Offseason Winners - Top 5
by adelfish | 8 years ago | 0 Comments
Red Zone Offseason Winners - Top 5 - by Adel
After a long offseason full of big signings and bold moves, we come to a brand new football season. The question on everyone's mind is, which teams got better and won the offseason? Well I'm here to answer it for you!
#5 - Buffalo Bills
The Bills are under new management, and that might be a very good thing. They went into the offseason with a fair amount of cap room, some nice draft pick stock, and an already talented roster. They did tons this summer to improve, and have actually primed themselves for a potential wild card push.
It starts in the trenches, as the Bills went out with a goal to upgrade their offenisve line, and they did just that. They signed offensive tackle Lane Johnson to start on the left side, with Cordy Glenn already on the right side, and interior lineman Russell Bodine, and center Rodney Hudson. The Bills now suddenly have a top 10 offensive line in the league, proving how committed they are to the ground game with Asa Goda.
The quarterback depth chart was completely scrapped, and Buffalo signed a very intriguing prospect in Jacoby Brissett. Only 27 years old, with a great arm, and very impressive touch 15-20 yards downfield, this could be an absolute steal of a signing. Brissett may have more success than Bridgewater in this division. Don't forget a new weapon for Brissett, in running back Giovani Bernard. Bernard simply was lost in the shuffle in Cincinnati, but will now be a 2-3 down back in Buffalo. Expect him to play heavily on 3rd downs.
I love what Buffalo did with their offense, surrounding their new quarterback with weapons, and building a strong protection unit in front of him. They are poised for a push into the postseason.
#4 - Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have been stuck in the cellar of the AFC North for a couple seasons now, and went into this offseason determined to improve. And they did. They started like Buffalo did, in the trenches, making some huge upgrades to their offensive line. The Ravens know they need to build around getting the ball to 'Thanks Be To' Todd Gurley, and they did just that.
Ronnie Stanley is a stud at left tackle, anchoring this line, and the additions they made around him has to have Baltimore nation happy. The Ravens traded a pair of draft picks for stud center Kody Lyman from the Rams, who is an immediate starter for them. They also signed a very solid right tackle in Jerald Hawkins, who is a great run block mauler.
They also went out and added a ton of pieces to their defense, with established veterans like Everson Griffen, Sheldon Day, and Daryl Worley. These are all contributors to their defense, and then they made some big moves in the draft.
They released Michael Floyd and Golden Tate, and went with receiver in the first round Bryan Patrick, the 6th overall pick who is a speedy possession guy who will be a great compliment to Breshad Perriman. They also hit on a young guard with tons of potential in Leio Phillip.
The Ravens are still probably a year away, but this was a great offseason full of building blocks.
#3 - Denver Broncos
The Broncos are fresh off a one-and-done in the postseason, and needed to reload to make another run and keep pace with the rest of the ultra-talented AFC West. They did just that, and then some, mostly through the draft. The Broncos are now set up at certain positions for years to come, thanks to an absolutely stellar night in the draft room.
Before getting to draft night, the Broncos let Derek Wolfe walk so he could get overpaid by the Jaguars, then they replaced him with Jason Pierre-Paul. They also added situational pass rusher Shillique Calhoun, as the Broncos continue to boast one of the best front seven depth groups.
The draft is where Denver made their money, starting with 1st round choice J.T. Whitfield, a physical specimen who arguably had top 10 talent, but somehow fell into the bottom 14. Denver will replace the departed Demaryius Thomas with him.
Denver upgrades their young defense significantly. They drafted a stud defensive tackle in DJ Foote, who will start, along with cornerback Matt Lassiter, and safety Cory Pettrey. These four were enough for a great haul, but Denver seriously acquired 7-8 quality players on draft night. They are set up for the forseeable future.
#2 - New York Giants
The Giants were destroyed in their first playoff appearence by the Panthers, and were absolutely determined to get back and better than ever - and this offseason showed that.
The Giants went all out to acquire offensive line help to protect Brett Hundley, and to continue their stellar run success. They started by trading draft picks to Cleveland to acquire two young lineman in Deshun Sword and Chase Light, both former Pro Bowlers. They also drafted a starting left tackle in Wes Meadows in the 2nd round, and a very solid interior lineman in Tyre Perrilloux. The Giants completely overhauled one of their biggest weaknesses.
They also drafted wide receiver Lamar Ihedigbo in the 1st round, maybe finally a true compliment to Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants now have one of the most talented offenses in the entire league on paper, as their defense was already loaded.
#1 - Philadelphia Eagles
When I started this writeup, there was no other team I could put at #1, despite some great moves by the previously mentioned teams. The Eagles simply nailed the offseason, and did it the right way.
In free agency, the Eagles allowed aging Lane Johnson to walk and get paid big bucks by Buffalo, but they nailed a bargain signing of their own by grabbing offensive tackle Taylor Decker to replace him. Former 1st round pick from Detroit, he will start for Philly for the next 5 years. They also flipped two picks and one of their interior lineman to acquire the 7th overall pick from Seattle, their third 1st round pick.
In the draft, the Eagles nailed their three 1st round picks, with corner O'Neal Russell, defensive tackle Kevin Currie, and linebacker Buck DeVries. These three are now the face of this defense, and will propel Philly back to the NFC East title. O'Neal Russell was the highest touted corner since Darion Barrington, and the Eagles gave up a lot to acquire him.
The Eagles stout front seven got much better with Currie in the middle, and DeVries taking over the Mike linebacker spot from the recently departed Mychal Kendricks. This defense is athletic, fast, aggresive, and best of all, young. The NFC East should be afraid.