NFL Top 10: Free Agency Winners

This week, we’ll look at some teams that really bettered themselves through the NFL’s free agency process.  We’ll consider the value of contracts the teams spent on, but money is a secondary cost in the NFL these days.  With the salary cap so high, and with most teams just struggling to spend enough money to be in compliance with the NFL’s salary floor, it’s no longer really a drain on most teams to overpay for talent.  What absoutley does kill franchises is when they buy up other team’s bad players who simply can’t transition to their system, and that these players are going to cost them games upon games this upcoming season.  Let’s take a look at how teams did.

10. The Buffalo Bills
The Bills found a perfect time to get rid of Derrick Dockery’s albatross contract.  JP Losman is out, and he’ll be replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.  The key signing was C Geoff Hangartner, who was a damn good 6th lineman for the Panthers last year, and fills the gaping hole they’ve had at the Center position in Buffalo for the past 4 years with Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler.  Then they made the big splash: WR Terrell Owens, 6.5 million, one season.  Owens will man the No. 2 WR spot, and if he acts like a complementary receiver instead of an a-hole, the Bills figure to be playing in January.  This FA ranking is somewhat of a sliding scale depending on the outcome of the Jason Peters’ contract negotiations.

9.  The Kansas City Chiefs
There’s plenty of objective reasoning to think that Matt Cassel might not be the quarterback he appeared to be last year, and only time will tell if this move can pay off, but the bottom line is that the Chiefs brought him in for a well below market 2nd round pick, and wisely, they aren’t going to pay him like a franchise QB until he plays well for THEM.  Bobby Engram, even at 36, is a heck of a complimentary receiver to young Dwayne Bowe.  Now you look at the Chiefs offense, and you see Cassel throwing to Bowe, Engram, and the greatest-TE-to-ever-play, and all of a sudden, Chan Gailey could have a heck of an offense this year.

8.  The Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals expected to lose TJ Houshmandzadeh to Free Agency, but I don’t think anyone expected the team to replace him with a receiver at the same age with an even better track record, but that’s exactly what Lav Coles is.  They also re-signed a potential franchise RB in Cedric Benson at the price they wanted him at.  Currently, they are flirting with signing former Dallas S Roy Williams, who was overrated in that massive media market, but could be a fantastic role player with the small market Bengals.

7.  The Houston Texans
Antonio Smith may or may not be a scheme fit for the Texans, and I don’t think he’s quite the great end others make him out to be, but the Texans got him at a very good price, and he gives them even more options on how to use Mario Williams.  For a team that sports a very talented but injury prone QB, getting Dan Orlovsky to be the backup QB is a huge upgrade to the traded Sage Rosenfels, and Orlovsky is dollar for dollar the best signing of 2009 thus far.  WR David Anderson is now under a long term deal after the Texans matched an offer sheet for him.  People already expected the Texans to be a playoff contender next year, but now they have added reason.

6.  The New York Jets
The Jets spent a lot of money for Bart Scott, but why would HC Rex Ryan be wrong on him?  He only coached Scott for four seasons.  Jim Leonhard was a heck of a safety for the Ravens, who are already three deep on the depth chart at his position, so he could walk.  Cut G Brandon Moore, then got him right back at their price.  If having Brett Favre was good in any way, it was that they discovered that they had two or three receivers down the depth chart that made Lav Coles expendable.  Chansi Stucky and David Clowney will have expanded roles in the offense next year.

5.  The New Orleans Saints
The Saints were maybe the only team on this list who never made a splash.  They just quietly re-signed guys like Jonathon Vilma, Jon Stinchcomb, and Devery Henderson, who have been key contributors to past successes.  They’ve added super-blocker Dan Campbell via free agency to help with Jeremy Shockey’s lack of dependability.  Jabari Greer is a major landing in the secondary, making Mike McKensie expendable should the Saints release the rehabbing corner.  Darren Sharper gives instant credibility to the secondary.  Veteran DE Paul Spicer has plenty left in the tank, and helps to build a DL that is looking more and more like that of the Giants’ every day.

4.  The Seattle Seahawks
Ho-hum.  Landed the biggest offensive prize on offense, TJ Housh, on the first weekend of free agency.  Totally rebuilt the DL with names like Colin Cole and Cory Redding.  Traded still-productive LB Julian Peterson in the Redding deal, opening up a chance to get younger on defense.  Re-signed mammoth project T Ray Willis.  Set themselves up with no major needs on either side of the ball in the first round, to go best talent available.

3.  The Baltimore Ravens
Now we get to the teams who really dominated this offseason.  Extended the contract of some guy named ‘Ray Lewis.’   Made an aggressive play, and landed, CB Dominique Foxworth, who Atlanta did not expect to loose.  Cut multiple veteran injury-prone DBs.  Signed CB Chris Carr to complete the transformation of the cornerbacks from old to young.  Still have Terrell Suggs.  The very young, very talented offensive line got more experienced and even more talented when they plucked C Matt Birk from the Minnesota Vikings, replacing C Jason Brown, who got a crazy offer from the Rams.  Talking to Orlando Pace about providing some depth for the OL.  L.J. Smith is a nice complementary target for a team that already features Todd Heap and Quinn Sypennewski at TE.

2.  The Arizona Cardinals
The Cards needed one heck of an offseason to be considered the team to beat in the NFC next season, but they got everything they needed.  Kurt Warner will be back behind Center next year.  JJ Arrington is out, but RB Jason Wright brings the same skill set to the team.  DE Bertrand Berry is back under a one-year deal, and LB Karlos Dansby is also back as well, and he’s the leader on the defense.  They made a huge upgrade in the secondary when they replaced underachieving CB Eric Green with the Steelers’ top FA, CB Bryant McFadden.  McFadden, Rod Hood, and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie will combine to be a top pass stopping trio next year.  The Cards figure to be every bit as strong on defense as they were on offense this year.

1.  The New England Patriots
Seriously guys, you say the NFL is a copycat league, but no team does March better than the Patriots.  The Patriots got killed by the passing game last year as they missed Asante Samuel at corner.  So, they draw up some clever interest in Washington CB DeAngelo Hall, driving up his price.  The Redskins then ended up cutting the real prize of the Patriots, Shawn Springs (pictured above) who signed for three years.  CB Leigh Bodden came over for an incredibly reasonable one year deal, and a promise that the team won’t franchise tag him.  They resigned James Sanders at Safety, and now, the Pats have one of the very best secondaries in the AFC.  That wasn’t hard at all.  TE Chris Baker is a great pickup who will be finally used properly by Tom Brady after TE Ben Watson has been in decline.  Re-signed reserve DL Mike Wright, a key cog in the scheme.  Reportedly interested in FA Jason Taylor.  The Washington Redskins losses this offseason have all come back to benefit the Pats in one way or another.