NFL free-agency grades: Seahawks, Packers, Eagles at head of NFC class
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Version 0 of 1. NFC East Dallas Cowboys Key additions: Greg Hardy (DE), Darren McFadden (RB), Jed Collins (FB), Jasper Brinkley (LB), Keith Rivers (LB), Corey White (CB) Key losses: DeMarco Murray (RB), Henry Melton (DT), Justin Durant (LB), Jermey Parnell (OT), Bruce Carter (LB), Sterling Moore (CB), George Selvie (DE) Obliged by salary cap constraints to part ways with either the NFL’s leading rusher or one of the league’s most talented wide receivers, Dallas plumped for the former. It was the right decision. Losing Murray was painful, and rendered even more so by his subsequent switch to division rivals Philadelphia, but experience tells us that elite wideouts are more likely to sustain success than tailbacks over a long career. Dez Bryant has hauled in 41 touchdowns these last three seasons and his presence aids the running game, too, by discouraging opponents from stacking the box. The Cowboys can still count on one of the best offensive lines in the league to open holes for McFadden or whoever else emerges as the team’s new No1 ball-carrier. The wild card in this free agent group is Hardy, whose status as one of the league’s best pass rushers is not in doubt, but who is expected to face a lengthy suspension relating to the domestic violence charges he faced last year. Not everyone involved with the team will agree with the message that his signing sends out. Grade: C+ Related: NFL free-agency grades: New York Jets top the AFC New York Giants Key additions: Shane Vereen (RB), George Selvie (DE), Marshall Newhouse (OT), Kenrick Ellis (DT), Brett Jones (C) Key losses: Antrel Rolle (S), Walter Thurmond (CB), Mathias Kiwanuka (DE), JD Walton (C), Peyton Hillis (RB) It has been a low-key free agency period for the Giants, who might reasonably believe that progress can be achieved simply by getting a full season out of Odell Beckham Jr. Vereen was an astute addition, offering Eli Manning a more viable pass-catching option out of the backfield (his 52 receptions in 2014 were more than Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams managed between them), while Selvie is another useful body to have on the defensive line. But the more intriguing addition might be Jones – a 23-year-old center who was named as the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2013 and its Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman last year. Grade: C+ Philadelphia Eagles Key additions: DeMarco Murray (RB), Sam Bradford (QB, trade), Kiko Alonso (LB, trade), Ryan Mathews (RB), Byron Maxwell (CB), Walter Thurmond (CB), Brad Jones (LB) Key losses: LeSean McCoy (RB, trade), Nick Foles (QB, trade), Jeremy Maclin (WR), Trent Cole (DE/OLB) Nate Allen (S) Chip Kelly really does hate standing still. After taking control of personnel decisions in January, the Eagles head coach attacked this offseason at the same relentless tempo that he demands from his offense on gameday. First he traded one of the league’s best running backs for a linebacker. Then he swapped quarterbacks with St Louis. Both of the players he acquired in these deals are coming off cruciate ligament injuries. But by the time Kelly emerged from the early waves of free agency his team did appear to be stronger. Murray and McCoy are comparable talents at tailback and Mathews, if healthy, would be an exceptional No2. Maxwell and Thurmond give the team a major upgrade at corner. Alonso was defensive rookie of the year in 2013. Bradford, if he can stay healthy (and it is a big ‘if’) has the tools to be more effective than Foles. Maclin will be missed, but there is scope yet for Kelly to fill the gap at receiver via the draft. Between now and then, he might yet have another trick up his sleeve. Grade: B Washington Key additions: Terrance Knighton (DT), Chris Culliver (CB), Stephen Paea (DT), Ricky Jean-Francois (DE/DT), Jeron Johnson (S) Key losses: Brian Orakpo (DE/OLB), Roy Helu (RB), Jarvis Jenkins (DE/DT), Ryan Clark (S, retired), Barry Cofield (DT) Scot McCloughan has taken a cautious approach to his first free agency period as Washington’s general manager, and so far it seems to be paying dividends. Knighton, Paea and Francois will all contribute immediately and each was acquired at a modest price. Culliver also fills a need for a team whose top cornerback, DeAngelo Hall, is recovering from consecutive Achilles tears. There is still plenty of work to be done in Washington, but McCloughlan is off to a solid start. Grade: B NFC North Chicago Bears Key additions: Pernell McPhee (DE/OLB), Antrel Rolle (S), Eddie Royal (WR), Mason Foster (LB), Jarvis Jenkins (DE) Key losses: Brandon Marshall (WR, trade), Stephen Paea (DT), Chris Conte (S) Chicago might have given up Marshall a little too cheaply when they agreed to send him to the Jets for