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The temps are rising and summer is soon upon us- which means it's that time of the year when we wrap up the NFL off-season noise and prepare for the coming season to arrive on the gridiron. This off-season was action packed and LOUD on the noise meter. Several big time roster changes; money talks; and an epic Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Just pure noise. I have a few grades to give out. A few teams to call out- as well as some love to show as I grade the offseason and give some quick hits. Let's roll.
This year's free agency got active. Real active. Several teams came to ball- including playoff losers; cap bums; and rebuilders. With it being Stanley Cup season, you know I need to use some puck lingo: allow me to introduce my 3 Stars of the NFL Free Agency. A few teams did fairly little- but a handful stood out with positive results, making it difficult to choose a clear cut 3. Some may be mad or disagree- so what.
Rodgers departure from Green Bay had the NFC North ready to revamp knowing the reigns to the division is anyone's to take. Detroit and Chicago stole the show in a big way. Bears' GM Ryan Poles had his obvious splash during the beginning of FA when he flipped the number 1 pick to Carolina for DJ Moore and some day 1 picks including the 9th that he swapped over to Philly to add a 4th rounder to his hand. Poles was steady on the pedal as he continued his waves in free agency adding Tremaine Edmunds & T.J. Edwards to give the Bears a solid duo at LB. Can't forget the duo of Urlacher and Briggs in Chicago... adding Edmunds and Edwards should have Bears' fans excited with how their defense will look going into camp. Bears also added several depth players for good buck. I really liked Chicago's free agency. They kept very active and I believe found some real solid additions in part of not having any big time departures.
Detroit saw the Bears' activity & wanted to join the fray. Boy, did they do that. Brad Holmes hoisted his sword and went to work as he added some big players statistically from last year to fill some big gaps on D with the likes of CB Cameron Sutton; CB Emmanuel Moseley; and S CJ Gardner-Johnson. Sutton is a major pick up- absolute fabulous choice to get a consistent performer on buck instead of over-paying. Sutton seems to improve every year & now gets another chance to make big time impact for a rising squad. Moseley can tackle and has proved that he can be a solid piece for a contending team. CGJ is proving to be a top safety in the league, as he multiplied his game with Philly last year- being a ferocious ball hawk with great pursuit skills and pop despite his size. CJ is a player any team wants. Awesome pick up for Detroit- getting him on a prove it year for just some slim coin. CGJ fits the Campbell led Detroit locker room & culture so well. The gem of the CGJ pick up is that the Lions now can have a top tier player at a position to test prior to keeping them long term. Who knows- Detroit might love Gardner-Johnson & be the ones to pay him. I like the move a lot. The move for RB David Montgomery was great. Takin' away Jamaal Williams league high 17 rushin' toudys and his elite level leadership was an immediate setback. The addition of Montgomery should take away some of the smoke from that departure, and right away. I love all of Detroit's moves as they make a statement that they are now finally ready to be a contender again in the NFC. Bravo, Mr. Holmes, Get that nasty Quinn hoodoo out of the Lions' culture.
Some may have that Rock eyebrow hittin' my way for having the Texans as a Star here for the free agency winners- but they did everything the franchise needed to do with what they had to spend. Houston had a wonderful free agency and added players who have experience that can bolster the play in Houston off the bat; and more importantly; they brought in defensive players and veterans that fit perfectly with DeMeco Ryans and his new culture in Houston. No crazy big "house-hold" or fantasy names. No massive contracts. Just pieces to fill holes. Leaders to help elevate the new crop that has been drafted (big crop). Houston elevated the defense adding veteran S Jimmie Ward & veteran DT Sheldon Rankins. Top that off with some young risers who have had a fair share of production; with the additions of edge rusher Chase Winovich and hard nosed DT Hassan Ridgeway. The cherry on top was adding Shaq Mason; Dalton Schultz; and RB Devin Singletary to the offense. You casuals don't have the understanding- but these guys are all great moves when you consider what Houston had to work with. Stellar job by that front office. A very-very RARE dub. I am happy for those hardcore Texans' fans. The potential is finally realistic with DeMeco at the helm on the field- and a progressed front office on the top floor.
