QB
The team that has done the most shuffling with QB's is the Cleveland Browns. With Mike Holmgren now in Cleveland, and a supposed change of offensive system, it was not a suprise to see that they bought in Seneca Wallace after releasing Derek Anderson. Anderson was struggling, and Wallace has been the backup QB in the Mike Holmgren system in Seattle for years. What happened with the other QB confused me though. The Browns then traded Brady Quinn to the Broncos (for next to nothing) and bought in the interception machine Jake Delhomme. Delhomme has struggled the past year or so, in a run first offence in Carolina. Do the Browns really think he will be reliable in the 'West Coast Offence' that they are looking to install? I feel that the Broncos have got a steal bringing in Brady Quinn. Quinn is young, and hasn't been impressive yet in the NFL, but there is definatley room for improvement. Behind Kyle Orton in Denver he will have time to develop, and in time may become a decent starter.
Derek Anderson was picked up by Arizona, and will compete with Matt Leinart for the starting job following Kurt Warners retirement. Former Chargers 3rd string QB Charlie Whitehurst was picked up by Seattle to replace Wallace. Other QB moves include David Carr to San Francisco to replace Sean Hill who was traded to the Lions. Washington pick up Rex Grossman (I think your job is safe Jason Campbell). The Rams picked up A.J Feeley, who may well be the backup to number 1 pick Sam Bradford - more to come later in the peice.
RB
The major name at the RB position to move was LaDanian Tomlinson. He spent a couple of days with the Minnesota Vikings, decided this wasn't where he wanted to play, therefore ended up with the Jets. Im slightly confused about this move also as the Jets released Thomas Jones to get L.T?? Really? I believe Thomas Jones has alot move to offer than L.T backing up Shonn Green in New York. Green is very young, and is yet to go through a full NFL season as a starter. Therefore there is a question whether his body can stand up to the constant pounding that takes place. If Green does get injured, I believe Jones would have been alot better to bring in than L.T. I believe this may be a bit of a publicity stunt - The leagues best rush attack brings in L.T. Sounds good on paper. Will it work??
Kansas City definatley gained from the Jets publicity stunt here as they picked up released Thomas Jones. I think that he is the perfect compliment to their very impressive young RB Jamal Charles. Also the Washington Redskins picked up former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson. Just one thing to say - Washington, What are you doing????
WR
The major talking point at this position was - Who are the Bengals going to get? Alot of people (including me and Ochocinco) wanted to see them bring in Terrell Owens. The Bengals had meetings with both T.O and former Buccaneer Antonio Bryant, and decided to go with Bryant. This is not a suprise to me as T.O and Ochocinco on the same team would have been great to watch, but could also be a very difficult situation to manage. Bryant though is a great talent, and will without doubt, improve the Bengals passing game. T.O is still avaliable.
The Baltimore Ravens were another team that needed WR help. They decided to trade draft picks to get former Cardinal Anquan Boldin. This is a great move. Boldin is very tough, and very talented, therefore he will fit right in , in Baltimore. The Steelers also re-tooled at the postition, bringing in Arnaz Battle and bringing back former player Antwaan Randle - El. Detriot, who have been active as you will see later, bought in Nate Burleson (from Seattle) and Brian Clark (from Tampa).
TE
Not much to report at this position really apart from the Patriots allow both Ben Watson (to Cleveland) and Chris Baker (to Seattle) to leave, before picking up former Titan Alge Crumpler. Not quite sure how much Crumpler has left, but the Pats have a great record with getting the best out of ageing players. Also something that could be of interest is the fact that the Bears bought in a blocking TE in the form of former Charger Brandon Manumaleuna. With the change of OC to a less pass to the TE system, could that be the end of Greg Olsen in Chicago??
OL
No major movement at this position. The Cardinals have bought in former Brown Rex Hadnot who is a good run blocker as the Cardinals look to become a more run oriented team. Bills bring in former Raider Cornell Green, Browns bring in Tony Pashos and the Chiefs bring in Casey Weigmann. All these moves are for depth more than improvement in my opinion. As is the addition of Richie Incognito in Miami.