only a fifth-round pick, but overall they appear to have strengthened. McPhee is a fine situational pass rusher who is likely to spend more time on the field than he did in Baltimore, while Rolle is an ageing but steady presence at safety. Royal can be an adequate No2 receiver opposite Alshon Jeffery. Grade: B- Detroit Lions Key additions: Haloti Ngata (DT, trade), Tyrunn Walker (DT), Philip Hunt (DE/OLB) Key losses: Ndamukong Suh (DT), Nick Fairley (DT), Reggie Bush (RB) Perhaps more than any other franchise, the Lions’ offseason has been defined by a single player. The decision not to place the franchise tag on Suh might have been justifiable from an economic standpoint, but when even Calvin Johnson had suggested that he could restructure his contract to help keep the defensive lineman in Detroit, you got an idea of how important he was to this team. Ngata has been a dominant player himself in Baltimore down the years, but to give up two draft picks for a man who the Ravens might have cut anyway (due to cap issues of their own) smacked of desperation. With Fairley also moving on, the Lions’ defensive front is certainly going to look very different indeed. Grade: D Green Bay Packers Key additions: N/A Key losses: Tramon Williams (CB), AJ Hawk (LB), Davon House (CB), Dujuan Harris (RB) Sometimes the best way to strengthen is simply to keep hold of what you have. The Packers came within a two-minute meltdown of the Super Bowl last season, and general manager Ted Thompson has ensured that the pieces remain in place to make another run in 2015. Receiver Randall Cobb and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga both hit the open market this March but each was persuaded to return despite reports that they could have made more money elsewhere. A handful of contributors have been lost on defense, but only Williams is really likely to be missed, and at 32 he no longer had his best years ahead of him. Grade: B+ Minnesota Vikings Key additions: Mike Wallace (WR, trade), Shaun Hill (QB), Dujuan Harris (RB), Taylor Mays (S) Key losses: Jerome Felton (FB), Jasper Brinkley (LB), Christian Ponder (QB) Can Wallace help the Vikings to get the most out of Teddy Bridgewater? It certainly can’t hurt the quarterback’s development to have another viable target lined up opposite Cordarrelle Patterson, and the new arrival should provide Minnesota with more of a deep threat. But with notable holes to fill at linebacker and along the offensive line, it feels like they could have done more. Grade: C+ NFC South Atlanta Falcons Key additions: Justin Durant (LB), Brooks Reed (DE/LB), Adrian Clayborn (DE) O’Brien Schofield (DE/OLB), Philip Adams (CB), Tony Moeaki (TE), Jacob Tamme (TE) Key losses: Sean Weatherspoon (OLB), Corey Peters (DT), Robert McClain (CB) Harry Douglas (WR), Following Dan Quinn’s installation as head coach, it has been no surprise to see the Falcons finally addressing their deficiencies on defense. A host of versatile players have been added, but it is tempting to ask whether the focus has been too much on quantity over quality. Clayborn has the potential to become a superior pass rusher, but has sat out two of his four seasons in the league due to injury. Reed and Durant are both solid run-playing linebackers, but the latter has also struggled to stay healthy. Quinn sees potential in Schofield, whom he coached in Seattle, as a pass-rushing specialist, but to date the player has 13.5 sacks in his five NFL seasons. Between them these players should improve a defense that gave up almost 400 yards per game last season, but by how much remains to be seen. Grade: B- Carolina Panthers Key additions: Michael Oher (OT), Alan Ball (CB), Ted Ginn Jr (WR) Key losses: Greg Hardy (DE), DeAngelo Williams (RB) Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has refused to discuss his decision not to re-sign Hardy, although his reference to players with character issues as “ticking time-bombs” during the scouting combine spoke volumes. Many fans will still criticise him for letting go of a quality pass rusher, but they ought to move on soon enough if second-round draft pick Kony Ealy can continue the progress he made towards the end of last year. Carolina’s most noteworthy signing was Oher, who, after consecutive disappointing seasons, might benefit from being reunited with his offensive line coach John Matsko, who worked with him during his best years in Baltimore. Grade: C+ New Orleans Saints Key additions: Brandon Browner (CB), Max Unger (C, trade), CJ Spiller (RB), Dannell Ellerbe (LB, trade) Key losses: Jimmy Graham (TE, trade), Ben Grubbs (G, trade), Kenny Stills (WR, trade), Patrick Robinson (CB), Curtis Lofton (LB), Tyrunn Walker (DT), Travaris Cadet (RB) After the disaster that was their 2014 season, it was no surprise to see New Orleans take an aggressive approach to overhauling their roster this offseason. What