NFL free agency instant grades: How did your team do?
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: B
The defining move of the offseason for the Cardinals was acquiring Hopkins for pennies on the dollar. Arizona should have followed it up with a better batch of moves.
Instead, they made questionable decisions like placing the transition tag on Kenyan Drake. Big deals for De’Vondre Campbell and Devon Kennard also pull this grade down. The Cardinals seem like an organization that’s lucked into a great deal and failed to capitalize on it.
Los Angeles Rams: C-
The Rams clearly don’t believe they have the roster talent required to make another Super Bowl run. Releasing Todd Gurley and shopping Brandin Cooks makes that very obvious. Letting Fowler leave in free agency also sends a clear message to the fan base that a rebuild is on the horizon.
Signing A’Shawn Robinson to a very modest deal is the saving grace of the offseason so far. That deal has to work hard to counteract the overpay on Leonard Williams’ one-year contract. Los Angeles needs to establish a better direction if they want this grade to rise.
San Francisco 49ers: C-
The deal to give up on Buckner is understandable, but it’s still a slight negative for the 49ers. Fortunately, they did manage to lock up Arik Armstead to a reasonable deal to solidify things on the defensive line.
Jimmie Ward is a good safety, but he’s not worth three years and $28.5 million. That still doesn’t grade out as a massive overpay. It’s a slightly below-average grade for San Francisco, but none of its signings will really hamstring it moving forward.
Seattle Seahawks: B+
The elephant in the room for the Seahawks is the status of Jadeveon Clowney. If they can re-sign the talented edge rusher, their grade will increase quickly. Even if that doesn’t happen, Seattle fans can be pleased with the team’s moves.
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Keeping Jarran Reed at a good price is an excellent piece of business. Bringing in Greg Olsen on a one-year deal is a terrific flier. Same goes for Bruce Irvin’s return to the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks are definitely loading up for a Super Bowl run. This free agency period should give Pete Carroll more talent and flexibility to work with.