plan at LT is unfinished. Eric Fisher will be a free agent in 2021 and backup Mike Remmers is not starting material. This could be seen as a luxury pick but drafting an agile 301 lb OT in Dillon Radunz should pay off in the long run.
30. Seattle → NYJ: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
After securing Trevor Lawrence with the 3rd pick, the Jets need to choose between addressing EDGE or WR. The best WR available would be Chris Olave from Ohio State but he would be a reach at 30 and the real decision will be between EDGEs Aidan Hutchinson and Hamilcar Rashed Jr. While the latter is a good athlete and effective block shedder, he is still raw as a pass rusher. On the other hand, Hutchinson seems to be more ready to thrive as a power rusher and would be the smarter pick.
31. Green Bay: Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan
Christian Kirksey, Green Bay’s often injured ILB, is once again on the IR and his replacement is Ty Summers, a Round 7 pick who has not proved that he can be a long-term starter for the Packers. Cameron McGrone is certainly a reach and the Packers could draft an interior lineman such as Trey Smith to bolster the offensive line, but the team has to draft for need at this stage and McGrone makes sense for the future.
32. Buffalo: Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
Starting OTs Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams have played an important part in Josh Allen’s success, keeping him safe and allowing the franchise QB to lead the team to victory. Williams will be a free agent next year and it would be wise for the team to re-sign him, but the logical move would be to also move him to RG and draft Faalele to play RT. RG Cody Ford is a pedestrian player and the offensive line would be much more successful with a starting lineup featuring Dion Dawkins, Quinton Spain, Mitch Morse, Daryl Williams and Daniel Faalele. Keeping Josh Allen healthy is a priority for Buffalo and this pick would make the future brighter for the Bills.

2020 Camp Update: August 30th

2020 Offseason Hub
Practice Starts at: 12 Noon CST
General:

Full Pads Today.
LaFleur said in yesterday's presser that today would be a scrimmage as close to a game as it gets. There will be officials today. Everything is unscripted.
This is the last day practice is open to the media, so this will also be the last day for a camp update. Thanks for all of you who tuned in and made the discussions in the comment section so enjoyable. We'll still be having a Cut to 53/PS/Waiver thread to wrap up the entire offseason. BYOB.

Not Practicing: LB/S Oren Burks (?), WR EQ St. Brown (?), DL Trayvon Hester (?), CB Will Sunderland (?), LB/S Raven Greene (?), LB Randy Ramsey (?)
Injuries: CB Kabion Ento (Foot), DL Montravius Adams (Toe), RB Patrick Taylor (NFI), OL Simon Stepaniak (NFI), LB Curtis Bolton (PUP), Greg Roberts (PUP), WR Devin Funchess (Opt-Out IR)
Offense:

Offense is in green, defense is in white for today's scrimmage. QB's still in red obviously.
Aaron Rodgers having a nice pre practice chat with John Kuhhhhhhhhhhhn.
ESB is not suited up for today’s session.
1-on-1 WR vs DB starts with MVS making a tough grab against handsy coverage from Jackson.
Lane Taylor continues to impress with two nice reps vs Kenny Clark. Undefeated through camp. (14-0)
Lazard beat Sullivan back shoulder from Boyle, thing of beauty.
Dexter Williams wins a blocking session against Barnes.
I really like what Begelton continues to bring at WR, good contested sideline catch vs Hollman.
Ervin with a spinning, leaping catch vs Savage. Great grab.
Couple solid reps by AJ Dillon in 1-on-1 against Ty Summers. Appears to have take a nice step there since the beginning of camp.
MVS asking for a flag on Josh Jackson in 1v1, but the 3rd year corner has really impressed so far during camp.
Lovett with a fantastic route and some nice speed and acceleration past Will Redmond but he dropped the pass. Missed opportunity.
Billy turner had nice reps vs Preston.
Pumping in crowd noise. Sounds louder than before. Like an airplane flying overhead. This crowd noise makes the horn in Minnesota sound like a kazoo.
In one-on-ones, Elgton Jenkins blocked Za’Darius Smith. It was a good rep for Jenkins. Smith knew it. He patted Jenkins on the helmet. Then Smith turned around and ran by Jenkins on the next rep.
Yosh Nijman wins both tries.
We are underway with the scrimmage! Offense starts at the 30.
Pressure but big conversion from 12 to MVS!
Toss to Jamaal picks up 5.
Jones inside for 3. 3rd & 2 upcoming.
Nice pass outside to Jones. Easy play big yards. Preston may have been a step slow getting out in coverage. 1st and 10 at the opposing 40.
Aaron Jones for 3 to the right on 1st & 10.
Adams picks up 6. 4th & about 4. Offense stays on the field.
Rodgers hits MVS wide open. 12 read that perfectly. Down to the 12 yard line. 1st & 10. Good for 22.
Drive ends with short field goal on second down.
Tim Boyle takes over for drive 2.
Refs must awarded an arm tackle to a defender on AJ Dillon. Not sure that would have worked in a game.
3rd & 8 after a failed screen.
Dillon run outside, Jackson on the “tackle.”
Boyle nice throw on the run play action boot to Malik Turner on the crosser for about 15 and a first down on 3rd and 1.
Nobody scrambles like Tim Boyle. A quick 5 yards on 1st and 10.
Boyle to Shepherd on out to convert on third and 5. Shep beats D. Amos on a nice route and Boyle hits him in stride. First down.
Packers bring on fg unit on 1st down. Not sure why. Crosby comes on and is good from 42.
Rodgers takes over at his own 3 yard line.
Williams in the flat on first. Nothing doing.
Williams left side for a nice catch and run. First down.
Draw to Jamaal picks up about 8. He looks so much more spry this year.
MVS just picked up another first on 3rd down while being held by King on a cross. Flag game out as well. Converts 3rd and 2 with 6 yard pickup.
Man I’ve been so hesitant because we’ve been here in the past but there’s real signs that MVS is putting the full body of work together. Almost no mistakes, more consistent, routes are better, Rodgers finding him on 3rd downs. He’s been really good.
Run game is awesome today or run defense is not.
Love hits Ervin but Ervin would have been laid out in a game.
Love throws one to the middle of nowhere on 3rd down. Nobody open either. Love goes 1-3 in his first series. No punt and he’s back on the field.
Love then lasers one into Malik Turner on 3rd down. Fantastic throw. Threaded a third-and-8 pass for 17 yards. Josh Jackson in coverage.
Great to see Yosh Nijman back on the field and getting some team reps. He has some catching up to do.
Love throws high on a timing route but Turner looks like he may have been held up a bit. Love 2/6 22 yards on two series. FG attempt upcoming.
Crosby comes on and makes third straight FG, this one from 27.
Turner is back in at RT.
Play continues and Rodgers hits MVS.
Rodgers to Adams on a timing route. Beautiful.
Adams beats Sullivan inside. Rodgers is dealing right now. That’s about the first time I’ve seen Sullivan get beat in a long time. He’s been really good.
Rodgers out of the reach for Lazard in the end zone after buying time and rolling right.
Rodgers - Adams - timing - money. Rodgers to Adams on the slant converts third and 3. Third completion this drive second first down. Jaire in coverage.
Turner with good protection v Gary twice after the snap he was beat.
Rodgers drives the offense 50 yards in nine plays for winning FG in 2-minute drill. Was 6 of 8 for 50 yards. Crosby hits from 38.
Laser from Boyle to Ervin on third and 9 vs D Amos. Nice throw and catch over the middle.
Perfect sideline pass by Boyle and Turner snags it on an out route and stays in bounds. Josh Jackson gambled, missed, and Taylor ran untouched for a 45 yard touchdown.
False start by DBak & Jenkins.
Tipped pass by Sullivan off a blitz but somehow it still gets to Lazard to the disgust of Sullivan. Rodgers shows him his bicep afterwards.
On fourth and 1 and Adams converts on an out.
Jamaal Williams and Aaron Rodgers tangle feet on a handoff and both go down. Rodgers a little slow to get up after but seems ok. They gave each other a fist bump after the play.
Crosby is good again.
Aaron Rodgers got what looked to be his left foot checked out by head trainer. Doesn't seem to be anything. Everyone breathe. Rodgers walking it off, putting helmet back on, now sitting by MVS, who has put in another solid practice.
Love starts backed up inside own 5. Third down out for Shepherd just out of reach. Next third down he hits Shepherd over the middle while avoiding edge pressure. Garvin might have had a sack though.
Love 1-3 8 yards on second turn.
Rodgers is back in.
Short out to Kumerow.
Too many men on the field for the offense. Looks like Deguara was the culprit.
Rodgers misses Tonyan. Looked like Tonyan had a step on Savage.
Boyle finds a wide open Shepherd in the middle of the field off a post for a 21 yard TD on third and 5. Will Redmond in coverage. A few players do the Lambeau Leap...including Lucas Patrick.
Third and 9, great throw to sideline by Rodgers and Lazard makes sliding catch crossing the goal line. Great throw for a 23-yard touchdown. Josh Jackson beat in coverage. He is having a very tough day. Z was there on the pass rush though, probably a sack in a real game. Lazard does a leap.
Dillon lays a pretty loud block on Sullivan as Ervin snags shovel pass. Could really hear that hit.
One player who has had a shockingly quiet camp is Jace Sternberger. Long ways to go but he’s been reallll quiet.
Love hits Shep down the seam on a gorgeous throw for a touchdown up the seam for 34 yards. Likely gets rocked by the safety in a real game though. Great day for Shep too!
Love finishes practice with nice touch on third and goal throw to Turner in corner of end zone for a 4 yard TD. He was 5 for 5 58 yards on the series. That's it for practice.