What are the Falcons smokin' down there in The A? Once I speak positive gratitude to a Falcons' offseason move- they go and do something outlandish that changes my energy. Then they have a good move. Then another head scratcher. A damn rollercoaster they are ridin' in Atlanta- I'll tell ya. Despite the price- I like the Jessie Bates III addition. Loved it. Bates is stellar at safety. Over-pay? They all are. It's a great move. Not only filled a hole- but you got a defensive anchor. Offensively- they sh** the bed. Straight up. You believing in Ridder; in my opinion; is already a rollin' the dice kind of mindset. Whatever. Ridder is your plan, cool. So you need to get weapons then, right? Progress your skill positions like your rival; Carolina did knowing they were to draft Bryce Young? So you do that by adding Scotty Miller and Mack Hollins? To be your 2-3!? Cmon, man! Ridder will be sacked play after play. The offensive line is atrocious- and Jake Matthews isn't holding that whole line down himself. Adding TE Jonnu Smith isn't a terrible move- back to the rollercoaster. They didn't do a damn thing at offensive line. Splash type of thing. There was a few gems sittin' there and they decide to stick to the draft, again. Should have gotten Orlando Brown or Shaq Mason. Then they get to the draft and spend the top 10 pick on Bijan Robinson? I predicted them to do it with the visits, but it's a silly move! No degrade to Robinson- he should be a stud. I also get their drift as Atlanta's success in the past has had two backs in the picture when you think of Dunn-Duckett & Turner-Freeman, but the Falcons just had far more important positions to handle with the 8th pick. Getting another RB at 8 a year after having a rookie surpass over 1K yards on the ground is ok when you don't have a weak o-line and aren't trying to find/develop a stable starting QB. Just a roller-coaster type of offseason from that front office. Let's see how it pans out for them. Maybe I am being over critical. Maybe Robinson & Allgeier turn into a monster duo that takes control of the offense. Wishful thinking- I would have liked to see them get some o-lineman aid and WRs. I predict the Panthers to keep them in the basement with the Bucs.
Every once in awhile- a franchise will face an off-season they just know is going to hurt. You can't pay everyone. Salary Cap always comes around. Players always looking for the bag. It's a business. The Bengals and Eagles came face to face with that fight this off-season. Both teams have been contending; building their teams with a win now type of mindset. Bengals fell short again in the NFL Playoffs and are now forced to face the reality they might lose or pay several of the pillars that have made them a top 4 AFC team in the past few years since the arrival of Joe Burrow. They lost their star S Jessie Bates III to Atlanta as well as their other starting safety, Vonn Bell to Carolina- who has been a pillar for that defense for his leadership and tenacity. Two big blows. They didn't have the cap to match and keep those guys. The looming extensions for Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins isn't helping the cause either. Bengals knew they had to get smart. They couldn't afford to sit back and do nothing. They already feel that they are looking up at the Chiefs and Bills- and need to keep this window open for as long as they can, knowing Burrow will be a major expense. Bengals need to capitalize on his tenure as they are so close to winning their first title. They are trying to do just that- as they found a way to bring in OT Orlando Brown. A monster addition knowing they are bare at o-line and considering their cap issues. Brown is a big splash for them as Burrow has been eaten alive by pass rushers since entering the league. Cincy didn't fold to the punches- found a way to stay in the hunt and continue to keep their championship window open.
Philadelphia also gets some major love for what they have done while facing the same issues- that were probably even more difficult than what Cincy faced. Eagles had over 20 free agents- including some big time pieces from a team that was a touchdown away from being Super Bowl champs last season. 20 free agents while facing difficult cap issues and knowing they had to extend Jalen Hurts. They felt some pain right away- losing DT Javon Hargrave (SF) & RB Miles Sanders (CAR) due to not having the funds to match their big bags. Two big blows- as both players were pivotal pieces to Philadelphia's success the past 3 seasons. The pain didn't stop there. Eagles took a huge dent in the LB room losing two of their starting LBs T.J. Edwards (CHI) & Kyzir White (ARI). The Eagles lost a ton of talent right away- giving everyone around the league and fans the idea to write them off and say the championship window has closed as Darius Slay and James Bradberry seemed like sure fire bets to pack up as well. Howie Roseman wasn't going to let anyone else leave as he negotiated and brought back his veteran pillars in Bradberry; Slay; Cox; Graham; and Jason Kelce. The window is closed comments lit a fire under Roseman. Howie fixed some holes that were created as he completely eliminated the Sanders departure with adding Rashaad Penny and D'Andre Swift to keep the offensive attack in line with their success; system; and Jalen Hurts. Roseman also added CB Greedy Williams & LB Nicholas Morrow to fill some departed holes with experienced talent who can tackle and make plays on third down. Good additions for the buck they had left after Slay and Bradberry. Unfortunately, Philly couldn't keep CJ Gardner-Johnson around after he tested FA from the OG offer that Philly had offered him. Big losses no doubt- but Roseman had an incredible off-season to try and limit the hurt while still keeping a championship window open in Philadelphia.
