A Deep Dive Into The Absolutely Bonkers NFL Offseason
Well, no lack of storylines here. Free agency has not disappointed and there have been plenty of moves to talk about. We’ve seen franchise icons get shipped out to places we never could have imagined them playing. Occasionally there are one or two blockbuster trades in an offseason, but the 2022 offseason has been something to behold. Is this the new normal in the NFL? Did Matthew Stafford start a trend that will continue? Let’s break it all down, and you may want to make come coffee to get through this one.
The First Domino
The first big trade of the offseason was Russell Wilson getting sent to the Broncos. The trade itself wasn’t the biggest surprise. Reports were out there that maybe his time with Seattle would be coming to an end. But, Denver wasn’t on anybody’s radar. Pairing the best deep ball thrower in the game with the Colorado altitude will make life very difficult for opposing teams.
Wilson joins an offense loaded with receiver talent with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler among others. Denver has the personnel to throw the ball all over the yard, and finally they have a quarterback who can make it happen. On the flipside, it looks like Seattle will have no choice but to draft a quarterback in the first round. Malik Willis should be a target for them since Drew Lock has shown he is not the answer in Denver, and likely won’t be in Seattle either.
Bengals Bolster The O-Line
Give credit to Cincinnati, they knew the offensive line needed to be addressed and they have paid good money to get it fixed. Guards Alex Cappa and Ted Karras were signed to a three and four year deal respectively, while right tackle La’el Collins was also signed to a three year deal. Karras can also play center, and it looks like that is where he’ll play for now. Cappa slides into the right guard spot, and Jackson Carman moves to the left side. This already looks so much better for Joe Burrow.
Wentz On The Move Again
Shock and surprise, Carson Wentz didn’t work for Indy. He was traded to Washington for two third round picks. Washington is making a huge mistake here. They would be better off drafting a quarterback in the first round. Wentz has shown he is not effective anymore, and he is not a good teammate. They are a quarterback away, but this isn’t the right quarterback.
Chargers All In On D
The Chargers traded for Khalil Mack and made JC Jackson a very rich man. Pairing Mack with Joey Bosa will mean trouble for the AFC West. Jackson is added to a secondary with good pieces already in place in Asante Samuel Jr, Derwin James, and Nasir Adderley. Sebastian Joseph-Day is also coming over from the Rams to bulk up the middle of the defensive line.
The Browns Are Doing…Something
It’s been a crazy few days in Cleveland. First they trade for Amari Cooper, then they cut Jarvis Landry, they get told they are out on Deshaun Watson, deny Baker Mayfield’s trade request, end up getting Waston and signing him to a fully guaranteed 230 million dollar contract, and now they want to trade Baker and bring back Landry.
Wow, just wow. Watson adds a lot to an offense that seemed out of whack pretty much all year. At this point, the Browns have no excuses. They should contend in the AFC North and push for a playoff spot.
Big Spending Jags
For the second offseason in a row, the Jaguars are fully invested in free agency by spending $260 million. The offense got a boost from the signings of Christian Kirk (who they vastly overpaid to get), Zay Jones, Evan Engram, and Brandon Scherff. The big additions of defense were corner Darious Williams from the Rams and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun from the Falcons. Williams alongside Shaquill Griffin should make a lethal corner tandem, and the Yale man Oluokun adds intelligence and skill the defense desperately needed. Defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi will add size upfront.
A lot of money was spent on defense during this offseason and the prior one, and this should be the year that they take the next step. Trevor Lawrence should have an easier time in year two with a better array of weapons in front of him, and a Super Bowl winning head coach in Doug Pederson who actually knows what he’s doing. I’ve heard that’s very helpful.
Colts Quarterback Carousel
The Colts are going to have a new starting quarterback for the fifth year in a row. This is not a recipe for winning football. If you want to call it a bright side, Matt Ryan will be the best of the bunch and he only cost a third round pick. Ryan can still throw the ball. The problem is he doesn’t have many receivers around him besides Michael Pittman. Zach Pascal was the de facto number two and he signed with Philly. Some fans think the Colts should reunite Julio Jones with his QB in Atlanta.