was shocking, though, was to see them deal away one of the league’s most outstanding offensive weapons. Drew Brees told NFL Network he was “as shocked as anybody” by the the Saints’ decision to trade away Graham, and even head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that it may be difficult for the quarterback to adjust after relying so heavily on his tight end for the last five years. The Saints did get one of the NFL’s better centers, Max Unger, out of the deal, and have added draft picks as well as upgrading at other positions with Browner, Spiller and Ellerbe. But it is hard to know how to weigh up those smaller gains against the loss of such a rare individual. Grade: C+ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Key additions: Bruce Carter (OLB), Henry Melton (DT), Sterling Moore (CB), Chris Conte (S) Key losses: Josh McCown (QB), Michael Johnson (DE), Mason Foster (LB), Adrian Clayborne (DE), Anthony Collins (OT) Starting from scratch (again) are Tampa Bay, who spent good money on the likes of McCown, Johnson and Collins last spring, only to send them packing again now after just a single season. Their approach has been more frugal this time around, the Buccaneers quietly asset-stripping the Cowboys’ defense whilst generally failing to acknowledge the voids left at defensive end and offensive tackle. Not even the prospect of Jameis Winston will be enough to raise hopes of better times in the near future. Grade: C- NFC West Arizona Cardinals Key additions: Mike Iupati (G), Corey Redding (DE/DT), Corey Peters (DT), Sean Weatherspoon (OLB), LaMarr Woodley (DE/OLB), Key losses: Antonio Cromartie (CB), Darnell Dockett (DE/DT), Dan Williams (DT), Ted Ginn Jr (WR), Paul Fanaika (G) It was feared that Arizona might have to let go of one of their fans’ all-time favorites this spring, but Larry Fitzgerald’s willingness to restructure his contract allowed the team not only to keep him around but also to continue strengthening their roster elsewhere. Landing Iupati from division rivals San Francisco might just reinvigorate a miserable running game, allowing for greater offensive balance than Bruce Arians had been able to achieve thus far. The losses of Cromartie and Williams will hurt more than that of Dockett – who turns 34 in May and missed last season with a torn ACL – but Redding, Peters and Weatherspoon can all contribute if healthy. Grade: B San Francisco 49ers Key additions: Torrey Smith (WR), Darnell Dockett (DE/DT), Reggie Bush (RB), Erik Pears (OT) Key losses: Patrick Willis (LB, retired), Chris Borland (LB, retired) Mike Iupati (G), Chris Culliver (CB), Perrish Cox (CB), Frank Gore (RB), Stevie Johnson (WR), Dan Skuta (DE/OLB) The 49ers are at risk of being overrun by events beyond their control. Willis was first to announce his retirement this March, but if San Francisco had felt prepared for such a scenario then they were rocked when the man slated to replace him, Chris Borland, also decided to quit the game after only a single season in the pros. Now Jim Tomsula must wait to see if defensive end Justin Smith will follow them in walking away. Even if he returns, a once-formidable defense has been further weakened by the loss of two starters in the secondary. And while Torrey Smith is a clear upgrade on Johnson at receiver, the same could not be said for Bush over Gore. Grade: D Seattle Seahawks Key additions: Jimmy Graham (TE, trade), Ahtya Rubin (DT), Cary Williams (CB) Key losses: Max Unger (C, trade), Byron Maxwell (CB), Malcolm Smith (LB), O’Brien Schofield (DE/OLB), James Carpenter (G), Tying Marshawn Lynch to a new contract, and in the process quashing rumours that he might be considering retirement, was a pretty good place for Seattle to kick off their 2015 campaign, but this offseason will be judged first and foremost by the Graham trade. Will he and Russell Wilson blossom into the devastating partnership that Pete Carroll has no doubt envisaged? Or will Seattle live to regret losing two-fifths of their starting offensive line (even if Carpenter was one of its weaker members)? For boldness alone, I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. Grade: B+ St Louis Rams Key additions: Nick Foles (QB, trade), Nick Fairley (DT), Case Keenum (QB, trade), Akeem Ayers (DE/OLB), Key losses: Sam Bradford (QB, trade), Kendall Langford (DE), Scott Wells (C), Jake Long (OT) Although I would grade a healthy Bradford above Foles, it was past time for the Rams to move on from their injury-prone former No1 pick. Psychologically, the change will allow this team to move on and perhaps finally to fulfil its potential in the preposterously competitive NFC West. The Rams were likewise justified in cutting both the sub-par Wells and rarely seen Long from their roster, although the failure to replace either means they will need to seek offensive line help early and often in the draft. Grade: C+ |