Hey Rams, it's an off-season not hibernation- ya know? What an awful off-season by Les Snead and his staff. Like, ouch. LA went all out trading draft capital for big time players in 2021. Now we are seeing them burn that all down. They trade Jalen Ramsey to Miami for a whole lotta nothin': 3rd rounder and TE Hunter Long. Hunter Long is the only addition besides the draft, that the Rams had added. They have lost Leonard Floyd; Bobby Wagner; Taylor Rapp; and Allen Robinson. Adding nothing in the process. Did not replace any of those players. They went on airplane mode and said do not disturb. Literally. What a dumpster fire. The draft was meh as most of their picks have obvious question marks as they need development. I am shocked Aaron Donald didn't go all Aaron Rodgers. Rams have a lot going on- as we don't even know what kind of Matthew Stafford will show up this season. They got a player who could barely move a gliding window; a depleted defense on paper; and they have a front office that has completely eliminated the chances of the Rams being a top contender in a flip of a switch. Snap of the finger. Wake up LA, or that multi-billion dollar stadium is going to only have crickets; Bud Light; and Stetson Bennett.
Wow, was this year's NFL Draft nuts. Being live on the ground; up close to the podium; amongst the masses in Kansas City was a special feeling. What a special event- and KC showed out. Several teams made splashes. We see the common reaches and idiotic judgement as always- but this year showed some real stoners, though. By stoners- I'm talkin 'chises & GMs that had stones and put their balls on the table. I saw some major GM play in this year's draft. My three draft stars: Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; and Seattle. (HM: Giants & Lions).
Pittsburgh honestly couldn't have done things any better regarding their draft selections. They addressed their needs with what I think was the best scouting of anyone in the draft. No reaches. Not only did they not reach- but they may have found some diamonds in the rough: especially when you consider the selection they found them in. Trading up and snatchin' Georgia's OT Broderick Jones was a money move. He has that Steelers mold. Fantastic designation for Jones. Like another one of my draft stars, they stayed with that Georgia taste, as they grabbed a major TE prospect in Darnell Washington in the 3rd round. Big time upside. Some wanted him off the board on day one. Loved those two picks. My favorite Pittsburgh pick? You guessed it- Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. at 32. It's not because of black and yellow being his daddy's stripes. That's badass, though. The pick is my favorite because of his upside. I think he can be one of the best defensive players from this draft- as well as one of the best selections overall when his career is all done and finished. This cat is going to make a major impact for Pittsburgh. Excellent pick. Porter Jr. is exactly what that defense needs. Very excited to see the Steelers draft pay out in the league. A few of their picks will make immediate impact. Bravo, Pittsburgh.
Most of the success illustrated off of Howie Roseman's offseason, happened during the draft. Especially on night one- when he made a splash; moving up to select Georgia's stud d-lineman: Jalen Carter. Character issues? Possibly. Philadelphia is the best spot for Carter to land to eliminate those concerns, and quickly. Jordan Davis kept Carter in line when they shared time together at Georgia. Not just keeping Jalen in line- Jordan and Jalen had special chemistry on and off the field as they built a brotherhood from the Gridiron. Expect them to continue that chemistry in the trenches for Philly. Let's not forget: Carter gets to begin his career under the wings of Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham as well. Excellent risk and reward pick for Howie. Roseman really got in his bag some more- when he landed another possible Georgia gem in edge rusher Nolan Smith at 30. First Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis last season- now they grab Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith in this year's first round. Roseman wasn't done barkin' as he drafted Georgia CB Kelee Ringo in round 4. All of Howie's picks have some great upside. Seems the Jalen Reagor disaster of a pick may have formed a new found Howie Roseman when it comes to drafting. Let's see how his picks pan out, first. Nonetheless, masterclass of a draft from Roseman and his staff.