Defense:

Oren Burks not practicing.
Alexander jumps an out route by Lazard for an INT.
First 1-on-1 rep and Rashan Gary rips right through Alex Light for a win. Light wins the next rep. Split.
Fantastic coverage by Kamal Martin in 1x1’s vs Dexter Williams.
Keke just smoked Runyan. Impressive move. Runyan wins next rep. Split.
Redmond nice coverage on Shep.
Kirksey with an impressive win in pass rush vs. Jamaal Williams. That’s no easy win.
Safeties won their 1-on-1s for the most part with the TEs.
Man Tipa is so fun to watch in pass rush drills.
So Jaire Alexander takes a rep covering WR Malik Turner. They go step for step full speed in to the North End zone wall. Jaire leaps into first row then hides a few snaps to see if anyone misses him. Finally pops up as a coach runs down there.
Swing pass to Jones but Kirksey is right there. He’s been all over those in camp.
Jones back to the original line but KC is there for the stop. 3rd and 10 upcoming.
Looks like the are awarding Tyler Lancaster a sack. 3rd and 10 upcoming.
Rashan Gary would’ve had a sack on a nice bull rush. ~~Billy Turner limping to sideline. He's running on the sideline now. Good sign.~~ He's back now.
Near INT for summers on next series against Boyle. Slaps hands. Knows he should’ve had it.
Summers with a big run stuff on Dillon. Nice back to back plays from Summers.
Offense tried to hit Baylis off play action but defense was all over it. Throw away from 8.
ZaDarius and Keke get into backfield to stop Williams for a yard
Jordan Loves first drive. Rollout right to start but Tim Williams is all over it for a pressure/sack. Love can’t hit Shep.
Gary comes on a stint and would’ve had a sack in two minute vs Rodgers. Rashan Gary was a blur as he shot through. He’s looked like a man possessed these past few practices.
Preston smith then too with a sack.
Another Rashan Gary would-be sack of Aaron Rodgers. He's doing it against starters this year. Same play looked like Rodgers had a completion to Lazard on a crosser but Kevin King dove in at the last minute to knock it away.
Boyle nearly picked (should have been picked) by Josh Jackson.
PI or holding on Josh Jackson. That continues to be a thing. (Refs picked up the flag apparently.)
Nice run stuff by Kirksey against AJ Dillon.
Man I can’t say enough good things about Chandon Sullivan. Just sniffed out a WR screen and stopped it immediately.
Kamal Martin with a patient read and he was right there to stuff Dexter Williams when he cut back. So few mistakes for a rookie 5th round pick.
Tipa sets the edge perfectly for a tfl on Dillon.
Now Tipa with a likely sack vs. Alex Light.
Kamal Martin with a run stop on Aaron Jones.
Fumble snap exchange between Rodgers and Linsley that the defense recovers. Kirksey ended up with the football and returned it for a score.
Another Gary sack.
Z Smith blows up an end around to Ervin. Was well into backfield and the play had no chance. Tackled Ervin for about a 10 yard loss.
Amos with a nice breakup on third and goal fade for Tonyan in the end zone.
Jonathan Garvin just has another nice pass rush with Love at QB. Another sack for the rookie. I’ve lost count of his pressures.
Kamal Martin gets in the backfield on a handoff to Crockett.
Kamal Martin just had a couple flash plays in run defense. He’s been the Packers best rookie thus far.

Special Teams:

Crosby: Good from short. Good from 42. Good from 27. Good from 38. Good from ?. 5/5
Jaire Alexander returns a punt 70 yards to the end zone after the play was blown dead, he does a Lambeau Leap with nobody in the stands, then spikes the ball and whips out a celebration dance with Kevin King.

Media:

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had a nice modified training camp. Video Streamable
Video boards are in operation today too. Photo Imgur
Rookie RB AJ Dillon going through pregame warmups, working on his pass pro. Video Streamable
Pass pro by Aaron Jones. Video Streamable
S Adrian Amos going through pregame warmups, working on tracking the football. Video Streamable
Christian Kirksey is a communicator in the every sense of the word. Pretty much been talking to Kamal Martin and the young ILBs through the entire individual period. Video Streamable
O-line work. Video Streamable

Practice has ended at: 2:14 PM CST | 2 hours 14 minutes
Next event is: Cut to 53 | September 5th | 3 PM CST
Press Conference Notes:

LaFleur said the communication was a little slow because the walkie-talkie system went out but otherwise he liked the way the operation went. "It was much cleaner than our last couple of practices, so I thought there was improvement in that aspect."
"From an offensive perspective, the operation was smooth. Defensively, I think our pass rush showed up."
Matt LaFleur thinks MVS has shown improvement in many aspects, from getting off LOS to running intermediate routes. Also thinks MVS is much more comfortable in the offense: "Marquez is putting together a pretty consistent and strong camp."
LaFleur said he wanted to end practice with a 2-minute drill, but a couple guys got "nicked up" and decided to scrap it. Just wasn't worth it at that point.
Matt LaFleur on Jordan Love: "It felt like it was probably his best day up to this point, just making some key throws downfield. I think he's consistently getting better." MLF thinks Love benefited from having playbook shrunk down in unscripted setting, wasn't thinking as much.
LaFleur said WR Darrius Shepherd has had an "outstanding" training camp so far. Consistent separator. Catches it well. Prepares the right way.
LaFleur said he considered doing live tackling today, but didn't want to take the risk two weeks from opener at Minnesota: "We want to have all our horses for the race coming in two weeks."
HC Matt LaFleur on if AJ Dillon is ready to help this offense, "He better be ready!"
Matt LaFleur said they'll use tomorrow like an in-season Monday, Tuesday off day and then three days of practice (mirroring an in-season schedule).
Matt LaFleur says he had same decibel set on piped-in noise as last time in Lambeau Field, but today it sounded twice as load. So he tapered back a little. MLF says Packers might practice inside Lambeau Field again to get another check on the noise level.
Darrius Shepherd said he spent part of his offseason working out with his college QB from North Dakota St., Easton Stick, who now plays for the Chargers.
Tyler Lancaster says preparing to play the Vikings without doing almost any live tackling is "definitely a struggle," but it reminds him of college. College teams rarely do live tackling before their openers, he said.
Tyler Lancaster had a sack on Aaron Rodgers today. I thought it was a sack, although not sure it was called that way on field. Lancaster said it was definitely a sack. Even told Rodgers that when QB asked him on sideline. Lancaster said he prioritized quick twitch this offseason.

For Live Twitter Updates: Click Here or Here and follow through to the "Packers News" list.

Just so everyone is aware, I am not at the practice. This is a compilation of many different reporters tweeting.

What everyone has wrong about Ridgway. EXTENSIVE write up on the crimes of Gary Ridgway, misconceptions about him and his crimes, a few comparisons to Bundy, and profiles of women murdered, still missing, and unidentified. Part 1 of 2.

