Season 68 Offseason-Palooza - Free Agency Edition - Part 1
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
RED ZONE SEASON 68 OFFSEASON-PALOOZA - FREE AGENCY EDITION - PART 1
The offseason has ended, and it's time to take a quick look around the leauge. We are going to dive into the free agent signings made by each team. Enjoy!
AFC EAST
Added - N/A
Lost - Derek Barnett (DE, 95 OVR), Austin Hooper (TE, 87 OVR)
FA Grade - D
Buffalo did nothing in free agency, choosing to sit on their available cap room, and fill holes in the draft. The biggest loss was obviously Derek Barnett, as he heads to the Seattle Seahawks on a massive deal. Buffalo has his successor already, with Chris Shields from last year's draft (Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate). Dawson Knox is a superstar tight end, so Hooper was essentially luxury at the position.
I would have liked to see them be players in free agency, especially on the offensive line. They seemed content to sit with a roster that has been finishing 3rd in the AFC East as of late.
Added - Tyrone Sweet (DE, 81 OVR - 5 Years, $35.15 Million) Erik Poole (TE, 77 OVR - 5 Years, $24.75 Million) Larry Garrett (LB, 78 OVR - 5 Years, $39.05 Million)
Lost - Jerome Baker (LB, 77 OVR), Marcus Davenport (DE, 85 OVR), Christian Wilkins (DT, 82 OVR)
FA Grade - C
The Dolphins spent a lot of money on three players, and they were essentially replacing what they lost. Tyrone Sweet replaces Marcus Davenport, and Larry Garrett replaces Jerome Baker. Marcus Davenport actually received less money per year, and I'd rather have Davenport than Sweet.
I don't understand the Erik Poole signing at all, he is a backup to Paul Wilson, and the backup tight end for Miami last year (David Njoku) had 33 receptions and 1 touchdown. Yes, Poole will be on the field, but is he really worth $5 million per year?
I like Garrett as a run defender, and he should fit in nice in this front seven, and Sweet provides a ton of upside as a pass rusher. Playing with Watt and Crosby will help Sweet with matchups.
Overall most of the signings Miami made seem like lateral moves to downgrades for me, and for a lot of financial commitment. Sweet is a younger, and lesser Marcus Davenport. I think Garrett is a solid player, but is mostly an athlete, and Poole is a backup. Do these moves close the gap with the Jets?
Added - N/A
Lost - Derrick Nnadi (DT, 81 OVR), Dante Fowler (DE, 76 OVR), Jonathan Jones (CB, 76 OVR), Matt Gabriel (WR, 77 OVR)
FA Grade - F
The Patriots have mismanaged their salary cap so poorly, they were unable to make any additions via free agency. This is a team that finished with 2 wins last season, and has no money to spend. That is a massive problem.
The Patriots gave cornerback David Long one of the worst contracts in the league two years ago, and it is crippling their ability to add players. Not only that, they haven't developed their young players well. There is nothing in the pipeline coming for the Patriots.
Added - Deonte Harris (WR, 88 OVR - 5 Years, $38.5 Million), Ronald Darby (CB, 75 OVR - 1 Year, $1.9 million), Christopher Logan (DE, 86 OVR - 5 Years, $37.25 Million), Evan Engram (TE, 87 OVR - 5 Years, $42.25 Million), Jayon Brown (LB, 77 OVR - 3 Years, $22.35 Million), Leonard Williams (DE, 80 OVR - 1 Year, $2.8 Million), Carson Wentz (QB, 89 OVR - 3 Years, $95.77 Million)
Lost - Greg Harris (QB, 84 OVR), Zach Ertz (TE, 82 OVR), JC Jackson (CB, 82 OVR), Gareon Conley (CB, 76 OVR)
FA Grade - A
There is a lot to unpack with what the Jets did this offseason, but we have to start with the Carson Wentz signing. The trade of Greg Harris left a massive hole at quarterback, but the Jets knew going into free agency that at least two big names would be available.
They chose Carson Wentz, who has struggled mightily since being traded to New England, but New York believes that was a product of the system, not the player himself. Wentz was given $30+ million over the next three years to lead the Jets. That is the going rate for a starting quarterback in the league, and he was the best available. For a team that is ready to win, this is a great signing for the Jets.
I love the additions of Evan Engram and Deonte Harris as weapons for Wentz, giving the Jets one of the deeper wide receiver rooms in the league, and Engram will fill the shoes of recently retired Zach Ertz.
The only signing I didn't care for was the Christopher Logan signing. He is a pure power rusher, who did not produce in New Orleans. If any coaching staff will get something out of him, it's this one, but so far I don't see how he earned this contract.
Overall, what the Jets did was upgrade at quarterback, add weapons for that quarterback, and add depth to their fierce front 7. Not only that, the rest of their dvision either sat on the sidelines, or made small changes.