But, we can’t forget he was cut from the Titans for a reason, and it doesn’t look like he’s anywhere close to the level he used to be at. It’s surprising that the Colts have not been active in the trade or free agency market to get Ryan some help. They don’t have a lot of draft capital to work with either. Looking at the names on the depth chart after Pittman doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. T.Y Hilton is still out there, just saying.
The Falcon’s Lack Of A Plan
Okay, state of the Falcons right now:
Number one receiver Calvin Ridley is suspended for the season for betting on games, and there is no backup plan
Arguably the best QB in franchise history is now a Colt
One of the team’s best linebackers signed with the Jags
Missed out on Deshaun Watson, and because of that missed out on Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette
Had to sign Marcus Mariota who hasn’t been a starting quarterback in two years
The best offensive player on the roster right now is Cordarrelle Patterson
It’s not looking good in the ATL right now. On top of all this, the roster is in shambles and they have 40 million in dead money they can’t use because of the Matt Ryan trade, biggest dead cap hit in history. The Falcons need to hope they can build through the draft since they are not attracting many free agents.
Pats Standing Pat
This is a head scratcher. In a crazy offseason in which the AFC is now loaded, the Patriots are choosing not to do anything? It doesn’t make a lot of sense especially after they went on a shopping spree last offseason. There were plenty of ways to clear cap space, and they did free up some money by trading Shaq Mason to Tampa Bay.
New England let one of the best corners in football walk out the door in JC Jackson, and are telling other free agents that they can’t/won’t compete with other offers. I’m no expert, but telling NFL free agents to take it or leave it doesn’t seem like a great strategy.
The Raiders Make A Statement
The new regime picked a good way to endear themselves to the Black Hole. The Raiders traded for arguably the best receiver in football, Davante Adams. At Fresno State, he and Derek Carr had incredible chemistry in tow seasons together. Adams led the Mountain West in all of the major receiver statistics, and Carr led all of the major quarterback statistics. They also won the first ever Mountain West Championship game. Putting Adams on the same team with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller is going to be lethal.
Renfrow is one of the best slot receivers in football, and Waller is a top three tight end. In the past, the slot had been double covered in critical downs and Waller a lot of times got force fed the ball. Teams won’t be able to double cover anyone due to the risk of getting burned. The Raiders offense has officially become a matchup nightmare.
Miami Has A Vision
The Dolphins should now be the frontrunners to win the AFC East. New head Coach Mike McDaniel has come over from the Niners trying to recreate the Shannahan system. What makes that system go? A physical force upfront, a strong run game, elite playmaking receivers, and an accurate quarterback. Miami got faster, stronger, and more athletic on offense. The left side of the offensive line is in much better shape with Terron Armstead at left tackle and Connor Williams at left guard. Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson add a ton of speed along with Jaylen Waddle, Devante Parker, and Mike Gesicki (tight end) who are the incumbents in the offense. Hill as we all know is one of the best receivers in football.
If Raheem Mostert can stay healthy, he adds a lot of pop and downhill speed from the backfield as does Chase Edmonds. Edmonds is also a very good receiver. An underrated part of the San Francisco scheme is the fullback, and the Dolphins wasted no time bringing in Alec Ingold from the Raiders who has the exact same skill set as Kyle Juszczyk. Both are very athletic, capable pass catchers, and good blockers. Ingold has hurdled people in the past. Finally, we get to the quarterback. This is a make or break year for Tua. He was accurate in the 21-22 season completing 67.8% of his passes, and he’s completed 66.2% of his passes in his career thus far. Now it’s about taking that next step and putting this offense on his back. If he can’t, Teddy Bridgewater is next up and a new QB could be drafted in 2023.
All of this overshadows the fact that Tom Brady chose to retire from retirement after 40 days and is returning to Tampa Bay. More big trades are expected this offseason, and there will be more coverage if and when that happens.
Coming up:
Checking in on the new AFC West
Is the NFL fullback a dying breed?
Thinking out loud on the Baker Mayfield situation
The article on the best young NHL goalies/players is on hold for right now, I hope to get it out soon
Stay tuned folks!