Hello everyone. A few months ago, I posted an extensive write up on the DeOrr Kunz case and later the Asha Degree case with several other missing people’s cases sprinkled in between, which many readers seemed to enjoy. Those can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/fcmvmz/extensive_summary_regarding_the_disappearance_of/
Today, I wanted to do a similar long form write up but this time, I wanted to switch gears and talk about Ridgway and his victims.
Terms used
The scene- A term used by Bundy and LE to describe the people with high risk lifestyles those who are homeless, sex workers, exotic dancers, drug users, hitchhikers, and others who are down and out
The Strip- An area of Pacific Highway South near the airport in extreme south Seattle (no longer Seattle) known for the scene. Most GRK victims were last seen in this area.
The Avenue- An area of extreme north Seattle along Aurora Avenue North known for the scene. A handful of women disappeared from this area.
Rainier Avenue and Central District- Neighborhoods in south Seattle near the strip. Usually regarded as cheaper places to live. A handful of women disappeared from here.
The camp- An area of downtown Portland known for prostitution
Dating- A term used to literature to refer to soliciting prostitutes. Ridgway used this term as did many sex workers. I use this term below as that is what is described in GRK literature. I don’t use it dull what was happening in these exchanges.
Boyfriend or protector- Many of the women in this case had boyfriends or protectors who were actually pimps. Which is why some of these women had the same “boyfriends.” If the men who were involved were not believed to be pimps, I tried to note that.
Introduction
Living in the Pacific Northwest everyone you meet seems to have had a close encounter with a notorious criminal. I know a woman who Bundy followed on April 17th 1974 in Ellensburg, Washington before he abducted Susan Rancourt. I talked to a barber once who told me he cut Ridgway’s hair and used to watch Constance Naon (one of Ridgway’s victims) take dates to her place across the street in the Rainier area. In college I used to shop at a Safeway store that Bundy worked at. Some days it seems like everyone I talk to has the same stories, close encounters, and bizarre brushes with some of the worst men in America. This is the story of one of those men, Gary Leon Ridgway.
I believe that Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was a much more prolific predator than most people online seem to think and I wanted discuss these crimes because his victims are often dismissed while they deserve to be remembered.
In the true crime community, there is a near reverence for Ted Bundy. On the other hand, Ridgway is considered boring and banal. These feelings of course are perpetrated Bob Keppel’s book, Riverman; Ted Bundy and I hunt for the Green River Killer which contains large swathes of interviews from an incarcerated Ted Bundy. King County authorities interviewed Bundy on Florida’s death row in hopes of getting confessions out of him during the 1980s. Instead Bundy wanted to talk about the new murderer plaguing his home state, the Green River Killer. In his interviews, Bundy provides interesting insight into the mind a killer and many of his predictions about the “Riverman” turned out to be true. Naturally, some of his predictions were also false. Bundy, the master manipulator, was able create a narrative about Ridgway and his victims which has bled into the public consciousness. The descriptions of Ridgway’s crimes have been controlled by Ted Bundy’s opinions and his apparent distaste for Ridgway. In discussions on this case I often see people say things like “Ridgway isn’t interesting to me because his victims were high risk” or “Ridgway was dumb, he was so lucky he wasn’t caught.” In my opinion this is unfair to victims of the Green River Killer – in addition to being false. Of course, Bundy is not the only reason people say these things but his opinions have shaped this case. At the end of the day, Bundy should not have a say in how these crimes are perceived.
Most importantly, the victims of these men (and other killers) are not entertainment, these are real people who lives were stolen and all of their stories deserve to be told, even if the man who killed them is considered by some to be “uninteresting.”
Additionally, no one wants to compare to Bundy and Ridgway but I believe the men have more similarities than Bundy wanted people to believe. Bundy hated being compared to the Riverman and I think it is because Bundy knew that the Riverman was more prolific than Bundy could ever be. Bundy’s ego led him to adopt a dismissive attitude towards this crime spree and he always bristled when compared to the “Riverman” and unfortunately these ideas have become gospel. These assumptions aside, I think Ridgway was a much more prolific killer than anyone will ever be able to prove.
There are so many misconceptions about Gary Ridgway that I want to discuss. People say that Ridgway was stupid, he was free to kill as long as he did because no one cared, and finally that he only was able to be “get away with it” because all of his victims were sex workers. Not only are these ideas false, these misconceptions invalidate the stories of Ridgway’s victims.
Intelligence
The first thing I think is often talked about when discussing Ridgway was his intelligence or lack thereof. While it is true that IQ tests showed that Ridgway hovered on the line between impaired and typical, and he apparently had a learning disability that affected his school performance, I will always argue that Ridgway was no dummy. I have worked with the disabled population for several years. That experience taught me that IQ is a bunk way to measure intelligence. Some of my acquaintances have higher IQ scores than Ridgway’s 80, but struggle to keep down jobs or lack social skills. On the other hand, people I have worked with lower IQs (62-80) than that have attended 2-year college, kept down jobs, married, and had families. IQ in and of itself is poor determinate of intelligence. In my experience, IQ seems to measure processing speed, not intelligence. I am not sure if this 100% scientifically accurate, it is just my experience but I think it is worth noting. All that to say, I don’t think Ridgway was nearly as impaired as many armchair detectives make him out to be. The women he fooled were street smart and don’t deserve less attention simply because they were fooled by a “dumb” predator. Perpetrating this myth does a disservice to Ridgway’s victims. I am not arguing that Ridgway was a criminal mastermind of above average intelligence, that is simply not true. I am simply trying to demonstrate that Ridgway cold and calculating, not blundering and impaired.
Forensic Counter Measures
Ridgway’s intelligence is also evidenced by his crime spree and the forensic countermeasures he employed. Many online sleuths have used this information to show Ridgway’s lack of intelligence, but I would argue that his forensic counter measures actually worked. The Riverman would put used gum, beer cans, and cigarette butts near his body dumping grounds. He also put airport and hotel pamphlets near the bodies to make law enforcement think that the killer was a traveling business man which is why his crimes would start and stop. While these attempts at misdirection did not fool law enforcement for very long, it did muddy the water with media coverage. It was reported that the killer was a traveler, a smoker, or a guy who liked big red gum even though Ridgway was none of these things. These little attempts at misdirection fooled the general public in Ridgway’s favor and precious time and resources were wasted forensically testing these items.
When Ridgway began dumping victims in the Portland area law enforcement incorrectly believed that their killer had moved and they minimized their efforts in Seattle, falling right into Ridgway’s trap. The killer also changed his car regularly and made sure that he created false trails. Ridgway changed his car often, he used his own cars sometimes but he also drove his brother’s truck, his parents station wagon and his girlfriend’s/wives’ cars. As many know Gary was employed as a truck painter. He spent a lot of his time at home painting and working on his cars, removing and replacing canopies and just in general altering his vehicles. This allowed Ridgway to move about more freely as he was not seen in only one type of car. This is in stark contrast to Ted who repeatedly used his tan colored bug until it was linked to the murders. At that point Bundy would use Liz Kendall’s bug or make slight modifications to his own car but these efforts paled in comparison to Ridgway’s efforts to conceal his vehicles.
Ridgway also made sure the women he killed were clean when he dumped their bodies. He would have them shower and used the bathroom before his crimes, which had a three-fold purpose. First it put his victims at ease around him. Second, it made his clean up easier (victims wet themselves when being strangled and Gary didn’t like doing extra laundry), and third it removed evidence from his victims’ bodies. This is a just another example of how Ridgway was able go undetected for so long. He thought about his crimes, learned things and then changed his methods to iron out bumps in his murderous plans.
When questioned by investigators he always had explanations for his whereabouts and did not deny “dating” women on the SeaTac strip. Ridgway even used women he had been seeing to create alibis and a false sense of security. In his confession he explained that he would often pick up sex workers for dates repeatedly and not kill or hurt them in order to create a facade that he was a nice guy.
All of these things suggest that Ridgway wasn’t the bumbling criminal he was made out to be.
Victims
Another misconception in the Green River case regards victimology. Many people seem to think that all of Ridgway’s victims were sex workers which is simply not true. Contrary to popular belief some of the Green River victims were not prostitutes, although most did lead high risk lifestyles and were part of the “scene” as Bundy called it. Many were homeless, addicts, sex workers, exotic dancers, and hitch hikers, but not all. Carol Ann Christensen had no connections to this scene at all and worked as a waitress at a bar and grill near the airport. Opal Mills, a local high school student, had no arrests for prostitution (or anything else) but was known to hitch hike. Cheryl Wims was not a known sex worker but did struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Ridgway’s victimology was actually much broader than most people assume.
Bundy used this misinformation about GRK’s victims to “prove” that he was a better criminal than the Riverman as Bundy abducted low risk victims, even though we know Bundy killed at least several hitchhikers who were unfortunate enough to get in his car. And Bundy, ever the coward, often chose very small willowy women to victimize. Ridgway on the other hand was physically strong even though he appeared slight. Ridgway was able to control and subdue many women, and while many were small and young some of his victims outweighed him, and a few were taller than him. My point being, both men were cowards and monsters who took advantage of all types of women, their victimology is not that different. Both men killed both low risk and high-risk victims, but of course Bundy doesn’t like to focus on his high-risk victims.
The abduction and murders of women not in the scene, (waitresses, moms at bus stops, and daycare workers) demonstrates that Ridgway was intelligent and organized enough to pull off meticulous crimes which were never solved... he just preferred easier targets.
Investigation
Another misconception about Ridgway is that he was only was allowed to kill due to the women he victimized; this is a partial misconception. In 1982, right after the first several bodies were found floating in the Green River, a task force was formed made up of 25 detectives from both the city of Kent and King County. For the next 19 years, as many as 40 detectives at a time (70 people if you include officers and support staff) worked solely on this case. At its smallest, 4 or 6 detectives were at work following up on tips. For years, evidence was collected. Men were followed and interviewed. Suspect lists were compiled. When this crime spree occurred, there was no AFIS (automated finger print identification system), no DNA testing, and little cooperation between agencies. A single finger print could take two months to process. Then it had to be compared manually and sent from state to state to check for matches. At the end of the day, the tab for this investigation cost a whopping $30 million dollars.
