NFL Free Agency and other moves
Good Moves: Surprised there are so many so early
– The Buccaneers signed DE Michael Johnson away from the Bengals for 5 years and $43 million. Lovie Smith needs a pass rusher opposite Adrian Clayborn and outside of Gerald McCoy and he got a good one in the 27 year old Johnson. He only had 3.5 sacks last year but he will bring the pressure and he’ll surpass that this year in Tampa.
– The Vikings reportedly signed DT Linval Joseph. Pairing Joseph inside with Sharrif Floyd is a fantastic idea. Mike Zimmer knows how to build a defense; from the inside out.
– Ravens resigned Eugene Monroe. Both of the Ravens OT’s (Monroe and Oher) are free agents and Monroe is the more important one because he is more talented and plays LT. Locking up the guy to protect your $100 million QB is great move.
– Arizona Cardinals sign LT Jared Veldheer from the Raiders. The Cardinals LT spot has been atrocious for a while and while Veldheer isn’t exactly a perennial Pro Bowler compared to the guys the Cardinals have been playing at LT he is Anthony Munoz.
– The Colts resigned Vontae Davis for a ton of money but he was an excellent CB for them last season and he allows Chuck Pagano to play the defense the way he wants to. The even better signing was grabbing the underrated DL Arthur Jones from the Ravens. Pagano coached Jones when he was with the Ravens and he knows he fits his scheme perfectly.
– The Bears have somewhat of a trade going on since they dumped DE Julius Peppers and signed DE Lamarr Houston from the Raiders. Houston is an under-the-radar player because the Raiders defense was terrible last year but Houston is a very good player and a whole lot younger than Peppers.
– The Eagles signed S Malcolm Jenkins and considering how abysmal the Eagles secondary was last year anything is an upgrade.
– Broncos grabbed S TJ Ward from the Browns and while a Super Bowl team taking players from the Browns doesn’t sound like a good idea Ward may be the exception. The Broncos got pushed around by the Seahawks and Ward will bring an attitude to them they didn’t have before.
– The Falcons signed nose tackle Paul Soliai and while he is already 30 years old he fits perfectly into their new 3-4 defense since they had no one on the roster that can play NT. They also signed DE Tyson Jackson another player that fits the three man front. OG Jon Asamoah was signed from the Chiefs and he will be a serious upgrade at guard for them and won’t cost nearly as much as the Jaguars spent on Zane Beadles (more on that later).
– 49ers signed S Antoine Bethea from the Colts to replace Donte Whitner and while Whitner is good Bethea brings better coverage skills.
– The Redskins are reportedly signing WR Andre Roberts from Arizona. Roberts isn’t a big name and his numbers suffered last year because Michael Floyd finally stepped up but Roberts is a nice slot receiver to pair with Pierre Garcon on the outside and Jordan Reed a TE; RGIII finally has some weapons.
Bad Moves: Not surprised at the teams making questionable moves
– The Oakland Raiders signed OL Roger Saffold to a 5 year $42.5 million for some strange reason. They are getting killed for giving Saffold more money than Eugene Monroe got from the Ravens since Saffold isn’t as good of a LT as Monroe and actually played better at guard last year. The also spent more on Saffold they their own starting LT last year (Veldheer) got from the Cardinals. It’s possible the Raiders plan on playing him at guard but that makes the contract even more ridiculous.
– The Jaguars gave Bronco’s OG Zane Beadles 5 years $30 million. Beadles is a nice guard and he may even make a Pro Bowl here or there but $6 million a year to a guard is over the top. Only the transcendent guards should make anywhere near that money. Guys like Logan Mankins and Alan Faneca back in the day.
– The Browns signed LB Karlos Dansby to a 4 year $24 million deal. Dansby is a terrific player but he’s 32 years old and I don’t think he’s going to magically transform the Browns into a contender in the next year or two. It’s not so much signing him that is bad it’s guaranteeing him $14 million when there is little chance he will be around when you might get good. I thought Dansby would leave the Cardinals to chase a ring but there was no way he could pass up that pay day.
– The Miami Dolphins finally ended the chase they started a year ago by signing OT Brandon Albert from the Chiefs. Last year the Dolphins tried desperately to trade for Albert after the Chiefs franchise tagged him but the teams couldn’t come to an agreement. Albert is a nice starting LT and to the Dolphins he is a godsend but they are going to pay him top 5 tackle money and Albert is not in that stratosphere.
Neutral Moves:
– The Cowboys cut DE DeMarcus Ware because he refused to restructure his deal and take a pay cut. Some people would say the Cowboys are stupid for losing their best defensive player but those people are wrong because LB Sean Lee is their best defensive player. Some people would say Ware is stupid to leave the Cowboys because he’s 31 years old and no one is going to pay him as much as the reduced salary the Cowboys would but they are wrong too. The Cowboys changed defenses last season and Ware did fine but he wasn’t his dominant self and he belongs in a 3-4 defense playing OLB. This divorce is best for both parties because the Cowboys need to move on and so does Ware. The Falcons are transitioning to a 3-4 and if they can find the room for Ware that is a match made in heaven. He doesn’t have many years left and the Falcons could make a quick rebound and contend this year.
– The 49ers traded a sixth round draft pick for QB Blaine Gabbert. It sucks for the Jaguars that Gabbert was a bust but at least they got a something out of him instead of cutting him for nothing. The 49ers give up a pick they would have used on a player that was highly unlikely to make their roster and they get to take a look at a young QB that poses absolutely no threat to Kaepernick but could develop into a solid back-up.
The Hott Read 