Each Team's BEST Move of the Off-Season
With the dog days of the NFL off-season upon us and not many more huge moves to be made (at least until the end of training camp for the most part), we thought today would be a great day to go back and examine what each team did this off-season. We are going to be naming each team's best move of the off-season and why.
In somewhat of a strange off-season for the Arizona Cardinals, their clearcut best move was trading for the 24 year old stud receiver from Baltimore. When you trade for a young wideout with production under his belt and years ahead of him, it's always a great thing, but there was more to this move. Brown was Cardinal QB Kyler Murray's top target in college and the two of them will be reunited in the desert. Furthermore, DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first 6 games of the season and the team lost Christian Kirk in FA, leaving them with a major hole at receiver at least while Hopkins is gone. By trading their late first round pick for Brown, the Cards will still have a WR1 for Murray with Hopkins out and when he returns, Brown will slot in as one of the best WR2s in football. A great move to help satisfy their disgruntled star QB.
San Francisco 49ers: Signing CB Charvarius Ward
To be honest, the Niners had a pretty lackluster off-season. With some of these teams, it's a tough call on what their single best move was, for the Niners, this was really the only move I liked. The 26 year old corner who picked off 2 passes last year and deflected 10 more was not cheap (3-yrs/$40M) but will be worth every penny for SF who is in dire need of CB help. Ward should likely step in as their CB1 right away and hope to take another jump as he's in the midst of his prime. This was an under the radar big time move from the Niners that I liked, but aside from that, there wasn't much else to write home about this off-season in the Bay area.
Los Angeles Rams: Signing LB Bobby Wagner
The Rams had an eventful off-season following their Super Bowl victory. I liked a bunch of their moves, but their best had to have been bringing in longtime Seahawk Bobby Wagner. I like this move on a lot of levels. While they did overpay for him a tad (5-yrs/$50M) for a 31 year old, he is going to be a major contributor this season. Wagner racked up a whopping 170 tackles last season and showed that he still has it going on. LB was probably the weakest spot on this roster and they just sured it up with a future hall of famer. To add to this, they also stole him from their division rival Seahawks which probably feels all the better for them. WR Allen Robinson coming to town was another move that deserves great recognition.
Seattle Seahawks: Drafting OT Charles Cross (#9 overall)
The Seahawks obvious had a crazy off-season, and while I initially didn't like any bit of the Wilson trade for them, I'm coming around slowly but surely. With one of the first rounders they acquired in the trade, they selected Mississippi State left tackle Charles Cross. I loved this pick for them. Seattle has been notorious for reaching on players in the draft and it rarely works out for them. That was not the case this time as they stuck to the script and got the best player on the board in Cross (who was projected to go even higher than 9). Cross is an elite OT prospect as one of the best pure pass protectors I've ever seen. For a team that is just trying to retool and build up an offense for a year before dropping in a highly touted rookie in 2023, Cross was the perfect fit. He will be a franchise cornerstone on that OL and was a smash hit pick.
Denver Broncos: Trading for QB Russell Wilson
We just talked about Seattle, now we talk about Russell Wilson's NEW team in the Denver Broncos. This was by far and away their obvious best move of the year and honestly of the freakin' decade! For a team that has seen 15 different starting QBs in the last 10 years alone, this is a welcome addition. Wilson is one of the best and most consistent QBs in the NFL and has been for the past decade. He will be the focal point of an offensive team (opposed to a defense and run game first team in Seattle). HC Nathaniel Hackett is all for letting Russ cook, and now Denver is a Super Bowl threat because of this move. Sure, they gave up a lot, but they are now one of the very best rosters in the league and will be for the next few years minimum because of it.
Aside from the move which I really did not like for obvious reasons of trading star WR Tyreek Hill to Miami, the Chiefs have had a solid/good off-season. The move I liked the most for them was their aggressive play to move up in the mid first-round of the draft to secure Washington CB Trent McDuffie. I was super high on McDuffie going into the draft and felt like he was pretty much a lock to go in the top 15. I'm sure the Chiefs did too and so when he was still on the board at no. 21 they had to pull the trigger and move up. KC has been so great on offense for years as we all know, but their secondary has been an issue for some time now and held them back from winning even more. McDuffie is going to change that. While undersized, he makes up for it with everything else. He's sneaky fast and so technically sound in coverage. He is going to be elite for KC. Definitely their best move of the off-season, though I did also like them drafting WR Skyy Moore.