DL
There are quite a few talking points at this position. The first I want to bring up is the signing of one of the top players in this free agency period - Julius Peppers, to the Chicago Bears. The Bears who don't have many draft picks this year have realised that they have holes, and that they would not be able to address these needs though the draft. Without doubt one of their major needs was either a DE or a OLB that could provide a pass rush. Peppers was the best avaliable, so the Bears went aggresivley after him. I like this move, as well as the one for RB Chester Taylor, and without doubt, the Bears will be a better team this year.
Another team in desparate need for a pass rush was the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have gone out and picked up Aaron Kampman. This is a great pickup for the Jags as Kampman willget after the opposing QB all day, he has a very high motor. Another move that I really like is the addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch to Detroit. Talk about getting after players that you want, the Lions turned up at Vanden Bosch's house at 12.01am, as soon as the free agency period began. This addition is very good for the team in the short term as regards to his production on the field, but I believe it will even better for the team in the long run. Vanden Bosch is a model proffesional. He prepares hiself very well for games, and his desire for success is amazing. These are traits that the struggling Lions are desparate to bring into their locker room. Also he will be a great role model for either Ndamukung Suh or Gerald McCoy - whichever DT that the Lions get with the number 2 pick in this years draft.
Another major talking point at this position is the addition of Fred Robbins to the St. Louis Rams. In my eyes the Rams wouldn't have added this player if they were going to draft a DT (Suh or McCoy) in the draft. Also the addition of probable backup QB A.J Feeley shows me that they re going to take QB Sam Bradford with that number 1 pick. The winner in all this? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who at 3 in the draft, will get either Suh or McCoy. Another D line I will be interested to see next year is the one of the Broncos. They have picked up DE's Justin Bannan (Ravens) and Jarvis Green (New England) as well as NT Jamal Williams (San Deigo).
LB
The major player at this position was Karlos Dansby. The Miami Dolphins had a major need at the ILB position and they went out and got the best player avaliable at that position. I was under the impression that the Phins would draft LB Rolando McClain with their 1st round pick, but this move may leave them open to address their other needs. This was a big loss for the Cardinals, who picked up Paris Lennon.
Other notable moves were Scott Fujita to the very active Browns and Larry Foote returning to the Steelers. The Steelers showing once again that its better to bring in players that you've had before.
CB
The major move at this position as far as free agency goes is Dunta Robinson to the Falcons. The Falcons had a huge need in the secondary, and really liked Robinson (they tried to sign him last year).
But the major move at this position was a trade. The New York Jets (active again) traded a 3rd round 2011 draft pick to the Chargers for Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie is a very good player, and what a combo now with him opposite probably the best CB in the league Derrell Revis. The Jets like to get alot of presure on the QB with thier front 7, and therefore have their CB's quite often in man to man coverage. Cromartie is obviously an upgrade, but it will be interesting to see how he will cope with the pressure of being opposite Revis. Most teams in the NFL realise that Revis is the best corner, so therefore don't tend to throw to his side. This means Cromartie is going to have alot more balls his way.
S
The major S move is Antrel Rolle to the Giants. This was a major need for the Giants and they went up against the Dolphins for his services. Rolle decided that New York was the place for him and he will definatley improve a secondary that was very poor last year, and as probably the reason the Giants didn't make the playoffs. Other moves include Nate Jones to the Broncos, Will Allen to the Steelers and Brodney Pool to the Jets.
So as you can see there has been some movement in the free agency period, although it has been reduced because of the CBA. There will be more though in the coming weeks, be sure to keep checking up as 'nflgbview' will report everything that you need to know. If you have any points or questions free agency related or just NFL related get in touch - email - nflgbview@googlemail.com, twitter - www.twitter.com/nflgbview, facebook - http://tinyurl.com/yaxmcsq or just leave a comment.
Starting tomorrow, in the run up to the draft, I will be previewing each team individually. Looking at their needs and options for the upcoming draft. Tomorrow I will be focusing on the St. Louis Rams, who hold the number 1 pick. Every day from now until the draft, I will take a look at another team.
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