In the late 1980s detective Matt Haney had a hunch that Ridgway was the most likely killer but it took years for his suspicions to be proved. Using a tip from Marie Malvar’s family, he collected Ridgeway’s DNA in 1987, the same year DNA testing became available. Most other detectives believed other, better suspects were the ones to blame.
Despite the best technology at the time and Haney’s suspicions, Ridgway was not caught. As mentioned above, Ridgway was always a Green River suspect. From his first arrest for solicitation in 1982 until the day he was apprehended Ridgway was among the hundreds of men suspected of being the killer. Despite being on this list, Ridgway evaded capture because on paper, he was a poor suspect. Ridgway was a very typical man in both appearance and life style. He held down the same job for years. He was married and even fathered a son. In his life he was generally even keeled and unremarkable. He was investigated by the Green River Task force several times. Gary’s coworkers even named him “Green River Gary” a moniker he hated, but even his coworkers claimed they were just teasing the awkward guy at work, they did not actually believe he was capable of committing such atrocities.
Moreover, Ridgway had no record of violent offenses. Several violent crimes from his past would come out once he was arrested, but none of these were on his official police record. In the early 80s he was accused of assaulting a sex worker, but the charges were dropped when the woman did not want to testify. Ridgway also had a juvenile record for stabbing a 6-year-old boy, but being a juvenile at the time those records were sealed.
Ridgway was always willing to work with investigators and readily admitted he “dated” women on the SeaTac strip. He allowed himself to be interviewed but nothing solid was ever linked to him. He even gave hair samples and passed two polygraphs. Additionally, Ridgway gained the trust of many working girls he did not kill. He purposely left many women he “dated” unharmed. Some prostitutes who were interviewed by the task force inadvertently protected Ridgway by painting the picture that he was a harmless John who showed them pictures of his son and was polite. Sometimes, he even bought them burgers to eat. This misdirection on Ridgway’s part was just one reason he was never apprehended.
Ridgway was so different than any other captured serial killer at the time that the FBI had to change their profiling techniques and knowledge of serial killers completely when Ridgeway was caught. From the 1980s when profiling was in its infancy until the early 2000s, it was generally believed that serial killers had high IQ's and were of above average intelligence. It was believed that serial killers had a hard time staying in relationships or keeping down jobs. Further, many experts in the field claimed that serial killers basked in the glory of their evil deeds, taunted police, and watched news coverage of their crimes. It was also taken as gospel that serial killers could not stop once they started killing and in general killers did not cross racial lines. None of these things applied to Gary Ridgway, adding to law enforcement’s belief that he was not a “good suspect.” (While Ridgway did write one anonymous letter to a newspaper, he did not aggressively flaunt his suspect status, or openly taunt police as some of the other men did.)
When DNA linked Ridgway to his murders, task force members weren’t totally shocked but they were surprised that it did not match one of the better suspects such as Melvyn Foster, William J. Stevens II, or any one of the violent pimps, husbands, boyfriends and exes who had been interviewed. They assumed their killer would be one of the men with more violence in his background, possibly a rape conviction, or one of suspects taunting them with letters and phone calls, but it wasn’t. Only detective Matt Haney wasn’t surprised.
As the phrase goes, hind sight is 20/20. I think this is a good saying to remember with this case. Once Ridgway was arrested many pieces fell into place and it painted a picture of an unhinged killer roaming King County, but no one piece of evidence was a smoking gun in this case. Ridgway dressed like the killer, plaid shirts and jeans but so did half of the working-class men in King County. Ridgway drove vehicles similar to the one reported by many witnesses, but how many men drove by the airport in tan or blue pickups and aged station wagons? Marie Malvar’s boyfriend was convinced Gary’s truck was the one he saw Marie climb into before her disappearance, but when Ridgway’s home was searched nothing of Marie’s was there. Investigators hit a brick wall, but kept Gary Ridgway in the back of their minds. Every little piece of evidence was part of a puzzle in this case but nothing conclusively tied Ridgway to anything more than being a client of many of the working girls in the area. This tip by Marie’s family and boyfriend was what lead Det. Haney to collect Ridgway’s DNA in ’87.
NOTE- before I go on, I just want to say that it would be naïve of me to pretend that the victims’ professions and life styles did not affect the investigation. It absolutely did. It affected public perceptions, law enforcement response, and media attention and these women did not receive the same attention as the Ted victims from seven years prior. For example, in late 1983, citizens called for a public forum and called for an “end of prostitution.” Detective Mullinax suggested that the killer was the problem, not the prostitutes and there were some very awkward moments before the citizens told him they just wanted Seattle to be free of sex workers. This was just one example of the public opinion not being kind to these women.
In this piece, I simply want to point out that law enforcement response was not as minimal as some people make it out to be. There have been many cases where law enforcement has completely dropped the ball when investigating the murders and disappearances of sex workers such as the Grim Sleeper investigation, but I do not think the Green River Task force deserves to be placed in the same category.
Additionally, if Ridgway was not caught ONLY because the police blatantly disregarded the cases of sex workers, then why wasn’t he caught after killing daycare worker Maureen Freeney? Or blonde waitress Carol Anne Christensen? But all measures these two women came from caring families, were white, and did not live in the scene, and were reported missing right away. If Ridgway was only going free due to poor law enforcement response, then he should have been caught after the deaths of the women above, but he was not.
Casualties
Because of the nature of Ridgway’s victims, media coverage was initially slim and many victims of Ridgway were never reported missing at all. Gary Ridgway was convicted or 49 murders although he admitted to over 71. In recent articles Ridgway has even confessed to leaving 80 bodies in King County alone. Investigators doubt King County was the only county that Ridgway operated in and it is generally believed that a string of bodies found in Tacoma and Portland, Oregon were the work of the Riverman. Some of those women are discussed below. Because of this information I am inclined to believe that Ridgway has many, many more victims who have never been found, who are unidentified, who were never reported missing or whose deaths were attributed to other things. Many missing women have been placed on the “Green River List” because the pool of potential victims is much larger than only missing sex workers. With the addition of these victims I think it is very possible that Ridgway’s victim count far surpasses any official numbers and may make him one of the worst serial killers in America.
Some of the women I believe were victimized by Ridgway are profiled below.
In conclusion, all of these things point to Ridgway being a much more prolific, cunning killer than many have made him out to be. If Ridgway’s known victim count is 70 (charged with 49) and he himself claims there is 80 bodies in King County alone, I think it is safe to assume the real number may be closer to 100.
Ridgway has only been charged with homicides if he both confessed to and there was one or more pieces of evidence against him. For example, if he led investigators to a body he was charged with that murder and all the murders of the women he left in the same cluster. He has also been charged with other cases if there was circumstantial evidence, fiber evidence, paint chip evidence, or DNA. He has not been charged with the murders of women still missing or women whose cases cannot be linked to him in corroborating way, which is why the confession list is so much longer than the charged list. Also please remember that mass murders are not known for their honesty and we have to take confessions with a grain of salt.
The official Green River Victim list is challenging to compile because different agencies have different lists, some add women are still missing while others add only known homicides. Some add all suspected victims, some do not. Some add victims to the list only if Ridgway is the prime suspect, and other lists add victims whose cases have other prime suspects but Ridgway is still a possibility.
Below I have completed write ups of women I believe were victims of Ridgway as well as a section to remember his proven victims, both known and unknown.
NOTE- I want this section to tell the women’s stories in a respectful way and initially I did not want to focus on either their professions or their physical appearances, but I was also wanted this section to be authentic and I don’t want to sugar coat any of these stories. For many of the victims there is very, very little information available. I think this is why sometimes their appearances are mentioned as it sounds better to say “At age 21, she was a tall woman with thick red hair and a great smile” rather than she died at 21. Additionally, some of these victims’ stories are not very pleasant and a in a few cases information from family and friends is unflattering or downright negative (Wendy Coffield and Marta Reeves specifically). Rather than skip these women or pretend these things did not occur I chose to include them in the summaries below. I added as many positives as I could and tried (key word tried) to shy away from information solely about their appearances or criminal records but sometimes no other information is available. I hope everyone can understand that my intention is to remember these women and their lives in the best possible way while realizing that not everything is positive. I ask you for only respect down in the comments. Thank you.
In remembrance
Gary Ridgway pled guilty to the homicides of the 49 people profiled in this piece. (Because this is a mystery sub reddit and the write-up will have to be put into broken into several pieces, I will begin with the Jane Does Ridgway confessed to killing. All other victims both potential and confirmed are placed in chronological order to the best of my ability.)
Jane Doe B-10 was a murder victim who was found in 1984, near the remains of Cheryl Wims. She was a white female between the ages of 12 and 19. She most likely died in the summer of 1983. She may have had brown hair and was around 5’5’ and 120 lbs. She was likely left-handed. She had a healed injury to the front of the left side of her skull. She is not Rose Cole, Janel Peterson, Susan Cappel, Lisa Dickinson, Wendy Huggy, Kase Lee, Keli McGinnis, Anna Anderson, Kristi Vorak, Amy Matthews, Teresa Hammon, Cheryl Wyant, Denise Dorfman, Carol Edwards, Linda Jackson, Angela Meeker, Andria Bailey, Dean Peters, Joan Hall, Patricia LeBlanc, MaryJo Long, or Kerry Johnson.
Jane Doe B-17’s bones were found twice. Some bones were found in 1984 and some more were found in 1986. She was most likely a white female, aged 14-19, around 5’4”- 5’8” and average weight, around 120-140 lbs. She most likely died in 1983. Ridgway said she died in Spring or Summer 1983. Isotope testing shows she is possibly from the Northern United states (Alaska, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota) or Canada. She is not Rose Cole, Janel Peterson, Susan Cappel, Lisa Dickinson, Wendy Huggy, Kase Lee, Keli McGinnis, Anna Anderson, Kristi Vorak, Linda Jackson, Andria Bailey, Joan Hall, Patricia LeBlanc, MaryJo Long, Carol Donn, Barbara Cotton, Pollyanne Carter or Kerry Johnson.
Jane Doe B- 20 was a murder victim who was discovered in 2003 after Ridgway led investigators to her body. Her skull was not recovered so no composite can be made and no race can be determined. She died in between 1973-1993 but most likely died in the late 1970s. She was likely 13-24 years old. Ridgway says she was a white woman about 20 years old with brown or blonde shoulder length hair who he killed in Summer ’82 or ’83. Ridgeway claims to have started his crime spree in ’82 but it could have been earlier. He does not remember killing anyone in the 1970s but admits it is possible. Jane Doe B-20 is not Keli McGinnis, Andria Bailey, Cora McGuirk, or Deborah Tomlinson.