Los Angeles Chargers: Signing CB JC Jackson
Despite the flurry of big-time moves the Chargers made this off-season, none feels like it is going to be more impactful than swiping one of the league's best corners from New England to spearhead their new look defense. Jackson was the best corner in football last season and potentially even the year before that too. At just 26 years old, he is really just entering his prime. We've never really seen a guy who is so highly regarded at his position and at this age actually hit the open market, so we thought the deal he would sign would be game-changing. While he did get paid well, he's not even going to be making $20 million a year. The Chargers got a top 3 CB in the league who is just 26 years old and for an absolute STEAL! I have the Chargers as the best team in the loaded AFC West going into next season, and the addition of JC Jackson is a major reason why.
Las Vegas Raiders: Trading for WR Davante Adams
Another one of the biggest moves of the off-season was when the Raiders shockingly were able to acquire the multi-time All-Pro wideout Davante Adams from the Packers. It seemed as if Adams was going to be in Green Bay for the long haul after he was franchise tagged by the team and Aaron Rodgers re-upped his deal, but that was far from the truth as just weeks later, the Packers sent him to Vegas for a package of draft picks. This is a game-changing move for the Raiders. Sure, their offense was already ascending towards the end of last season, but this is just going to amplify that. Derek Carr and Adams played together at Fresno State and are now reunited. This is a move that is sure to raise their win total in 2022.
New York Giants: Drafting OT Evan Neal (#7 overall)
While I do think that their other first rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux (#5 overall) was the better player than Evan Neal, I cannot make the case that he is going to be a more important add than Neal. The Giants have had one of the worst offensive lines in football for a few years now and it has given Daniel Jones no chance to develop into anything. I don't think he's the answer but the team will never know for sure until they give him a fair chance. Neal gives them that chance. They have Andrew Thomas at one tackle spot but now they have their other tackle spot ensured for the future. Neal felt like a steal at 8 to me as he's so good in both aspects of blocking already. Even if the Giants suck again this year, they found their other starting tackle of the future.
I did not like this off-season for Dallas. They pretty much only lost talent rather than gaining any. Still, I did like their second round pick a lot. Edge rusher Sam Williams from Ole Miss is going to be an impact pick from day 1. He's a pass rushing specialist, and while he's not much aside from that, he wasn't drafted to be anything else. Dallas already has a ferocious pass rush group with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence leading the way, but now they add in another pure rusher like Williams who will flourish alongside the others. I could genuinely see Williams with 10+ sacks in year 1.
Washington Commanders: Trading for QB Carson Wentz
Many like to say that this was a terrible move for Washington and possibly their worst of the off-season, but I see it completely different. I do not understand all of the Carson Wentz slander. He is underrated. Everyone just remembers his one terrible game which happened to be the final game of the season. People seem to forget he threw 27 TDs to just 7 picks! C'mon! Wentz is an above average QB at worst and elite at best. Washington had nothing at the position and now has a guy who gives them a chance to contend for the playoffs. I loved this move for Washington, especially for the price of not even having to give up a first.
Philadelphia Eagles: Trading for WR AJ Brown
Man! How do I choose just one?! The Eagles had arguably the best off-season of any team in the NFL, making the choice of just their single best move pretty tough to make. My favorite move of them all was their robbery of former Titan star WR AJ Brown. The Eagles didn't even have to give up the farm to get one of the best wideouts in the NFL, just a mid first-rounder on draft night. Brown is going to instantly slot in as this team's bonafide WR1 and give Jalen Hurts an unreal 1-2 punch at receiver with Brown and Devonta Smith. The Eagles made a bevy of great moves, but their best and biggest had to be this one for the Pro Bowl WR.
Many expected the Patriots to make a big-time move for a star WR like Adams or Brown this off-season. While they didn't go all in like that, they still reeled in a pretty good wideout via trade. Devante Parker is one of the more underrated pass catchers in the league and the Patriots were able to get him for just a third round pick. Parker does have some injury concern, but when he is on the field, there is no denying how good he can be. The 6'3 receiver went for over 1,200 yards and 9 TDs in his last fully healthy season two years ago. Mac Jones now has his go-to-guy which is a big deal for the Patriots.