Seattle was a tough take over Detroit's draft, as well as the Giants. Seahawks just had some picks that really grabbed my attention. I LOVE the Devon Witherspoon pick at 5. Witherspoon I believe will be an absolute STUD of a CB in the NFL. So much upside. Great selection for the Seahawks. They need their ballhawks in Seattle, man. LOB set the tone- now it's only right they keep the narrative. What a duo they have again at corner in Seattle. Tariq Woolen I believe will only get better as he had a stellar rookie campaign. Witherspoon alongside of Woolen gives Seattle one of the top duos at corner in all of football. Both players are ready for the elite and will shape themselves into elite form in quick time. Great selections back to back- Woolen being in the fifth round last year. Seattle kept the foot on the gas as they drafted, who most believe was the best all around receiving talent in the draft: Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba. People of course are going to hate on Geno Smith and claim his season; last season; was a fluke. Seattle has set him up for the chance to prove the haters wrong again. Tyler Lockett; DK Metcalf; and Smith-Njigba is a damn good trio at wideout. Like, damn good. We still have to see Smith-Njigba prove NFL capability- but he has the skill set to continue this new wave of Buckeye wide receivers who actually pan out in the league. Seattle kept their stellar draft going all the way to the end- as they made great picks to fill holes that became obvious in the playoff loss last season. Seattle wants to be considered a major contender in the NFC- they had a draft that might help that be a reality. Time to develop. Time to see if these picks can turn into diamonds.
I once again see many bust amongst the top 5-6 QBs in this year's draft class. Need to know- not all of my opinions are based off the player's skill sets/potential. These NFL coaches just can't develop. The higher percentage- can't develop. Sorry that fate will soon come into fruition for Bryce Young (1-CAR) and CJ Stroud (2-HOU). No chance they can be top signal callers in this league. No chance they don't bust out. You can hear my smoke on the draft special coming on the Pod. Here is a quick take on my QB Sleeper and Tough Sledder:
Anthony Richardson is doomed going to Indy. The man is doomed. Terrible landing spot. I started to get pretty high on Richardson going into the draft. Stellar pro day. Stellar combine. Stellar frame and solid arm. Anthony's attitude and charisma makes me believe he can pan out in the league- Indy will take all that confidence away. Especially, if they start him week one. If Richardson starts week one- he doesn't make the full season. It's real tough sleddin' for Richardson in my opinion. If Carolina took him at 1- believe it or not I think he would pan out in that situation. Not in Indy. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I will be wrong. I sure was wrong on Zach Wilson, huh? We shall see. I'm not puttin' any chips in on this hand.
I have two sleepers. I really like Hendon Hooker going to Detroit. Didn't see the pick coming- but, immediately I had intrigue for it. Great pick. Hooker has real upside. Excellent frame. Elite size mixed with elite agility and awareness. Hooker has a strong football mind and does well at switching off his targets. I LOVE this pick for Detroit, as well as for Hooker. We know his age, so what? It's actually a positive thing, Lions' fans. Hooker isn't Brandon Weeden, okay. Hooker comes into a situation similar to Patrick Mahomes. Quite frankly- I see a similiar result. Not saying Hooker is going to be a Patrick Mahomes. Not saying that. Hooker is getting the same chance to be elite, though. Coming into a role of backing up Jared Goff and learning from Goff in your rookie season is damn lucky. Goff and Alex Smith are very similar in a sense. One comparison that is in stone: both have good football IQ and have been deep in the playoffs. Golden opportunity for Hooker. Detroit if this goes right- could land the keys in Hooker's lap when he is ready to be the guy and when the team is ready for him to get them over that hump. Will Levis in Tennessee is also a sleeper for me. The cat has some sling. Levis release is NFL made. He hits on the short and mid with velocity and accuracy. Levis looks great thus far in camp. When I watch him throw- I see a NFL caliber starter & possible franchise QB. There is some upside there. Like I noted though- these coaches can't develop. Let's see if they can develop Levis in Tennessee. I like him being behind Tannehill. We have seen Tennessee not be able to coach Tannehill's flaws, flaws that you may see in Levis off the bat. Hard to be all in on it. But I will place a bet. Very interesting situation to see pan out. I think Levis can shine & being made a joke during day 1 of the draft may have fueled his fire.
