Pretenders to Contenders; The NFL Free Agency Effect
At the beginning of every year, every NFL team feels they can win the Super bowl. Yet by midseason, we start to weed out the pretenders from the contenders. Then by the end of the regular season, you can tell who needs to change the most, who needs a little help, and who are one or two pieces away from dominance. Most years, the teams that are in the different categories change, but the overall categories never do. The new league year is the time for teams to improve and fix their most glaring needs in hopes of winning the Super bowl next year. This article will go over the top five teams that, after the initial wave of moves in the new league year, look to be contenders now. This list will change over the course of the offseason, but for now let’s look at the teams that were most aggressive from the outset.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is probably the most obvious choice in terms of candidates. The Buccaneers were a great passing team last season with Jameis Winston at the helm. The running game left something to be desired, but it wasn’t atrocious in the case of Ronald Jones. The defense was solid, and if they weren’t in such bad spots from the constant turnovers on offense, they may have been a top 10 unit by the end of the season. They had the number one run defense in the league according to Pro Football Focus. So this offseason they focused on retaining their own free agents and bringing in one huge name. They tagged the reigning sack leader in Shaquill Barrett, then re-signed Jason Pierre Paul. They then proceed to add the biggest name available, Tom Brady, who most people refer to as the G.O.A.T, believing this will be the addition that will change the team dynamic. He ended a near two-decade relationship with the New England Patriots after 17 playoff appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships. That experience and skill he brings is going to help improve the weapons already there, and add at least two to three wins in the win-loss column. The Buccaneers lost seven games by one score last season, and with Brady at the helm some of those losses should be changed to wins. Next year with these additions we will see the Buccaneers in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
2. Oakland Raiders
Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have decided that defense is the number one priority on this team. They started by adding two new linebackers in Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton, both of whom are excellent against the pass and can handle themselves well against the run. Instead of going for older veterans, they decide to set a foundation in the middle with some core guys. Next was bolstering the defensive line depth and add a potential starter in the secondary. Signing Carl Nassib from the Buccaneers now gives them a good defensive end rotation with Ferell and Crosby. Bringing in former first-rounder Eli Apple, who did well last season in New Orleans, to possibly pair up with Trayvon Mullen and a rookie corner from the draft to set a young core in the secondary. These moves were all to get younger, faster and more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. Understanding their biggest obstacle in the division is the Chiefs and they needed to find ways to slow them down. Now that the initial moves have helped the defense the draft can focus on the offense and fill out the rest of the roster. Armed with two first-round and a second-round pick they can load up on skill position talent to help this team get over the hump and make it back to the playoffs.
3. Cleveland Browns
The Browns are once again winning free agency with the recent roster moves. This year it wasn’t so much the names and amount of people that signed, but the quality of players. They obtained right tackle Jack Conklin for three years to anchor the right side of the line. This helps with one of their biggest flaws they had all last season which was protection on the edges. Next, they added in the best tight end of free agency in Austin Hooper and made him the highest-paid tight end in the league to either help or replace the injured David Njoku. If they keep them both, the 12 personnel for them are full of mismatches. A lineup with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry at receiver, Austin Hooper and David Njoku at tight end and either Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt in the backfield at running back is scary for any team next season. If they got Austin Hooper to replace him, then they still have a solid starter for Baker Mayfield to have as a security blanket. The additional signings of Case Keenum at quarterback, Karl Joseph at free safety and BJ Goodson at linebacker fill a few holes needed for the team. Keenum gives Mayfield a reliable veteran backup to help him grow. Joseph can be a potential safety to pair with Sheldrick Redwine in the backend of the secondary. Lastly, they start to fill some of the depth lost at the linebacker spot with Goodson after letting Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey walk this offseason. Now that they have a few glaring holes, it allows the team to be a bit more aggressive in getting the best player available in the draft. They still need a solid left tackle, but after that they can get whomever, and then add some depth before training camp. In a tough AFC conference, they can have a really good chance of at least getting that new seventh spot for the playoffs next year if they play their cards right.
4. Detroit Lions
This team may shock some of you, as the majority of their signings make them look like the baby brother of the Patriots on defense. The signings are all solid in terms of how Matt Patricia wants to build his team. Let’s start on the defensive side on the line. They signed two defensive tackles in Nick Williams and Danny Shelton. Danny Shelton is more of a run stuffer and Nick Williams is more of a pass rusher. These signings give them versatile pieces for every situation in the middle. Then, on the second level, you mix in Jamie Collins who had a bounce back year with the Pats last season after a few middling years with the Browns. Matt Patricia is hopeful Collins stays at his level from last year to get the best production out of him. If so, he can replace what they lost in former starting linebacker Devon Kennard and possibly more. Now the majority of moves came from the secondary in which there were two trades. One trade added talent, while the other jettisoned an All-Pro player. They traded a seventh-round selection for Duron Harmon to help in their three-safety sets. Then they traded away their number one corner in Darius Slay to the Eagles for a 3rd- and 5th-round selection.Smartly they couldn’t just trade their number one corner with no plan of succession, so they signed recently released Desmond Trufant to a two-year deal. Both moves were good for the team. Harmon knows Patricia’s system and can be a jack-of-all-trades safety, while Slay wanted out of Detroit and was also looking for a new deal. They gave him what he wanted and got something back in return. He will be the bridge gap between the old and new corners. Detroit should still look to get a corner high in the draft, and getting a guy like Jeff Okudah to pair with Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman in the slot would make for a nice trio there. You combine that with the solid safeties they have collected, and you have a good defense that should look more like the Patriots defense of old. Now on the offensive side, you can see that they are looking to be a more run-heavy, play-action team. They have good receivers on the outside, but in recent years focused more on adding tight ends, running backs and offense line help. This offseason they had to switch out right tackles to get the one they felt fit better. Signing the Eagles former swing tackle, Vaitai to a five-year deal that will pay him 50 million. He will help in the running game clearing lanes for Kerryon Johnson and another back they will probably grab in the draft. Then, for precautionary reasons, they signed Chase Daniel from the Bears to be the backup to Matthew Stafford. Stafford has been an iron man for a while now, but last year showed that without him, this team is in trouble. They tried to change that with this signing. With all the signing so far, this team is looking more solidified in its depth and starters and can look to shock a lot of people in the NFC.
5. Arizona Cardinals
Two words for you: DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals made one trade that basically changed the whole outlook of the offense. The Cardinals got rid of David Jonson, who they didn’t particularly like anymore, and then added a top-3 WR in his prime. You pair that move with retaining Kenyan Drake and the rest of the weapons already on the offense, and you make Kyler Murray dangerous. He already won OROY, but now with Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella, KeeSean Johnson, and Damiere Byrd you have too many weapons to protect against. There is no more double-teaming anyone. Not only did they change their offense with one signing, but they attacked the defensive side of the ball just as hard with minimum signings. They added two impact rushers on the defense to give Chandler Jones some much needed help, with new additions LB Devon Kennard and DT Jordan Phillips combining for 16.5 sacks last year. Additionally, they attack two different key parts of the line, one is an interior rusher and the other is more of an edge rusher, but can also put some pressure up the middle as well. After that, they finally gave another partner to Jordan Hicks and Haason Reddick in the form of DeVondre Campbell on a one year deal. The defense now only needs to help address the secondary to have that side reloaded for competitive play. The NFC West is a difficult division to get out of, but as long as they can at least 3rd in the division and have a 10-7 or 9-8 record overall, they have a chance to sneak in the playoffs.
All stats and roster information are according to ESPN.com. All trades and contract details are according to Bleacher Report.com.
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