Wendy Lee Coffield was a young woman whom life had never treated kindly. She was a junior high dropout, a chronic runaway, and a hitchhiker. She never had the chance to land on her feet and start over. She was only 16 when she was murdered in 1982. To add insult to injury, her own family even said they weren’t surprised when her “lifestyle” caught up with her. Gisele A. Lovvorn was a 17-year-old Dead Head and free spirit who wandered the country watching Grateful Dead shows with her on again off again boyfriend. In early high school was a straight A student before dropping out. In the summer of 1982, she called her parents in California to tell them she was going to travel home and re-enroll in high school. She left her apartment one Saturday in July at 1 pm to “turn 3 or 4 tricks” she never made it home and her parents were never able to see their free-spirited daughter again. Debra Lynn Bonner was 22 when her body was found in the Green River. She had dreams of getting a GED and joining the navy but an abusive relationship and addiction lead her to a life on the streets. Despite her profession, Debra called her parents regularly and was trying to pay off her debt (She had several unpaid tickets in Tacoma). She was planning to visit her father after he had an eye operation but she never made it home. Marcia Faye Chapman nicknamed Tiny, was a mother of three who engaged in sex work only to support the three children she loved so much. She left her apartment one August evening and disappeared into the night. She was only 31 years old. Cynthia Jean Hinds had no criminal record but frequented the streets of south Seattle. Everybody called the 17-year-old her nickname, Cookie. Her boyfriend and probable pimp reported that he last saw her get into a black Jeep on August 11th 1982. Her body was later recovered from the Green River. Opal Charmaine Mills was a biracial 16-year-old who, according to her brother, struggled to fit in in a racially divided world. She never got the chance to learn to be comfortable in her own skin because she disappeared after going to work in 1982. An occasional hitch hiker, Opal had no other links to the “scene.” Opal and her friend Cookie (Hinds) had been hired to do some painting near Angel Lake park. Opal called her parents to pick her up from work, but she never made it home. Terry Renee Milligan, a 15-year-old, hadn’t been seen for several weeks when her live-in boyfriend reported her missing and then immediately skipped town. Terry was a bright student who wanted to study computer science in college and dreamed of going to Yale. Terry gave birth to a son as a teenager and her hopes of college changed course, although friends have always explained that Terry adored her son and care of him the best she could. She was also musically inclined and sang in the church band all throughout her childhood. She was seen last arguing with another woman outside her apartment after that she disappeared. Mary Bridgett Meehan was adopted as a young child and grew up in Bellevue, a wealthy suburb east of Seattle. She was a compassionate soul who loved animals and children. She wanted to be a mother. Two miscarriages at ages 15 and 16 left her broken inside, her family and friends explained that she was never the same. She starting using drugs and drifted around the Seattle area and began engaging in sex work. Later, Mary gave up another baby for adoption after her boyfriend kicked her out because he didn’t want kids. But unfortunately, less than a year later, the cycle began again. Mary was back living with a dead-beat boyfriend and pregnant, except this time she was determined to be a good, stable mother, but she never got the chance. She left her motel room and vanished into the night at 8 months pregnant in September 1982.
Debra Lorraine Estes went by the name Betty Jones on the street. She was barely 15 and had entered the scene five years earlier at age 10. Her parents were always worried for her, driving the streets looking for their daughter and bailing her out of the King County jail under various names and aliases. Her pimp was a sleazy older man whom occasionally lived with her and her friend Becky Marrero. She was last known to be alive in September 1982, but may have been alive into December. Linda Rule’s parents divorced when she was a teen and the family disintegrated with each person taking their own paths. She last seen leaving her apartment and walking to Kmart on Aurora Avenue north, to buy clothes. When she did not arrive back home, her boyfriend assumed she had been arrested, but he couldn’t find her at any of the local jails. He did not think Linda was working as it was rare to see girls working Aurora Avenue during the day time. He immediately filed a missing person’s report. Unlike many other men in this case, her boyfriend was not believed to be a pimp. 16-year-old Linda and her boyfriend were saving up for their wedding and but it would never come.
Denise Darcel Bush, a 23-year-old Portland native had traveled to the SeaTac strip after hearing that money was better in Seattle. She suffered from epilepsy but used medication to keep it under control. She was last seen crossing the street to buy cigarettes. She was never reported missing and her friends all assumed she had simply had decided to go back to Portland. At the time, it was hard to know if she or many of the other girls left willingly or suffered a much worse fate. Shawnda Leea Summers from Bellevue, Washington loved going to the beach. She was last seen at the same intersection on the strip, the day after Denise Bush was last seen. She was not reported missing for months and some girls thought she had moved to Portland to work. Her parents looked for her whenever they could but Shawnda would never reach her 19th birthday.
Shirley Marie Sherrill at age 19 was described as tall and beautiful. She was last seen in the China town area of Seattle having lunch with a friend. They both left the restaurant to work and were picked up by different men. Shirley was never seen again. Like Shawnda and Denise, she disappeared in October 1982. Becky Marrero was the 20-year-old friend of Debra Estes. The two lived together at a motel on the SeaTac strip on and off. In the fall of 1982, Becky left her two-year-old son with her parents and told them she was leaving for a while and going to a place that “babies shouldn’t be”, but she would be back eventually. She packed her bags, borrowed some money from her father to rent a room and vanished. Becky was registered as living at a motel on the strip until December 1st ’82, along with her friend Debra Estes. She never made it home for Christmas like she said she would. Colleen Renee Brockman was 15 years old when she was last seen alive. She worked the SeaTac strip, but her friend Bunny and other girls still thought she was naïve. She trusted her customers wholeheartedly and enjoyed the gifts and dinner dates she got from johns. She was identified through the braces that were still on her teeth when her skull was found in Pierce County years after she was last seen. Delores Lavern Williams was a tall, slender, African American girl with a lovely smile. She worked near the Red Lion hotel near the airport and generally “dated” wealthier, traveling johns. In early 1983 locals and friends realized they hadn’t seen her in a few weeks. She was reported missing. She was only 17 years old. Alma Ann Smith hailed from wine country and was born in Walla Walla Washington. In the 8th or 9th grade she began traveling to Seattle alone on the weekends, something that confused her younger friends. She eventually moved to Seattle and was last seen entering a blue truck with a very average looking male. Gail Matthews was drifting through life in her mid-20s. She lived with her boyfriend, Curt in south Seattle. The couple did odd jobs, tried to win money by gambling, and hitchhiked around the area. Gail would occasionally come home with money that Curt assumed she made doing sex work but he wasn’t sure and didn’t want to ask about it. He saw Gail leave the bar they were at together saying she was going to “make some money”. He later saw her in a car with an average looking white guy with a mustache. For some reason the scene chilled him and he knew Gail was in trouble because she looked scared. He waited for Gail to come home but she never appeared. Curt called the police and the Gail’s family. Gail’s ex-husband had custody of their children, but he was worried about the young woman who he remembered as a meandering soul who wanted to be an artist. A missing person report would be filed in April 1983. Andrea M. Childers moved from California to Washington to move in with her father and step mother. She was a wonderful dancer who wanted to be a dance instructor to children. She taught a dance exercise class and was close to her elderly grandmother. At 16 she left her family home and was never seen again. Sandra K. Gabbert was called “Sand-e” by her family and was known as Smurf on the street. She was on the varsity basketball team in high school before dropping out at age 17. Sand-e moved in with her teenage boyfriend and started working on the SeaTac strip. Sand-e told her mother that she made more in turning one trick than she did working a whole week at KFC. Her mother understood her daughter’s desperation and commissioned her to “be careful.” They also talked about taking a trip to sunny California sometime. That was the last time Sand-e and her mother even spoke. Kimi Kai Pitsor street name Melinda was a happy 16-year-old who loved glitter, unicorns, and the color purple which was fitting for the young woman whose native Hawaiian name means “golden sea at dawn.” Kimi Kai always wanted to be an adult and when she turned 16, she left home to move in with her boyfriend/protector in downtown Seattle. Her boyfriend last saw her talking to a date in a blue pickup. She never made it home and her boyfriend called the police with the description of the vehicle. She had left home and entered the scene less than two months before. Tragically, Kimi Kai was the third of Joyce Pitsor’s three children to pass away. Kimi Kai’s two older siblings died as infants. Kimi Kai’s mother, Joyce later adopted three other children. Sandra D. Major was from Rochester, New York. Her family knew she worked as a prostitute and while they weren’t thrilled with her lifestyle, they always kept in touch and “loved her the same.” The last contact the Majors had with Sandra was a post card sent from Seattle. After that they lost touch. Sandra was believed to be last seen on Aurora Avenue north in 1983 at age 20. A TV in program in 2013 highlighted the unidentified victims of the Green River Killer, prompting the family to contact the police. Sandra was identified and laid to rest. The family gave a brief interview in which they asked for privacy. Because of this very little is known about Sandra’s personal life.
Marie Malvar’s came from a large Filipino family. At 18 she had left home but called her parents and siblings regularly. Marie’s boyfriend saw her enter a blue truck and drive away. She was gone a while and he decided to track down the truck. He drove where he saw the truck go but couldn’t find Marie or the vehicle. He was hesitant to contact the police due to their backgrounds and was even more scared to tell Marie’s parents about her profession. After 4 day had passed her boyfriend, brother, and parents went to the police station to report Marie missing. They even drove around with police until they found a similar looking truck. Police questioned the man and took down his information. His name was Gary Ridgway. But Marie wasn’t in his house and he had no record of note, so the police left. The man was one name among hundreds that they took back to the task force offices.
TO BE CONTINUED....
These sources are a good place to begin
Green River Running Red by Ann Rule
The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I hunt for the Green River Killer by Bob Keppel and William Birnes
The Search for the Green River Killer: The True Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer by Carlton Smith and Tomas Guillen
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920727&slug=1504298
http://charleyproject.org/case/keli-kay-mcginness
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Green_River_victims
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/sheriff/about-us/enforcement/investigations/green-river.aspx
http://www.seattlemag.com/article/remembering-victims-green-river-killer
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19911121&slug=1318612

