Ten Things We Learned From the First Few Days in NFL Free Agency

by: Steve Caronia

There was quite a flurry of moves this past week, some predictable and others downright shocking.  Here’s what we can infer from the first batch of moves.

1)      It’s good to be well managed.

Four of the most active teams in the first week were the Seahawks, 49ers, Patriots, and Broncos.  Seattle added big playmaker Percy Harvin via trade and signed bookends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to the defensive line.  San Francisco added Anquan Boldin and former #5 overall pick Glenn Dorsey.  The Patriots replaced Wes Welker with Diet Wes Welker Danny Amendola (which may turn out to be a classic shrewd Belichekian maneuver), and signed veteran safety Adrian Wilson and special teams ace Leon Washington.  The Broncos made the biggest splash of the offseason so far by stealing away Welker and also snagged Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (read: not Rahim Moore).  These teams were a combined 47-16-1 and all at least made the divisional round of the playoffs.  You simply can’t understate the value of good drafting, maintaining cap flexibility, and the simple ability to get deals done. Beats throwing money unduly around every single time.

“I’m sorry, Steve, but I disagree.”

2)      Its also good to have a respected coach.

See the above teams for this, but also check out the Kansas City Chiefs.  Have you ever seen so many talented players flock to a 2-14 team? I know a lot of fans make fun of Andy Reid for his clock management and challenge antics, but players and coaches know this man can coach football.  If his 130-93-1 regular season record, 7 division championships, 10 playoff wins, 5 NFC Championship appearances and Super Bowl appearance don’t convince you, that is.

3)      The Cardinals look lost.

This team is starved for offensive talent and has added no one of merit (sorry Rashard Mendenhall fans, not buying it).  Bill Barnwell pointed out that they are familiar with Bruce Arians’ system and, as Barnwell, says, so what? Talent, not familiarity, wins, and the Cards lack it.  Will the Cardinals continue to sink back into the doldrums?

4)      The Ravens are in big trouble.

I alluded to this in my Super Bowl review but I don’t think the Ravens could have predicted how bad their offseason would go after hoisting that Lombardi trophy.  They lost their young talent (Cary Williams, Daniel Ellerbe, Paul Kruger) and cagey vets (Ray Lewis, Anquan Boldin, Bernard Pollard) and others appear to be out the door (Ed Reed, Dennis Pitta, Ed Dickson).  The rest of their team has some big talent, but not across the board.  Why did everyone leave? Was it the infamous October mutiny? Cap issues because because of Flacco’s contract?  Probably a little of column A and a little of Column B.  More on Flacco another time.

5)      The Jets are… I don’t know yet.

Overall, I have to say I’m somewhat happy with the Jets’ offseason.  They shed all of the contracts we thought they would, giving them about $8 million in cap space.  They got that number to about $16 million by restructuring Santonio Holmes’ contract and releasing Sione Pouha (a move that was bittersweet but ultimately and unfortunately necessary).  They signed Mike Goodson, who showed some flashes in the last couple of years.  They signed David Garrard, who is a steady veteran or a washed up octogenarian depending on your spin.  Solidified the trenches (maybe – with health) with Willie Colon and Antonio Garay.  Probably did right in letting Dustin Keller and Shonne Greene go.  At best? Solid but unspectacular.  At worst? Stagnancy and disappointment.  But know this: John Idzik is going to rebuild and put his stamp on this team.  AKA – Rex Ryan will be on a short leash.

Antonio Garay gives the Jets a thumbs up. And yes, this is his car.

6)      The Bears and Titans made a couple of very astute moves.

The Bears defense was loaded with playmakers last year, and their only high-profile loss appears to be Brian Urlacher.  With all due respect to an all-time great, if his name was Shmian Shmurlacher we would be saying unequivocally he is done. They added Martellus Bennett, the Black Unicorn, to give Jay Cutler a new weapon to take pressure off Brandon Marshall and addressed the glaring need at offensive line by grabbing Jermon Bushrod to be their left tackle.  The Bears were a few pieces away from being an elite team, and they are getting closer.  I like the Titans’ moves as well, shoring up a few needs with quality players.  Andy Levitre at guard is a great addition to a line that struggled all year.  Delanie Walker showed promise behind Vernon Davis many times and steps in for the departed Jared Cook.  Finally, Shonne Greene should thrive as a change of pace back for the mercurial Chris Johnson.  Although with another addition to the oline, CJ2K may be back in business.  The Titans will be tough in 2013.

7)      Elvis has left the building.

I have no idea what happened with the Broncos and Dumervil and I don’t really care.   But I am curious to see where Dumervil ends up and whether he beats his reputation as being overrated and a product of playing across from Von Miller. No word yet on where Dumervil may end up, so stay tuned.

8)      Some big names moved, but we’ll have to wait to see how they pan out.

Mike Wallace is heading to Miami, where its Ryan Tannehill instead of Big Ben chucking the rock.  Similar but maybe more profound problems arise for Greg Jennings, who is going from Discount Double Check Aaron Rodgers to Christian Ponder.  Reggie Bush (Lions) and Steven Jackson (Falcon) have plenty of skills, but will injuries or age derail them? LaRon Landry had a good year last year with the Jets, but can he sustain that level of play?

9)      Sometimes change is not good.

There are a few teams that I think did well to retain a player from last year.  Baltimore and Joe Flacco (had to happen), Atlanta and Tony Gonzalez (ditto), Kansas City and Dwyane Bowe (building block), and New England with Aqib Talib (they need secondary help).  We’ll also see if Ryan Clady stays with Denver after being franchised as well as Michael Johnson with the Bengals (highly unusual for them not to).

10)   There are still a lot of talented players left.

Here’s the list of my favorites: Jake Long, Ed Reed, Karlos Dansby, Dwight Freeney, Rey Maualuga, Nick Barnett, Brandon Moore, Victor Cruz, DJ Williams, Brent Grimes, Deangelo Hall, Chris Gamble, Nnamdi Asomugha, Ahmad Bradshaw, James Harrison, Andre Smith, and Eric Winston. There’s a lot of help still out there for teams even though these guys aren’t all in their primes.  Week 2 will be very interesting as well.

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