Miami Dolphins: Signing OT Terron Armstead
Just like the Eagles, the Dolphins were another major winner of the 2022 off-season. I know their biggest move was obviously trading for superstar WR Tyreek Hill. I'm not saying this was a bad move by any means, but I don't think it was their best overall. I'm still not sure about his fit on an offense that doesn't go deep very often. For a team that is trying to build up their third-year QB Tua Tagovailoa, getting a cornerstone, All-Pro level blindside protector is a major deal, and that's what they got with Terron Armstead. It was not cheap (5-yrs/$75M), but it is going to be worth every penny. Armstead is one of, if not the BEST pass blockers in the league. The Dolphins had an atrocious offensive line last season but went to great depths to pretty much fully revamp it this off-season. The crown jewel of that movement was grabbing the Pro Bowl OT Terron Armstead which easily stands out to me as the team's top move.
New York Jets: Drafting CB Sauce Gardner (#4 overall)
The Jets came into the off-season looking to get better anywhere they could. They applied that philosophy to the draft as well when they took the best player on the board at #4 which was Cincinnati CB Sauce Gardner. Gardner was my personal #1 player in the class and he is about to prove why next season. Gardner is one of the best CB prospects we've seen as he's got it all (length, speed, coverage, instincts) and didn't allow a single TD in his entire college career. Robert Saleh and the Jets are rumored to want to play a much more aggressive style of defense this season, and they are going to be able to do that with an island type corner in Gardner there to account for a team's top WR. In a great off-season, adding Sauce was the best thing they could have done.
I expected the Bills to go out and bring in some kind of superstar edge rushing talent this off-season, I did not expect it to be at the price they settled for. While I think this was and will be a great move for Buffalo in the short-term (hence why I'm saying it was their best move of the off-season) they may regret it in the future. Von Miller is still one of the better pass rushers in the league even though he's well over 30, but the Bills just gave him a 6-yr/$120 M deal. That is insane money. That is what the best and youngest rushers in the game are getting. There is a less than 1% chance that Miller will play out that 6 year deal that would see him making $20 million at age 39. I think this deal instantly boosts the Bills SB chances for the next two years big time which is why it's great for THIS off-season, but I can't be all in on this move just due to how it may hurt them in future years. Making this commitment essentially means they NEED to win a Super Bowl soon, or they will be rebuilding with nothing to show for it in the near future...
Green Bay Packers: Extending QB Aaron Rodgers
While this off-season did not go to plan, there was still some positive for the Packers. There were rumors upon rumors upon rumors all season long about how this was probably it for the multi-time MVP in Green Bay. However, right at the beginning of the off-season, the team brass figured it out with Rodgers and extended him on a 3-yr/$150M deal to keep him in Wisconsin for the foreseeable future. While obviously the mood was dampened by Davante Adams working his way out of town, this squad lives and dies by their future hall of fame QB. Money-wise, they may have had to decide between the two, and Rodgers was the clear answer. Getting his commitment to stay is huge for this team as they are a major Super Bowl contender any year he's under center.
Detroit Lions: Drafting EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (#2 overall)
This move was determined by luck and pretty much not skill, but the fact that Detroit ended up with Hutchinson in the draft was big-time and was probably their best move in years. Aidan Hutchinson felt like the consensus best rusher in the 2022 draft class but the Jaguars got cute and selected Georgia's Travon Walker no. 1 overall which led the Lions to rush the card up in record time to make Hutchinson the face of their franchise. This kid was almost the second defensive player in HISTORY to win Heisman (coming in 2nd in the voting this past season). If that doesn't say something about the kind of skill and production he will bring to Detroit's defense then I don't know what does. This was an amazing move for the Lions, though it was pretty lucky they were even able to.
If I were to rank team off-seasons, I'd probably have the Bears at no. 32. They really just didn't have a good off-season at all. They made a questionable hire at HC. They didn't really add any game-changing talent. They reached on a lot of draft picks. There was literally a singular move by them that I liked which was drafting Tennessee WR Velus Jones in the third round. I was high on Jones coming into the draft. I thought he would go in the second round but he fell to the third due to probably his age (oldest player in the class at 25). While that isn't great, the player is. Jones is lightning quick and so so agile. He reminds me of two 49ers wide receivers. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. Those are two really good wideouts who are impossible to bring down in the open field. While the pressure will be on Jones to produce right out of the gate due to his age, I think he will. Justin Fields is going to love having a talent like this on his offense. This was a good pick, even if it's under the radar. Easily their best move of the off-season IMO.
