As free agency starts to slow down, it’s time to take inventory of last week’s craziness. The moves were fast and furious (and perhaps a bit premature), as a few teams were extremely aggressive in pursuit of turning around their fortunes while others took to free agency with constraint. Here’s a look at where we stand after a week of free agency:
Chicago Bears
Key Losses:
WR Brandon Marshall
DI Stephen Paea
LB Lance Briggs
CB Charles Tillman
LB D.J. Williams
C Brian De la Puente
Key Re-Signings:
QB Jimmy Clausen
TE Dante Rosario
Key Additions:
ED Pernell McPhee
S Antrel Rolle
WR Eddie Royal
G Vladimir Ducasse
With new general manager Ryan Pace now in control, the Bears have started to make some significant changes. They went out of their way to trade away Brandon Marshall to the Jets for a late-round draft pick. Even though he earned a +0.0 pass grade last year, it’s tough to tell how much of that was attributed to being hurt, and he is just one season removed from a +15.3 pass grade that ranked fifth among wide receivers. They are also moving on from other veterans Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, and D.J. Williams, who combined to miss 51 games over the last two seasons.
Stephen Paea might be the biggest loss on defense at this point. He proved himself as a pass rusher last season, with his 8.7 Pass Rushing Productivity ranking fourth among interior defensive linemen. With schematic changes taking place with the arrival of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, it’s likely they did not see him as a fit in the system.
Pernell McPhee is the most impactful signing among their incoming free agent group. He played well in limited playing time during the first couple years of his career before really blossoming last season. Despite playing only 540 snaps, McPhee ranked behind only Justin Houston among 3-4 OLBs with a +26.0 overall grade. What makes him so special is his versatility. He has found success as a pass rusher regardless of his alignment and is capable of lining up anywhere from the defensive line between the tackles to a two-point stance anywhere in the box.
As for their other signings, Eddie Royal gives Chicago a vet in the slot while the Bears hope Antrel Rolle can help shore up the defense. However, Rolle is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, highlighted by his 17 missed tackles which were more than either Chris Conte or Major Wright in 2013.
The defense still has a lot of holes, but the addition of McPhee is a good start that will give Chicago some versatility in terms of personnel and alignments with their defensive fronts.
Detroit Lions
Key Losses:
DI Ndamukong Suh
DI Nick Fairley
HB Reggie Bush
DI C.J. Mosley
G Rob Sims
C Dominic Raiola
Key Re-Signings:
CB Rashean Mathis
S Isa Abdul-Quddus
ED George Johnson
LB Josh Bynes
K Matt Prater
Key Additions:
DI Haloti Ngata
DI Tyrunn Walker
Detroit lost more in free agency than any other NFC North team, specifically in the interior of its defensive line. With Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley heading elsewhere, defensive tackle went from arguably its biggest strength on defense to a large question mark.
The Lions were able to somewhat mitigate the loss of Suh and Fairley by trading for Haloti Ngata, who is coming off one of his best seasons in recent years with the Ravens. Ngata’s +18.4 overall grade ranked ninth among 3-4 defensive ends last year and every player ahead of him played at least 25% more snaps. The Lions also brought in Tyrunn Walker from New Orleans. Walker has played just 425 snaps over his three seasons, but he did earn positive grades as a pass rusher and in run defense last year.
Letting Reggie Bush go should not be much of a concern as Joique Bell and Theo Riddick have proven capable enough of handling the load for Detroit, if not even looking more impressive than Bush at times. The Lions will need to finally replace center Dominic Raiola. While Raiola was among the best at his position in 2013, his play took a significant dive last season at age 35.
The Lions were able to re-sign Rashean Mathis who remains a very good cover corner despite being the oldest cornerback currently on a roster. He had the 11th-highest coverage grade out of 108 cornerbacks last year and his 0.86 yards allowed per snap in coverage ranked seventh.
Green Bay Packers
Key Losses:
CB Tramon Williams
CB Davon House
LB A.J. Hawk
LB Brad Jones
DI Letroy Guion
WR Jarrett Boykin
HB DuJuan Harris
QB Matt Flynn
Key Re-Signings:
WR Randall Cobb
OT Bryan Bulaga
S Sean Richardson
OT Don Barclay
QB Scott Tolzien
Key Additions:
None
Green Bay’s strong belief in a draft-and-develop strategy and relative aversion to free agency can make for a slow March for Packers’ fans. Even though one barely needs two hands to count Ted Thompson’s outside signings during his tenure as general manager, this is a time where the Packers tend to take care of their own at a reasonable price. This year has been no different as Green Bay was able to re-sign Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga when both players reportedly turned down more money elsewhere. Cobb led all receivers with 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns when lined up in the slot and Bulaga finished with the fourth-highest overall grade among right tackles.
Cornerback as been one of the deepest positions for the Packers in recent years, but that depth has taken a significant hit with Tramon Williams and Davon House having signed with the Browns and Jaguars, respectively. Williams hasn’t quite been at the same level he was a few years ago, which could be why the Packers chose not to even offer him a contract, but he was still playing better than two-thirds of the cornerbacks in the league. They probably would have preferred to keep House, but he hasn’t shown anything special enough to demand the type of money that he signed for in Jacksonville.
The Packers cut both A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones after the season which leaves a significant void at inside linebacker. But both have struggled over the last few years and choice to move on is more of an ‘addition by subtraction’ decision.
With their lack of activity so far in free agency, they will likely have to address needs during May’s draft, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
Minnesota Vikings
Key Losses:
WR Greg Jennings
LB Jasper Brinkley
FB Jerome Felton
QB Matt Cassel
G Vladimir Ducasse
G Charles Johnson
Key Re-Signings:
DI Tom Johnson
G Joe Berger
OT Michael Harris
HB Matt Asiata
LS Cullen Loeffler
Key Additions:
WR Mike Wallace
HB DuJuan Harris
QB Shaun Hill
Just two years after signing Greg Jennings to a five-year contract, the Vikings parted ways and instead traded with the Dolphins for the younger, speedy Mike Wallace. Jennings did not perform up to the expectations set by the money in his contract, but the inconsistency at quarterback in 2013 and the first couple weeks of last year definitely did not help. The addition of Wallace gives the offense a wide receiver who can better stretch the field. However, his speed hasn’t necessarily translated into success on deep passes as he has just 12 receptions over the last two years on 60 targets 20-plus yards downfield.
The Vikings have not lost too much else in free agency. They essentially swapped out Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder for Shaun Hill as a backup quarterback. Jasper Brinkley helped in run defense but his limitations in coverage mostly kept him in a two-down role. Fullbacks are a dying breed in the league, but it will be interesting to see how the Vikings’ running backs do without Jerome Felton, who has been one of the better lead blockers the last three years.
Defensive tackle Tom Johnson is a good re-signing after he continued to play well last season as the Vikings expanded his role a bit. Joe Berger gives them depth along the offensive line but they are still in the market for a starting guard after finally moving on from Charlie Johnson. The re-signing of long snapper Cullen Loeffler is the most puzzling one as he had the lowest long snap accuracy in the league in 2014.
The Vikings still have some spots that could use some help, but they have been trying to build more through the draft anyways in recent years.
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