People aka casuals, are very critical of the Lions' off-season and draft selections. I would like them all to just be quiet. Look- when Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes likes a player; they like a player. They have no issue getting a guy earlier then when they could have gotten them. Holmes was obviously extremely high on RB Jahmyr Gibbs and felt other teams may have been as well- so he pulled the trigger early. Didn't want to risk it. Bijan Robinson going top 10- easily could have had other teams wanting to grab Gibbs in the teens. They had a guy- and got that guy. The guy has some real upside too. It's not a bad pick. I for one- thought Swift was a star in the making. But health issues are real. Detroit wanted to roll some dice. The draft is a game of luck at this point, peeps. Let's be real. Holmes and co are ready to hit the casino anytime the gate is open. That's how they roll. When you have a franchise that only sees the bottom- it's a fair game to play. They did the same with the 18th overall pick- as they swooped in and took hard nosed Iowa LB Jack Campbell, early. Jack Campbell could have still went before 34. Detroit simply was not willing to let that happen. Campbell goes into Detroit and makes an immediate impact. I think Campbell has the opportunity to be a pillar in Detroit on that defense- having a long career there. It's a great pick. Fits the mold. Early? Yes. Reach? No. Then they get Iowa TE Sam LaPorta at 34 & Alabama DB Brian Branch at 45!? Awesome picks, Holmes. Let the haters talk. I think the Lions got some major rewards from the risk. Bravo.
I gave my 3 stars for the draft and free agency in parts. Now allow me to give my 3 stars overall from the entire off-season: Houston; Detroit; and the New York Giants. Oh, I can hear the outrage already. Sorry, those are the three stars. Outstanding off-seasons by all three franchises as they prepare to finally join the table of the winner's circle- well for NYG it's finally joining back in.
This is new territory for Houston and Detroit. There has never been a time that we looked at an off-season and noticed the Texans and Lions as big winners. At last- they had a winning off-season, making splashes, and building true foundations to become winning 'chises. The hire of DeMeco Ryans at head coach for Houston was fantastic. Awesome hire. They immediately went to work on giving him a better roster; better cap structure; and a winning draft for Ryans' and his staff to develop. I never thought it would happen in Houston. Nick Caserio seemed as if he was going down the same road as Bill O'Brien- then did a full 360 in this off-season. Houston is desperately trying to show that they aren't the worse expansion team amongst the big 4: this offseason should help them get out of the clown's basement.
Let's give a standing O to Detroit and Brad Holmes. I won't be a broken record and sound like Lions fans right now by saying they are the next champions- but what a spot they have climbed into. A possible real contender in the NFC again. Having Lions' fans feelin' like its '93. You can't blame the fans' excitement. Holmes and Campbell are building a special culture in The D- special culture that could turn into a winning culture. Active during free agency- getting immediate impact performers for small buck & draft risk and reward play that will bolster the roster and the morale in the locker room. An absolute dub of an off-season. Hats off to Brad Holmes.
The Giants had a great off-season in their own right. The Daniel Jones contract is meh. Let's be real though, what else are they going to do at QB with how the rest of their roster currently plays out? New York can win some games and be a contender this year in the NFC. Daniel Jones IS NOT worth that kind of money; but, let's look at the rest of the QBs in the NFL and consider the fact that coaches can't develop rookie QBs: the QB depth is so weak in today's NFL. The top QBs in the NFC list is hilarious to put together. Stud college QBs can't last. Are you really going to find a better fill than Daniel Jones right now? Without trading all your assets? The contract is silly- but you have to roll with Jones... for now. If coaches can't win without a top 3 QB then they shouldn't be coaching. It's a 53 dressed player per team league. I have seen several lackluster QBs hold up the Lombardi as starters. It's a team sport. Learn how to build a team. That's what New York is doing- and they are doing a good job at it. They continued to build their roster, adding some big time players to bolster it. Giants added star TE Darren Waller; WR Parris Campbell; and WR Jamison Crowder to their receiving corps, giving Daniel Jones more weapons to work with. CB Amari Oruwariye & LB Bobby Okereke are great additions to Brian Daboll's defense. I loved their draft. They played the best available board and found some quality players I believe Daboll and his staff can develop well. Just a exceptional off-season for the Giants. Nothing off the walls- but nothing negative either outside of the guaranteed money going to Daniel Jones. They didn't max out Barkley. They didn't have any brutal departures and again- they didn't make any outlandish moves. Built the roster more and stayed true to their budget. A star in this off-season. Bravo to all three GMs.
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