AFC WEST
Added - James Lynch (DE, 74 OVR - 1 Year, $700k), Dion Dawkins (OT, 76 OVR - 1 Year, $1.56 Million), Jonathan Jones (CB, 76 OVR - 1 Year, $2.31 Million)
Lost - Head Coach David Sampson, Leonard Williams (DE, 80 OVR), Kerryon Johnson (RB, 83 OVR), Charles Leno Jr. (OG, 76 OVR)
FA Grade - B+
In a transitional year for the Ravens organization, the new front office featuring Coach Brian were essentially forced to stand pat. With little cap room, and CBA restrictions on their ability to trade, they had little money to work with. I actually like the addition of Jonathan Jones to the secondary, and James Lynch can be a cheap rotational lineman for them.
Also the Dawkins signing is great, a starting caliber tackle for just $1.5 million? I like what the Ravens did with the little room they had to work with.
Added - Darius Slayton (WR, 92 OVR - 4 Years, $82 Million), Michael Gallup (WR, 80 OVR - 2 Years, $12.4 Million), Enrique Williams (DT, 78 OVR - 2 Years, $9.6 Million)
Lost - Michael Thomas (WR, 97 OVR), Bobby Wagner (LB, 70 OVR), Mike Hilton (CB, 80 OVR), Tyler Boyd (WR, 81 OVR), Samson Ebukam (LB, 77 OVR)
FA Grade - B-
Cincinnati lost a lot of big names this offseason, most notably Michael Thomas to retirement. The retirement of Bobby Wagner is probably addition by subtraction, but the Bengals did have some holes to fill.
Darius Slayton developed into a superstar in New York, and the Bengals land him for $84 million over 4 years. Pretty incredible to pay over $20 million a year for a guy like Slayton, but his production has matched the value as of late. He becomes the new #1 wideout in Cincinnati for Joe Burrow.
I like the addition of Michael Gallup as a Tyler Boyd replacement, giving Burrow two solid weapons in Slayton and Boyd. Don't forget they franchise tagged John Ross for $28.9 million.
Overall, Cincinnati replaced the production lost from Michael Thomas, and added needed depth at the wide receiver position. They did little to address their holes on defense though.
Added - Greg Harris (QB, 84 OVR - TRADE), Luke Morant (WR, 88 OVR - 4 Years, $37.08 Million), Harrison Butker (K, 85 OVR - 1 Year, $2.85 Million), Cooper Kupp (WR, 81 OVR - 2 Years, $12.84 Million), Jose McCutcheon (OG, 77 OVR - 4 Years, $36.12 Million)
Lost - Andy Isabella (WR, 79 OVR), Baker Mayfield (QB, 85 OVR)
FA Grade - B
The Browns, fresh off a 1 win campaign, went into the offseason determined to make changes on offense. The defense, in theory, has the pieces in place to be successful, so the blame of a 1-15 season fell on Baker Mayfield.
He was replaced via trade with Greg Harris, and the Browns went all-in to upgrade the weapons around him. They gave Luke Morant a massive deal, the speedster from Minnesota who never quite lived up to his draft position. Morant has a ton of upside, and considering some of the other deals wideouts got this free agency, I love the price Morant received of $9 million per year.
Cooper Kupp is past his prime, but is a good value signing for the skills he still brings. Kupp brings a veteran stability to that room, and is a very good WR3.
Jose McCutcheon is an average guard, and in today's Red Zone, that gets paid. McCutcheon getting $9 million a year should be GM malpractice, but that is the market value.
Overall, I think Cleveland certainly improved their offense. I like that they chose to spend on Kupp and Morant, instead of going all in on Slayton. I need to knock them down half a grade for the McCutcheon signing, I hate it.
Added - Cade Farr (QB, 75 OVR - 4 Years, $9.2 Million), DeSean Sheppard (DE, 78 OVR - 2 Years, $2.02 Million)
Lost - Anthony Barr (LB, 70 OVR), Tyler Patterson (WR, 75 OVR), Tre Flowers (CB, 78 OVR), Cliff Singer (DE, 81 OVR), Allen Robinson (WR, 82 OVR)
FA Grade - C+
Pittsburgh certainly doesn't have a lot of holes, coming off a season in which they made RZ Bowl 68. They opted to go all in to solidify the backup quarterback position behind Jordan Love, giving Chicago Bear bust Cade Farr a 4 year deal, worth $2.3 million per year, which is a steal. Hopefully Farr never sees the field, but he is a great insurance policy if Love ever needs to sit or faces an injury.
Sheppard is actually a really solid rotational pass rusher, accounting for 10 sacks in his last two seasons in Dallas. It will be tough for him to earn snaps on this strong defensive line, but expect him to contribute if he does.
I would have liked to see Pittsburgh go after cornerback help, and more depth for offensive weapons, but I can't fault them for not. They are ready to win, and I like the idea of getting a solid backup for Love. This season is RZ Bowl or bust.