He's important but nowhere near as important as Watt or Cam, period, end of story. Highsmith has been playing well and he's a rookie. If Bud wants to come back, it will have to be at a price we can afford and it should come after we have already signed Watt and JuJu. With Bush back next year and Highsmith making a big leap from year 1 to 2, I have no problem if Bud is gone. Sure, it''d be nice to keep him and to keep everyone but it's just not possible even if this coming cap weren't affected by severely reduced revenue due to the China Virus.
With that said, Bud probably won't be ready to start the season next year. He will probably be had on the cheap by someone on a one year prove it contract to see if he is back from his injury. So, we might be able to keep him that way. But, again, Watt and JuJu have to be the priorities. And,, we need a true No. 1 RB either via free agency or the draft. Conner isn't it and we don't have anyone on the roster that I would put there unless McFarland shows tremendous development from year 1 to 2. Then, you might be able to have him at No. 1 with Snell at No. 2 and Samuels as No. 3.