Minnesota Vikings: Drafting CB Andrew Booth Jr. (#42 overall)
The Vikings had an up and down off-season that saw them ultimately get better in the end. I liked a few of the moves they made quite a bit, but the best in my opinion had to be them selecting Clemson CB Andrew Booth in the early second round. A move of theirs I didn't like was trading down from #12 to #32 in the first round but with that trade they were then able to work their way back up for pick #42 which they used to take Booth. I was mad about them trading down in the first because the whole world knows they needed to get a young CB with high upside. Their secondary is their weakpoint and they needed to start building it up. I thought Booth was a lock to be a first round pick and so they essentially lost the chance to draft him. Somehow he fell to the second round and that was when the Vikings were able to come back up and secure their CB1 of the future. He won't be right away, but this is a super instinctive player who played against some of the best talent in college every year and has proven how good he can be. AJ Terrell and him are similar players and played together at Clemson, it's safe to say Terrell panned out. Booth is next up!
The Bengals were another major winner of the off-season and so picking just a single top move wasn't easy, but I ultimately landed on their best signing at their most important spot. Everyone and their mother knew that the Bengals had one thing they had to do this off-season: FIX UP THE O-LINE! And they did. Amongst other signings for the line was former Dallas tackle La'El Collins. The 28 year old had been one of the better young OL in football for Big D but has had some injury issues. If he stays healthy, this move is an absolute steal for Cinncy. Collins signed a 3-yr/$21M deal with the Bengals which again, is tremendous value for a player just entering his prime and is one of the better young tackles in the sport. Joe Burrow is going to have all the time in the world all of the sudden to throw the ball.
Baltimore Ravens: Drafting S Kyle Hamilton (#14 overall)
I'm not quite sure how every single year the Ravens get some major steal in the draft. There is always a stud prospect who falls and the Ravens feel like they are the team there to scoop that player up about 95% of the time. That was the case with Notre Dame chess piece defender Kyle Hamilton who is heading to Baltimore. The Ravens sort of cleaned house at Safety this off-season and now will be starting the 6'4 DB along with big-ticket FA signing Marcus Williams. Hamilton is going to dominate in the Ravens' defensive scheme. They are so good at moving players around and working them into spots that set them up for success against opposing offenses. Hamilton is going to play center-fielder back deep, he's going to play in the box, he's going to rush. Think of Jamal Adams or Derwin James. The Ravens just got a guy who can do what they do, and could wind up being BETTER than both...
Cleveland Browns: Trading for QB Deshaun Watson
This was an obvious one. The Browns have finally done it. After over 30 painful years of searching, they have OFFICIALLY found their franchise QB. Watson is just 26 years old and already one of the best QBs in the entire league. The Browns have a Super Bowl caliber roster around him and will be hungry to win and win now. While it cost them the farm in draft capital, it feels bound to be well worth it as the Browns again have an unreal roster around him that is ready to go all the way. This was one of the best moves of the entire off-season, so it easily tops the list for the Browns. Their best move in awhile, maybe ever! (Pending legal/suspension situation...)
I was quite surprised when the Jags let go of stud young LB Myles Jack at the beginning of the off-season. I was even more shocked when the Steelers were able to reel him in on a steal of a contract (just $16M over 2 years). Somehow this signing has seemed to go under the radar amongst all of the craziness we've seen this off-season, but this was a great move. The Steelers already have one of the best defenses in football which is a major advantage when they play anyone, but this move will actually go the extra mile and make it EVEN better. Jack is a tackle machine (100+ in 3 of the last 4 years) and also is an A+ run defender. Pairing him with talented youngster Devin Bush just makes the Steelers that much harder to gameplan for. While a lot of people might say that drafting QB Kenny Pickett this off-season was their best move, I think it was the under the radar signing of Myles Jack!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trading for OG Shaq Mason
The Buccaneers had an eventful off-season to say the least. While there were so many candidates for their 'best move' of the off-season, none were better than the trade for Shaq Mason. The Bucs had to give up just a 5th round selection to acquire the multi-time Pro Bowl guard who is just 28 years old and probably has at least 7 high quality seasons left in the tank. Furthermore, he played with Tom Brady in New England for years which just makes this acquisition to replace the departed Alex Kappa even better. This was such awesome value for the Bucs to bring in such a great player. Easily one of the best moves of the entire off-season, not just for Tampa.
