Free agency fallout, NFL power rankings and more
The crux of the NFL free agency period is over, and a trail of both good and bad deals are left in the wake … along with huge bundles of money.
The NFL offseason is a myth. After five months of on-field games, the 32 clubs took their competition to the board rooms, with their planning culminating in an explosion of dollars last week. With free agency less than a week old, hundreds of millions have been spent.
In some cases, the money was wise. In others, it was a quintessential example of fool’s gold.
The biggest spenders were the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, two teams who are fighting for respectability. Cleveland was spectacular, shunning the flashy stars for grinders in the trenches. The Browns were able to land center JC Tretter and top guard Kevin Zeitler, taking him from division-rival Cincinnati.
While it did part ways with Terrelle Pryor, Cleveland snagged Kenny Britt on a four-year, $32 million pact. In addition, general manager Sashi Brown pulled off a heist, acquiring Brock Osweiler, a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 sixth-round selection for a fourth-rounder this year. Osweiler could remain on the roster for the season at $16 million, or be released/traded before April. Regardless, the Browns allowed Osweiler to eat up unused cap space and got a second-round pick. Brilliant.
Contention is still a few years away, but the Browns now have a terrific offensive line and a pair of weapons on the outside for either a rookie quarterback or Cody Kessler.
In Jacksonville’s case, there should be tepid excitement. Last year, the team went great guns in free agency, led by Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson and Chris Ivory. It led to a 3-13 campaign. Last week, general manager Dave Caldwell spent another $153.5 million on A.J. Bouye (five years and $67.5M), Barry Church (four years and $26M) and Calais Campbell (four years and $60M).
Bouye, 25, is a sensational corner and a nice pickup. He’s coming off the best year of what appears to be an ascending career. Taking him away from a division rival in the Houston Texans was an added bonus, putting him in a secondary with Jalen Ramsey, Church and Gipson. On paper, that’s an elite secondary.
Campbell, 30, is also coming off a career season with second-team All-Pro honors. The Denver native provides versatility and a three-down player on the front, giving the Jaguars a nice compliment to Jackson. The only risk here is age, with Campbell turning 31 during the upcoming season.
It should be said, though, that while both teams made nice moves, neither will become a quality franchise until the drafting starts to improve. We’ll find out in April just how serious these teams are.
Conversely, the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints have explaining to do.
Chicago has all the earmarks of a franchise with executives desperately scrambling to save their jobs, instead of thinking about long-term success. While the three-year contract doled out to Mike Glennon is really a one-year deal in terms of guaranteed money, Chicago could have kept Brian Hoyer instead and likely gotten better production at a much better price.
General manager Ryan Pace also declared that Glennon is the starter, effectively telling us Chciago is out of the market for a quarterback in the early rounds of the NFL Draft. While that isn’t a bad thing, it’s odd timing to declare your faith in a quarterback that has thrown 11 passes over the past two seasons.
The other signings of Quintin Demps, Prince Amukamara, Dion Sims and Markus Wheaton demand explanation to varying degrees. Demps had a career-best six interceptions in 2016, but remains an average safety and a liability in coverage. Amukamara has played one full season in six attempts, while Sims and Wheaton are not starting-caliber talents.
The Bears were busy, but got little done.
Finally, the Saints. New Orleans did what it always does with general manager Mickey Loomis at the helm; it spends. After the first day, the Saints walked away with Ted Ginn Jr., Larry Warford, A.J. Klein and a bevy of Brandin Cooks trade rumors.
There were reports that New Orleans and the New England Patriots were talking about a trade involving Cooks for Pro Bowl corner Malcolm Butler. Ultimately, New Orleans ended up with the 32nd-overall pick and a third rounder, relinquishing a fourth and Cooks in return. If Butler was on the table, Loomis should have pushed hard to get him as well, giving his secondary some much-needed punch.
In the same vein, New Orleans continues to focus on offense over defense. Ginn is a potential replacement for Cooks, but Loomis could have waited until the middle of the draft to land a similar player on a cheaper, longer deal. Warford is a solid guard, but he’s not even Pro Bowl-level, and he’s being paid $34 million with half the contract guaranteed.
Klein was a nice signing, an underrated player toiling behind Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers. Still, Loomis continues to miss the point. He hands out contracts that typically become dead money within two years, and often to players who don’t fit the team’s schemes. The Saints needed to fix the defense badly, and ended up with a pricey guard and an aging returner.
Four teams, different stages, tons of money. Let’s see how it plays out.
Power rankings
Post free-agency contenders
1. New England Patriots
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Green Bay Packers
7. New York Giants
8. Oakland Raiders
9. Seattle Seahawks
10. Tennessee Titans
Quotable
"“Desean brings a veteran presence and a big-play mentality that fits in perfectly with our offensive philosophy. He is a tough-minded competitor who has the game-breaking speed and pass-catching ability that stretches the defense and creates matchup problems.”"
– Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter on free-agent signing, DeSean Jackson
Koetter had success in his first season at the helm in Tampa, getting the Buccaneers to 9-7 and the cusp of a playoff berth. The signing of Jackson should push this team over the hump. Tampa Bay is a team to watch in the NFC come autumn, with an improving defense and an explosive offense.
Random stat
Since realignment in 2002, the Seattle Seahawks have won eight NFC West titles. The San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals have claimed seven between them.
Info learned this week
1. The Redskins are still an embarrassment
Washington fired general manager Scot McCloughan on Thursday night, putting an end to a bizarre saga. McCloughan wasn’t at the NFL Scouting Combine, lending reason for rumors to swirl about his job security. Some of the noise centered around McCloughan perhaps suffering a relapse of his sobriety, heinously leaked from the team itself.
Washington is now without a general manager in the midst of free agency and a six weeks from the draft. Even worse, the Redskins publicly treated an employee with no respect. Whether or not McCloughan relapsed is immaterial here. He’s a human being, and he wasn’t treated like one by an owner — and organization — that showed its true colors.
2. Tony Romo still up for grabs
The Romo saga continues to drag on, with the Cowboys holding on to his rights in hopes of a trade. At this juncture, it appears only the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are realistic landing spots for the veteran, who hopes to make one more Super Bowl run before calling it quits.
Should neither Houston or Denver budge, Romo will be released and a small bidding war will begin. Romo should expect a contract that can be voided without much penalty after a year, with plenty of incentives in the pact.
3. David Gettleman really believes in Matt Kalil
Most NFL observers would conclude that Kalil was one of the worst starting offensive tackles in football last year. The former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings never developed, lending to his recent free agency. Yet, in a shocking twist, he was handsomely rewarded by the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina shelled out $55 million ($25M guaranteed) over five seasons, stunning most everyone. Kalil played only two games last year before needing hip surgery, but was bad through much of 2014 and 2015 as well. Of all the deals throughout the first 48 hours of free agency, this was the worst.
4. Sidney Jones has horrible luck
On Saturday, the University of Washington held its pro day for scouts. In a freak moment, cornerback Sidney Jones was backpedalling through a drill before crashing to the ground before leaving the field on a cart.
It’s since been confirmed that Jones will be out for the next six months with a torn Achilles, putting his first-round status in serious jeopardy. Hopefully Jones will come back at full strength. If I’m a general manager looking for a corner, I would still snatch Jones up in the second round. His talent is evident on tape.
A couple teams that should consider Jones include the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, all picked in the middle of each round.
5. Bengals make clear their plan to rebuild
Cincinnati is typically quiet during free agency, but it was especially dormant this year. Despite having $26.7 million in cap space, general manager/owner Mike Brown allowed tackle Andrew Whitworth and guard Kevin Zeitler to leave for larger paydays. While the aging Whitworth is understandable, letting a first-round pick in the 27-year-old Zeitler leave for a division rival is perplexing.
It’s hard to argue that the Bengals want to win in 2017. The roster now has ample holes, including a Swiss cheese offensive line in front of the immobile Andy Dalton. Don’t be surprised if this is the last season for Marvin Lewis on the sideline.
History lesson
In December 1980, NBC attempted something that many fans angrily clamor for today. With the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins playing at the Orange Bowl, the network broadcasted the contest without commentators. It was a one-time experiment that showcased the need for narration and analysis.
Parting shot
The 2013 NFL Draft continues to be a dumpster fire. During free agency, we saw the second-overall pick, Luke Joeckel, take a one-year deal with the Seahawks after flaming out in Jacksonville. Former Raiders selection (12th-overall) D.J. Hayden also moved on, signing with the Detroit Lions.
Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Chargers released D.J. Fluker, who failed at both guard and tackle after being selected eighth that year. The 10th pick, Chance Warmack, left the Titans for a flier with the Philadelphia Eagles, hoping to jump-start his career.
Of the top 20 picks that year, only Sheldon Richardson, Star Lotulelei, Ezekiel Ansah, Eric Reid and Kyle Long are stars. Eric Fisher has also developed into a quality left tackle for the Chiefs, but other than those six players, each of the other 14 range from total bust to middling.
Luckily for teams toward the top of this year’s draft, the pool is much deeper.