[OC] Chronicles of the Siren War [Chapter 62]

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A/N: Please consider supporting my writing efforts on Patreon. You can follow this story and be alerted when new chapters release via fanfiction.net.
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The Final Battlefield, June 5th 06:15 Hours, Thorson’s Fleet
Andrew Thorson stood ready on the bridge of the Fusou at first light. Across the ocean to the north lay empty water, but the sky was dotted with the silhouettes of fighters and bombers. “Well this is it then. If they don’t dislodge us from this position they’ll never be able to invade the atoll,” he murmured. Thorson took Fusou’s hand briefly before ordering his fleet to battlestations, the two surviving forces of the battle of Midway clashing at long last. “All ships, full steam ahead. All power to anti-aircraft defense and shields. Protect each other and keep Ark Royal operational!”
Just behind the Fusou, dead center in the fleet and surrounded by escorts, Ark Royal prepared her P-40 Warhawk fighters. After many weeks of practice she sent them skyward with a wave of her hand, foregoing bombs in favor of maneuverability and speed. She rested her rifle on her shoulder, her captain’s uniform billowing in the winds of early morning as the sun began to warm the waves and air around them. “All wings are airborne, Knight Commander. Ascending to altitude now.”
“Dakota, get behind me, now,” Colorado ordered, shifting her throttle to full. The three Colorado class sisters and South Dakota made up a diamond shaped tip of the spear, the front of Thorson’s formation.
“I am the shield of this fleet, Colorado,” South Dakota replied quietly. Thorson and Fusou looked at one another, listening silently as the enemy aircraft, numbering at least two hundred, drew closer.
“And when we come under shell fire I will be happy to let you sacrifice yourself for the greater good. But for now get the hell out of my way. We have better AA armaments and you know it,” Colorado brokered no argument. “Little one, escort her to my stern. There will still be plenty to do.”
“That sounds alright. Come with me please, Dakota-san?” Kasumi requested, the two vessels giving way as Colorado took point. To Thorson’s surprise, the silver haired battleship wasn’t done. He allowed her the floor.
“Maryland, how many planes do you think Enterprise and her sisters carried?” Colorado asked calmly. As with Tennessee, she preferred the deck of her ship for confrontations, standing atop one of her main forward batteries.
“Call it ninety aircraft a ship,” Maryland replied seriously. “Zed, are you ready?”
“Ja, Maryland!”
“Good, stay to my inside stern and keep yourself alive for now. We’ll get you somewhere you can use those guns eventually.”
“West Virginia,” Colorado continued. “How many aircraft do you believe were stationed at Midway?”
“At least a hundred, sister. Javelin?”
“Ready to roll! I’ll do what I can, West Virginia,” the Royal destroyer assured her.
“Some four hundred aircraft destroyed and yet they only send two hundred or so to face us?” the lead Colorado class scoffed, her brow knitted in anger.
“Oooh, Laffey’s partner is angry. She can feel it, yes yes. Laffey will stay behind her guns for now.”
“Commander Thorson!” Colorado called him directly.
“Go ahead, Colorado,” he replied sternly.
“Requesting permission to demonstrate to the enemy the power of the Big Seven.”
Tennessee scoffed, adjusting her gloves as she prepared to use what little AA was available to her in the fight. On the flanks, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Yamashiro, and California drew close to their escorts and the Union cruisers. Cleveland, on the other hand, was more than happy to play along. “Ready and able to support, Colorado! I don’t think there’s ever been this grand of a test for the Union’s anti-aircraft abilities!”
“Good. Focus on your friends and the carrier. Those that slip through are yours… we’ll try to let you have a bit of fun,” the battleship promised confidently. “Sisters?”
“All systems green, ready to fire!” Maryland reported, adjusting her heading so that the envelope of her short range AA guns would overlap suitably with Colorado’s. West Virginia did the same.
“I’m ready. Mmm, it is a beautiful morning, isn’t it?” the dark haired sister remarked as she left the safety of her bridge and proceeded onto deck. “At your command, Colorado.”
“Commander?”
“Fire when ready, Colorado. All ships, follow Colorado and Cleveland’s lead.”
“Oooh, those foxes and rabbits are in for a world of hurt,” Shigure remarked with some anticipation, having become familiar with the potential of the Union’s AA weaponry over the last several weeks.
“The enemy has rabbits? Laffey will sink them, yes yes. There will only be one rabbit for the Commander.”
From atop her guns, Colorado stretched her arm out towards the northern horizon. She could make out the red rising sun on the wings of the Sakura aircraft. Her Bofors and Oerlikons moved seamlessly at her command, adjusting their trajectory to account for the attacking aircrafts’ flight path.
“The era of the dreadnought is not over. Big Seven, fire!”
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Aboard the Kaga, the snowy-haired leader of the Sakura was coming to understand just how great of a coup Pearl Harbor had been. The devastation she and her sisters had wrought during that sneak attack had been immense, with the Union ships clustered tightly, thinly manned and helpless. Her body and mind screamed with pains both dull and sharp as her air wings were assaulted by impeccably placed AA fire. It had begun with a sound like drums in the distance as the highest caliber guns of the Union’s newest battleships fired at her aircraft. Losses had been acceptable, only a handful, until she and her sister realized that it had only been one ship firing at them. When the other Colorado-class ships joined the barrage, assisted by another, different class behind them, the hits felt like a wall of bullets and flak. They scattered, aiming to move around the frontal obstruction but coming into contact instead with groups of P-40s, the typically land-based aircraft armed to the teeth with more machine guns than their Zeros could ever hope to mount. She and Akagi maneuvered around them skillfully and brought down many in intense dogfighting, but the wall of steel and guns did not stop moving north beneath them.
Hiryuu and Soryuu tried an attack run on the lead ship and suffered immense losses in the chaos, their planes riddled with fire from the enemy cruisers and battleships as the shipgirls piloting them simply projected shields forward and shrugged off the occasional direct hit. Beneath the action, a single wing of swordfish biplanes, assisted by floatplanes from Yamashiro and Fusou, made short work of the torpedoes released by the rabbits’ Nakajima torpedo bombers. The planes were flying so low and slowly that no one was able to pay them any heed. Colorado sailed straight through towering columns of water from the detonations, utterly fearless and brimming with cold fury, a yin to Tennessee’s chaotic yang. West Virginia and Maryland held position on her rear flanks, ensuring that any Sakura attack against weaker points of the formation’s AA defense would have to come from the rear or sides, making the approach more time consuming and opening up bombers to strafing runs from Ark Royal’s remaining fighters which remained at altitude, away from the enemy Zeros. Commander Thorson and Fusou stood strong amidst the chaos, the human doing his best to keep tabs on the overall flow of battle while Fusou piloted her aircraft and sent the occasional volley of AA fire skyward. Like most of the Sakura she was woefully under-equipped compared to the ships of the Union, but that was the benefit of a mixed formation so far as he was concerned. The radio was eerily silent, his fleet operating like a well-oiled machine with a singular purpose orchestrated by Cleveland, Colorado, and Ark Royal, vengeance for the deaths of Oklahoma, Nevada, Prince of Wales, Exeter, and thousands of other lives both human and shipgirl.
After approximately forty minutes of fierce combat the action suddenly halted, the few enemy aircraft left suddenly plummeting into the waves below. “Damage reports!” Thorson demanded immediately. West Virginia’s voice, breathing heavily, crackled in reply.
“Those bombs pack a punch, sir. A few secondaries may not be operational when we get there, but I’m still down for a scrap. No major structural damage.”
“Damn right,” Maryland added, resting against one of her turrets as a manjuu hopped up to join her. “Huh? Where’d you come from, little guy? For me? Hey, thanks a bunch. Oh by the way, Zed, I saw that kill of yours. Nice one.”
“D-Danke, Maryland!” the Ironblood destroyer stuttered in reply. She had only managed the one aircraft kill, an Aichi headed straight for Maryland’s main batteries, and blushed crimson at recognition for such a small thing in the midst of a battle so grand. As with Maryland, she soon noticed a couple of puffy, yellow manjuu hopping about outside her bridge windows. Opening the door and allowing them in, Zed received a delivery of secret coolant, the drink soothing her overheated blood as her cube calmed itself after drawing blood in battle again after so long. The manjuus hung around for a moment, inspecting her and poking at her shoulder to get her attention. “Oh, you need something else?” she wondered, sitting on the floor to be closer to them. After a few moments of chirping and looking about her, Zed realized that they were trying to ascertain the status of her injuries. “I’m just fine with this drink, thank you!”
Thorson couldn’t help but chuckle at the evolution of his fleet’s damage control systems as Akashi revealed yet another secret weapon, the fact that as with the Langley, manjuus seemed to prefer support ships to combat vessels. As a result, a flood of the curiously competent creatures was at the minty kitty’s disposal, and she sent them to supply the ships of the fleet with coolant and to get an idea of the necessary damage control needed from her and the bulins, who numbered far fewer. Colorado and her sisters had suffered some superficial damage, with bruises and tattered capes to prove it; but beyond the dented metal and scorch marks the worst damage done had been to Yamashiro, who had allowed a bomb to slip through her shields as she defended the lead ships from torpedoes.
“Tono-sama,” Fusou began, her concern for her sister more than apparent in her tone and the way her eyes shifted constantly. The explosion on the battleship’s stern had been impossible to miss.
“Go to her. I’ll hold things down here,” Thorson assured Fusou. The younger sister had barely made a sound when the hit had come, remaining focused on her task as her stern smoldered following the impact. Several bulins were helping her with fire control.
“Thank you, tono-sama,” the elder neko battleship said with relief, leaving the lightest of kisses on his cheek before exiting the bridge at all possible speed. He radioed Colorado.
“Colorado, I want you and your sisters to change formation,” he commanded.
“Requesting an explanation, sir. I think we performed splendidly,” Colorado replied, fingering the singed hem of her cape. “We remain fully operational as well.”
“Miss Colorado should not be questioning the Commander so much, no no. Laffey has been with him from his very first day, yes she has. He has yet to do something stupid in battle even though he is a lecherous man,” the lapine destroyer insisted sleepily.
“Well I’m happy to have your conditional approval, Laffey,” Thorson groaned as multiple shipgirls took the offered occasion to have a laugh and breathe deeply after the stress of fighting off a competent air raid. He was just thankful it hadn’t involved siren aircraft attacking a fixed target this time around.
“Laffey loves her commander, yes she does.”
“Commander?” Colorado attempted to bring them back to the topic at hand as they continued north.
“I agree with you, Colorado. That was a demonstration worthy of Independence Day. However, tell me you believe the enemy will attack us with their aircraft head on again.”
“It’s a good point, sis,” Maryland insisted.
The silver haired battleship sighed in acceptance. “Very well. Your orders, Commander?”