Carolina Panthers: Drafting QB Matt Corral (#94 overall)
It felt like Carolina was doomed to be stuck with Sam Darnold at QB for another season when the team failed to land Deshaun Watson or even Baker Mayfield. The team then had to swallow their pride again when they made the right call drafting OT Ikem Ekwonu with the 7th pick in the draft. They knew it was the right pick but it hurt to pass on QB. Then, they received a big break from the football gods. Somehow late first round QB talent Matt Corral from Ole Miss fell all the way to the third round. The Panthers swung a deal and moved up to draft him. While there is no guarantee that he will be anything, at least the Panthers will have another option other then Darnold. Corral is an intriguing prospect with a lot of potential and him falling to the third might have saved HC Matt Rhule's job if he's able to win them some games.
The Saints were very involved in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, and while they did not land him, they were wise to re-sign former Pro Bowl QB Jameis Winston. Winston in New Orleans might be one of the most underrated QBs in the NFL right now. Pre-injury last year the Saints were rolling with Winston and he was playing some of the best football of his career. The Saints had a great off-season, building up the team around him and now look set to be a major playoff contender in 2022-23 with him under center. This was a great move and the Saints' best of the off-season, even if there were some flashier adds like Tyrann Mathieu and/or Chris Olave.
Atlanta Falcons: Drafting LB Troy Andersen (#58 overall)
While the Falcons made a lot of big-time picks of big-name players, I thought their best pick and furthermore their best MOVE of the off-season was drafting Montana State LB Troy Andersen in the late second round. Andersen was one of the most underrated talents in the entire class this past draft and the Falcons were wise to take him. This team is nowhere near contending and so bringing in high upside players to develop and then eventually become great when this team is in a better state is very smart. Andersen is exactly that. He was one of the best overall athletes in the class and also wildly versatile. He will be a missile all over that defense and is also a former RB and QB. For a team that has needs all over, getting such a versatile athlete had to have been their best move, especially with the rebuild in mind.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Signing OG Brandon Scherff
The Jags were one of the most active teams in the league this off-season. They had the first pick in the draft along with many other picks and also were the biggest spenders of anyone in the league. After all of this, their single best move had to be locking up former All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff. With offensive HC Doug Pederson in the fold and this franchise trying to build around wonderkid QB Trevor Lawrence, getting a surefire pass protector on the interior like Scherff was an amazing move. While it wasn't cheap (3-yrs/$50M) it will be well worth it for a team that is looking like they are on the ups.
Tennessee had a pretty bad off-season in my opinion. For a team that was the no. 1 seed in the AFC a season ago and needs to ADD talent to make that next step, they took a major step...backwards. For whatever reason they thought they should lowball AJ Brown in contract negotiations (a top 3 player on their team). This obviously didn't end well as Brown was ultimately shipped to the Eagles on draft night in a rash decision which saw Tennessee not get a good haul back (in my opinion). The ONE move of theirs I liked a lot this off-season was their selection of QB Malik Willis in the third round. Willis was widely regarded as the top QB prospect in the class and a surefire first-rounder. Teams were scared by his low level of competition he faced at Liberty causing a slide to round 3 where the Titans traded up to secure him. While Ryan Tannehill is their clearcut starting QB this season and probably next year as well, the value was simply too good for them to pass on with Willis there in round 3. He is a major developmental prospect that has all the upside in the world if coached up. He can sit behind Tannehill for a year or two and then the Titans could have a Lamar Jackson type player on their hands. Imagine trying to defend that AND Derrick Henry. I loved this move for them.
Indianapolis Colts: Trading for QB Matt Ryan
Just like Carson Wentz, I'm a lot higher on Matt Ryan than most. While he certainly is up there in age (37 years old), he still has a bit left in the tank. He was playing with literally nothing around him last year in Atlanta which caused a down year statistically. With the Colts having a gaping hole at QB after trading Wentz to Washington for a few mid-round picks, they then turned around and flipped a singular one of those picks for Ryan. