Analyzing all 32 NFL teams after free agency signings
By Joe Romano
9- Buffalo Bills – CB Kevin Johnson | RB Frank Gore | C Mitch Morse | TE Tyler Kroft | WR John Brown & Cole Beasley | T Ty Nsekhe
The odds of Buffalo taking a center, running back or corner inside the top ten was small in the first place. What these signings do is allow the Bills to let the board fall to them. They have holes at edge rusher, wide receiver and tight end. Even with the addition of John Brown and Cole Beasley, they should be viewed as a piece of the puzzle not a solution.
A player like Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, or a number of pass rushers are in play. Nsekhe likely takes them out of the mix for drafting a tackle in the first round. The Bills are in a nice spot to get maximum value to continue to build on a roster with critical pieces already in place on both sides of the ball.
10- Denver Broncos – T Ja’Wuan James | CB Kareem Jackson
The Broncos entered the offseason with a big hole at offensive tackle opposite Garrett Boles. Ja’Wuan James fills that hole on paper, despite overpaying him as the highest paid right tackle. Corner was a quiet need opposite Chris Harris and Jackson will help.
Denver now has options with their pick. They could still take a quarterback if one falls to them but the Joe Flacco trade keeps them from getting desperate. Other options should include interior defensive line, linebacker or tight end.
11- Cincinnati Bengals – Re-signed T Bobby Hart
The Bengals really did very little in this period. Re-signing Hart keeps their tackle combination in place, despite Hart not being very good. Now Cincinnati can go in a ton of directions in the draft. They’ve constantly been linked to linebacker with the departure of Vontaze Burfict. Corner and tight end also should not be ruled out. With new head coach Zach Taylor in place, do not rule out the team going up and grabbing a quarterback to pair with their young former quarterback coach turned head coach.
12- Green Bay Packers – EDGE Za’Darius Smith | EDGE Preston Smith | S Adrian Amos | G Billy Turner
The Packers opened up the second day of free agency by grabbing underrated pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to go with former Bears safety Adrian Amos. This is a big get for the team desperate for help at edge position with Clay Matthews a free agent and Nick Perry looking like a cap casualty.
Amos is a great get at safety and completes a young secondary in Green Bay. Turner gives them depth inside and fills a hole along their already strong offensive line. This now opens the door to address tight end and receiver early in the draft. They have two first round picks thanks to a trade last year. Now they can still add an edge rusher to pair with the Smiths, a tight end or receiver to help build the team up as Aaron Rodgers is in the twilight of his career.
13- Miami Dolphins – Re-signed WR DeVante Parker
Miami, like Green Bay, has done very little in the early parts of free agency. They were able to retain their own former first round pick in Parker who gets another look with a new regime. They were linked to Trey Flowers given new coach Brian Flores’ ties to the Patriots. The Dolphins have plenty of holes to fill, including at quarterback. With Nick Foles and Tyrod off the board, it is expected that the team goes after Tyrod Taylor.
They are a team to watch in the first round attempting to trade up for a quarterback. Taylor and any other quarterback are a stop-gap at best. Losing Ja’Wuan James opens the door for them to take a tackle to pair with Laremy Tunsil if they do not love the draft’s quarterbacks. With holes at edge rusher, corner, and wide receiver, the Dolphins are in a tough spot.
14- Atlanta Falcons –
The Falcons are a team that has a roster in place they believe can win right away. That is a big reason they are staying out of the free agent hunt. They have very little money to work with and no glaring needs. Atlanta is looking at taking the best player available. If they were to highlight a hole on their roster it would be along the defensive line. The Falcons are a team to watch as they can go in a variety of ways in the draft given the state of their roster.
15- Washington Redskins – S Landon Collins | Trade for QB Case Keenum
The trade for Case Keenum does feel like it has the most impact on the NFL Draft for the Redskins. Keenum can be the stop-gap option at quarterback and makes the Redskins less desperate to get one in the draft. The Collins signing likely does little to the Redskins draft strategy. They will still be looking for help at corner, edge pass rusher and linebacker. Those, plus the receiver position after losing Jamison Crowder, are the top positions to watch when Washington is on the clock.
16- Carolina Panthers – C Matt Paradis
The Panthers offseason so far is more about who they’ve lost then who they have added. Linebacker Thomas Davis, defensive end Julius Peppers, wide receiver Devin Funchess, center Ryan Khalil and tackle Daryl Williams are all set to depart this offseason. Carolina needs to replace Williams and Khalil the most.
The signing of Paradis will be a direct replacement of Khalil and a bit of an upgrade for the now retired center. The other holes along the offensive line could cost Cam Newton even more time after a year in which he ended the season with an injury. Defensive end has been mocked most frequently to them in the first round and that makes sense given the depth of this end class and Panthers feeling set at tackle despite losing Williams with Matt Khalil and Taylor Moton. Their lone signing signals the front office is going to help Newton and the offense by building up the guys to protect them.