“They would be fools to attack us with their airpower alone after what just happened,” Thorson declared. “They might, but if they do we’ll simply beat them back again. I think the next battle will be fleet versus fleet, and they’ll attempt to use their torpedo advantage to sink us. South Dakota, I want you to take point, with Maryland and West Virginia swapping with Pennsylvania and California. Arizona, I want you to stay in the middle or rear of the formation so long as you’re confident you can use those healing rounds again.”
“I will do whatever is necessary, Commander,” she promised.
“Good. Tennessee, you’re taking the position right behind South Dakota. Colorado, you and Laffey will take the rear now.”
If Colorado had any protests as Thorson finished assigning new orders, she kept them to herself. Slowly the fleet spread out, allowing the hulking Union dreadnoughts to move and shuffle their locations. He called the Yamashiro next. “Fusou, Yamashiro, are you there?”
“She will be alright, tono-sama,” Fusou explained in relief. “Akashi is assessing the damage now, but it appears that at worst she will be without a handful of secondary batteries and her floatplane catapult.
“Nee-san, they hurt my butt!” Yamashiro complained, bringing a smile to Thorson’s face in spite of himself.
“Don’t worry, Yamashiro. I think we hurt them a lot worse.”
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“We cannot underestimate him again, sister,” Kaga stated quietly, standing proudly just opposite Akagi on her deck. Her body throbbed with pain, but she kept it concealed behind a mask of indifference. Akagi’s face, by contrast, was contorted in rage.
“To think those lumbering, obsolete steel tubs could be capable of that kind of firepower,” the Sakura commander groused. Kaga did not have the strength to scold her.
“It must be that commander of theirs, their Knight. He’s allowed them to fight as we do. If anything we’re fortunate our advantage lasted even this long. What are your orders, Akagi?”
The brown haired kitsune stared at her sister. “What? No snide comments? No passive aggressive insinuations that had you been in command we would have prevailed?”
“No, dear sister. They shot down my planes too. When we return to eviscerating the rest of the impotent Union navy I will have my fun with them and with you, but for now we decide whether we retreat or stand and fight as one.”
“Sometimes, Kaga, your lips move and it’s your voice I hear but her words reach my ears,” Akagi said quietly, their face to face discussion allowing for privacy as their fleet continued south and east towards confrontation now that their enemy had shown his hand. “We cannot afford to simply leave now. We will meet him in battle and cut the head off of this snake before it kills us all.”
“I am in agreement, sister. Then it is time?” Kaga inquired eerily, her voice like a wraith.
“My powers will be yours, dear sister,” Akagi assured her.
“And mine will be yours.”
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June 5th 9:34 Hours, Thorson’s Fleet, Bridge of the Fusou
“May the gods protect us,” Fusou whispered as her fleet finally obtained a visual on the enemy after more than a day at sea. Broken aircraft littered the seas between them and the Union fleets, their fate rendered almost irrelevant by what they were witnessing. “Tono-sama?”
“Are you scared?” he asked quietly, looking through his binoculars at the small Sakura ship silhouettes on the horizon. The scene was dominated by the Akagi and Kaga, which seemed to have burst into colored flames that towered several hundred feet into the skies like funeral pyres. Blue and red swirled and shifted, acting as if one mind and one force, but the colors never bled or mixed.
“I am,” the shrine maiden admitted freely. “I have never witnessed such a thing.”
“You think we’re going to die, short stuff?” Tennessee asked Downes. She shook her head fiercely.
“Can’t. I’ve got someone waiting,” the ‘tiger of the Union’ insisted tensely.
“What should we do, Commander?” Cleveland asked, a hint of worry in her usually confident and animated voice. “You know we’re with you, and I wouldn’t back down from a fight even with the sirens… but I’m not sure my guns will work against that.”
“All ships, continue full steam ahead,” Thorson ordered, gripping the radio transmitter with a shaking hand as his fleet all listened silently, hoping for something more than onward into death. “I’m sure you all know the stakes here. The Sakura fleet is right there, more powerful than it’s ever been. Enterprise and her sisters have obviously failed.”
“Yukikaze the Great is feeling not so great at this particular moment,” the little destroyer admitted.
“I guess they didn’t feel it nearly as bad as I thought,” Shigure admitted.
“I know,” Thorson assured them. “Quite the vulgar display of power, isn’t it? But I didn’t see any other allied fleets on the way up here, did any of you?” Their silence was his answer. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the specifics of one of the Great War legends. “I want to tell you girls a story. Ark, you might actually know this one.”
“If you call me old again, Knight Commander, I’ll be quite cross with you when this is all over. But if these are to be my final moments, the sound of your voice isn’t the worst thing to listen to,” the veteran carrier admitted.
“Akashi cannot stop blushing and hiding under the steering column in fear, nyaa!” the minty kitty cried as aircraft began launching from the Hiryuu and Soryuu.
“I want to tell you all a story about the difference a single, competent soldier can make, a story about a man… from Tennessee.” At Thorson’s words, his wildest battleship tilted her head curiously. She’d been ready to dismiss his story out of hand entirely and prepare herself to kill as many Sakura as possible before they came for her, but she’d not missed his tone when he mentioned her namesake state. “This is the story of Sergeant Alvin York.”
Thorson’s ships sailed north in silence as he set the scene for them, a scene they could only identify with as their own Hill 233 loomed before them. Machine gun fire from concealed locations within the enemy lines, the Argonne forest, comrades dead and dying all around. “And so there he was, exchanging rifle fire with machine guns, alone, one against thirty at least. But he shot, killed, and kept shooting. During the battle six soldiers charged him with bayonets. He drew his sidearm and gunned them all down before they could reach him. The enemy commander emptied his pistol in an attempt to kill York, and failed. He then surrendered. In the end, the actions of one man led to the capture of the Ironblood position and 132 soldiers. And no, Sergeant York did not have any wisdom cubes at his disposal, just a 1917 Lee Enfield and a Colt 1911.”
“Damn, that’s quite the tale, eh Belle?” Downes declared as Thorson finished. Colorado and her sisters had their forward batteries trained on the enemy formation. They would be in range in moments. Tennessee said nothing in reply, however, and Downes couldn’t see the blonde battleship girl from her own position. Instead she radioed back to Thorson. “I think you’re in luck, Commander.”
“Why is that, Downes?”
“I don’t know if that York fellow was skilled, crazy, or both, but I don’t see anyone turning around. Let’s go take this hill.”
“Well said, Fire-eye!” Maryland cheered. “Girls, you ready?”
“Yes. Your target, Commander Thorson?” Colorado demanded.
“Target the carriers and battleships until you’re close enough to destroy the escorts confidently,” he replied. “All battleships fire at will upon reaching engagement range. Escorts, move outside the battleship wall and prepare to screen the capital ships and counter enemy attacks. Retreat to the safety of the AA envelope as needed. Cleveland, remain at the center with Ark. Colorado, I think it would be fitting for you to begin.”
“It would be our pleasure, Commander. Those enemy foxes aren’t the only ones capable of a lightshow. Maryland, West Virginia, prepare to fire!”
“406mm showoffs,” Pennsylvania whispered, but Yuudachi was ready with upbeat words.
“Don’t worry about it, Pennsylvania-san. If the battle doesn’t last long enough for you to get in range then it won’t matter, wan~!”
“Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine, puppy girl?”
“Not when we’re in a battle Penny-san!” Yuudachi ‘complained’ as the Colorado class ships picked their target. Anyone else engaged in last minute conversations, in attempts to bolster morale or maintain sanity in the face of the raw power of the first carrier division, was silenced as twelve shells rocketed into the sky, leaving red, white, and blue wakes behind them. Even at that extreme distance, one of the massive shells managed to reach its target many seconds later, exploding against Kaga’s forcefields with a terrible sound and fury. The kitsune bore the attack and remained standing, conjuring in return a swarm of flaming spirits shaped like Sakura aircraft from the towering column of flame above them.
“So we shall cross swords at last,” she murmured appreciatively. “Come!”
-----
“Indy, more planes at three o’clock!”
“I see them, sister. California?”
“You’re too cute to deny but you know my AA isn’t great! Oh, thanks for the assist, Maryland.”
“Don’t mention it, but stay alert. We’re close to torpedo range.” The words were not even out of the battleship’s mouth when a bright blue forcefield enveloped South Dakota, the dark-skinned woman forced to her knee as a torpedo detonated beneath her hull. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself back to her feet with the help of her shield and carried on. The enemy formation was spreading out before them, increasing the angles at which torpedoes could be launched towards Thorson’s ships. Not even he had anticipated such a long range strike, courtesy of Maya.
“Spread out!” he ordered in reply, ‘showing’ Fusou what he intended thanks to the link between them. She then conveyed it via radio to the rest of the fleet, their pattern shifting in an orderly fashion from a circular formation to a broad crescent meant to shield Ark Royal, Akashi, and specific escorts like Cleveland from the brunt of the enemy attacks. Chaos reigned around them as aircraft dove and swarmed them, held in check by the fleet’s AA guns and the prodigious firepower of Ark Royal’s fighters. All the while Thorson’s battleships launched shells at the enemy, scoring occasional hits against the enemy cruisers and battleships whereas the carriers proved an impenetrable bastion. Akagi and Kaga, their abilities at fully synchronization, simply vaporized any shells or aircraft that got too close. While the detonations above made for an epic display and deafened many of the Sakura shipgirls, they didn’t score the kills Thorson desperately needed. Instead he ordered a shifting of fire to the escorts as the range closed. So long as the Sakura drew closer, he felt he had the advantage.
It was clear, however, that Akagi and Kaga felt the same, and the damage reports from Thorson’s fleet lent credence to that opinion. For every hit against Haruna, Kongou, Kirishima, or the other smaller ships outside of the protective range of the first carrier division, he suffered damage in return. Cassin took an incredibly unlucky HE shell to her superstructure, knocking the girl unconscious and taking her out of the battle completely. Downes had been distraught, but Tennessee kept her in formation as Akashi dispatched two bulins to aid the stricken ship as it fell behind the advancing formation. South Dakota was taking a beating as well, even with the help of Indianapolis’ pandora reactor and shields. She only fired a handful of volleys from her main guns before the role of defender consumed all of her strength and energy, beset upon by torpedoes. With Kasumi’s assistance and encouragement, she was able to avoid most of the further incoming ‘fishes’, but Hiryuu and Soryuu refused to be denied either. The added focus on torpedo defense had necessitated a shifting of resources away from air defense, and the lapine carriers kept launching bombers and fighters with all their remaining strength. Maryland was suffering from fires on deck, while Pennsylvania lost a main battery, the shipgirl grunting in pain as her shoulder felt ready to pop out of its socket.
On the other side of the battlefield, the attrition took its toll as well. Nagara had gone silent following a bruising volley from California and Arizona, and Nowaki was occupied with multiple fires on deck courtesy of Portland and Zed’s exceptional gunnery. They hadn’t suffered torpedo attacks, but Akagi and Kaga had not given a retreat order. The enemy fleet, situated between them and Midway, was getting closer. With grace and calm, Hiei took aim at the flagship, the Fusou, and fired a volley.
“Tono-sama!” Fusou placed her body in front of him, arms wide, and threw up her shields as the incoming shells detonated around her. One made it through and exploded on her forward decks, throwing her back into Thorson as they crashed violently to the ground. Several hails came in at once, trying to ascertain the condition of their commander, but Laffey was focused on the ship that had fired the shot.
“You… Laffey knows you from her dreams, the bad ones when she is forced to sleep somewhere other than the Commander’s chest or lap. You will not take him from Laffey today!” From her position in the center left of the formation, Laffey’s bow transformed and began charging her Annihilation Mode cannon. Crackling electricity and plasma sparked in the air and off the sea as Colorado radioed her.
“Listen up, Laffey. The commander may take it easy on you, but I won’t. If you fire that weapon and go to sleep on me, surrounded by the enemy, I’ll take you out myself,” the battleship warned. “I can’t afford to lose my escort.”
“Miss Colorado should trust Laffey,” the destroyer insisted as the volume of shells in the air decreased significantly as the enemy took notice of the impending attack. “Laffey will never rest, never so long as the Commander needs her. She will continue to escort once the enemy battleship is no more. Condition green, firing.”
Even Akagi and Kaga’s battle trance was broken as the beam of energy tore across the open ocean directly at the Hiei. Kongou and Haruna shrieked and called out to their sister in fear as Kirishima pulled down her mask to stare openly. The proud Sakura battleship’s shields slowly faltered and then broke. Hiei’s cry of anguish sent shivers through the entire fleet as her ship was left barely afloat, a charred remnant of its former glory. Aboard the bridge, the shipgirl slumped unconscious and dying to the floor, her last mote of energy dedicated to the barrier that had saved her body from instant immolation. Her cubes had simply been pushed past their limits.
“That was a damn fine shot, Laffey,” Thorson radioed, his survival sending his fleet’s morale through the roof. “Fusou’s injured but seaworthy. Press the attack! Arizona, now’s the time!”
“I understand, Andrew!” she replied, hurrying out onto her deck as she killed her engines and shifted her rudders, turning her side to the enemy as her sister and friends charged forward, the enemy ships only then restarting their attack. The resurrected battleship knelt upon her forward deck as all of her main batteries turned to face her allies and the enemies beyond. The words came easier the second time, as though her cubes compelled her to remember. “I call upon the angels again, as one who has walked the ether and returned. In service to the one named for the first-called of the apostles, I beseech you to heal our wounds. Eagle’s Tears!”
“Oh my, that is utterly delightful!” Brooklyn remarked, firing off a well placed strike against a conventionally manned destroyer as she experienced the radiating energy of Arizona’s healing ability for the first time. Even the bruised and battered South Dakota found herself standing proudly with newfound energy, the fires aboard the Maryland extinguished. Behind her, Tennessee was chomping at the bit, her secondary batteries almost in range as Akagi and Kaga began lashing out directly with bolts of spirit fire.
“Torpedoes, now!” Thorson commanded, watching as his destroyer escorts swept out of their battleship cover, Laffey included, and unloaded an aquatic salvo. “Guns silent, shields and engines to full! Break them open!”
“This is it, Belle,” Downes whispered, keeping her defenses up as best she could as a blue bolt of fire struck her rear left torpedo mount. “Oh you are so dead, goddamn carriers! I liked that hardpoint!”
With South Dakota leading the charge, Thorson’s formation tightened behind the wall of torpedoes at his command, arranging themselves in an arrowhead as Arizona was left alone with Yukikaze, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Ark Royal, and Akashi. Unbelievably, the enemy had not turned from battle, continuing to maneuver evasively but not increasing the engagement distance. Without Arizona’s assistance Thorson knew that would have been an appropriate decision, his fleet peppered with shells and the occasional torpedo as shields flared and flickered. By her grace, however, his doomed cavalry charge, a tactic as old as warfare itself, was seen to fruition. Through his binoculars, looking at the bridge of an enemy heavy cruiser, the Commander picked out a pretty, black-haired girl with yellow eyes and red, demonic horns jutting from her forehead. Her eyes were wide and white with fear. It was time. “Open fire!”
At his command South Dakota finally allowed herself to fall back as Tennessee put on a burst of speed, fueled by bloodlust and the promise of vengeance. She could see the secondary guns on the carriers that had attacked her at Pearl Harbor, she was so close. None would deny her. “Get out of my way!” she roared, turning her main batteries and secondaries on the closest ships and lashing out indiscriminately. Command towers and main batteries burned or were blown to pieces, with Downes maneuvering expertly in her wake and firing an unnaturally high number of shells into the confused and routing masses before dodging back to Tennessee’s other side. Maryland and Zed were employing a similar strategy, while Javelin led West Virginia’s way, dodging incoming fire with surprising grace and speed while the lumbering Union colossus simply eviscerated any enemies left at what was, for naval combat, point blank distance. The attack was not without its downsides, however, as Akagi and Kaga lashed out directly with their flames, inflicting terrible pain and damage on ships that found themselves unable to properly block their attacks. Despite the kitsune’s heroics, the fact of the matter remained that they were at a disadvantage, and the towering columns of fire suddenly broke as Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Minneapolis, Portland, and Indiannapolis all trained their guns on them and fired in unison.
“Why won’t they sink?!” Akagi shrieked, biting her lip until blood spilled down to her chin. It was a fitting pain to go with the bruising her ribs had just endured. “Just die already!” While Akagi’s towering rage alone was enough to roast the superstructure of the Yamashiro from a distance, the fact remained that Thorson’s fleet had survived both torpedo and aircraft, and was now wreaking havoc, killing and maiming indiscriminately as a battleship that should have burned in the docks at Pearl Harbor bore down on a now crippled Hiryuu, her engines and rudder long disabled by armor piercing shells.
“My lords… Akagi-sama, Kaga-sama,” the rabbit coughed as Soryuu tried to launch more planes only to have them immediately gunned down. “You can still… get out.”
Kaga watched with horror as battleships that looked like a force sent from hell, charred and missing turrets, AA mounts, and secondary batteries, nevertheless carried on, alive, capable, and fueled by a rage that not even she and Akagi could understand. The Union’s remaining guns tore into her troops and decimated her ships. Hiryuu was correct, the hundreds of meters between the first and second carrier divisions would seal both of their fates. “Akagi, we need to leave, now. Any longer and we will be unable to outrun him.”
“Damnit. Damnit! DAMNIT!” Akagi screeched, conjuring another fireball and launching it directly at the Fusou. The shrine maiden yelled in pain as many of her smaller guns were melted and her forward decks set ablaze, forcing Thorson to take her up in his arms and move as quickly as he could to the stern of the ship, ready to leap overboard minutes later as the fires slowly spread. Though the attack was impressive and terrifying, it encompassed the extent of Akagi’s ability to influence a battle now firmly out of her control, a gamble that had shattered the Union and, were it not for the divine grace of a ship that should have been dead, would have ended the war entirely. “All ships, full retreat! Hold formation and return to the Sanctuary!”
With Thorson unable to command the situation, Pennsylvania took up the mantle of commanding officer as the first carrier division, their escorts, and any other ship that could break engagement with Thorson’s forces broke and fled. “They’re retreating! Stay alert, disable any enemy ships you can and try not to kill them. You know how Thorson does business. End any who fight back. Go!”
Tennessee needed no encouragement, barrelling forward over the waves at the stricken Hiryuu, continuing to pound the carrier with shell fire. No longer was she at point blank in a naval sense. She was at point blank range, period. “This is for Nevada, you bastard!” she roared as Downes was forced to back off her stern, gazing on with wonder and dreaded excitement as Tennessee shielded her bow and rammed into the Hiryuu amidships, splitting the carrier in half in a display every bit as vulgar as the first carrier division’s area denial capabilities. “Holy shit that was awesome,” the athletic destroyer murmured.
“Hiryuu-chan!” Soryuu screamed, limping along her flight deck, arm outstretched as the sounds of shearing metal carried over the battlefield. Exhausted, drained of her ability to fight, and riddled with holes, all she could do was drop to her knees and watch as her sister’s ship suffered Tennessee’s wrath. If Laffey’s attack against Hiei had turned the tide, Tennessee’s had ended the battle completely. Every gun on both sides fell silent as Akagi, Kaga, and the rest of the Sakura were forced to abandon the wounded, retreating to the north and west. Aboard the Hiryuu, the white-furred rabbit found herself contemplating how she wished to die. A proud, tanned, Union woman was advancing on her, rigging drawn as she casually leapt from her own boat and ‘boarded’ the carrier.
“Well, that explains a few things,” she agreed with herself, coughing into her hand only to come away looking at blood. “Here to finish what we started… then I will too.” Using that same blood, Hiryuu imbued her remaining talismans with her very will and threw them as far as she could off her deck. Tennessee, in no mood to play games, fired a full salvo from her rigging and knocked Hiryuu to the ground. The rabbit did not find her feet again.
“Shit, cunning little snake,” Tennessee swore as the talismans, borne by the wind, materialized into a wing of dive bombers so low to the ocean that they couldn’t be targeted, heading at full speed to the east. Behind her, Thorson and Fusou had been evacuated to the Akashi, with the majority of the bulins engaged in fire damage control aboard the flagship. Thorson could only assume the target of the aircraft.
“Javelin, Yukikaze, Yuudachi, Downes, follow those aircraft and make contact with the Union task forces! Render assistance if necessary. All ships engaged in pursuit, break off and search the area for survivors and cubes. We need those more than anything else. We will regroup at Midway itself,” he commanded, holding a hand to his head as the pains of the battle slowly left him. Being connected to Fusou when she’d sustained damage had not been the most pleasant experience, but the shrine maiden was alive, and that was all that mattered. Aboard the slowly sinking rear half of the Hiryuu, Tennessee finally loomed over the woman who had bloodied her and her friends half a year prior. She watched silently, a scowl on her face, as the bruised and beaten carrier tried to stand, another wracking cough spilling her blood on Tennessee’s boots.
“Surrender,” she ordered coldly. “Or don’t. I’d prefer that.”
“I… won’t…” Hiryuu declared, barely able to keep her eyes open. Tennessee’s once blinding anger, now a more manageable inferno, did not completely overpower her appreciation for the Sakura carrier’s sheer guts. As she slumped over on her deck, Hiryuu could only grunt as Tennessee took her by her collar and held her aloft.
“If you survive this, know that you owe your life to Commander Thorson. It’s more than you deserve,” the Union battleship insisted fiercely before throwing her to the deck and ripping her shard from her neck.
Far in the distance, Akagi gave her final murderous orders as the Sakura fleet escaped to fight another day. “Iroha, take your sisters and finish what we started here. This war no longer concerns the Union. Ensure they understand that.”
“With pleasure, Lady Akagi. We were growing bored playing at recon.”
-----
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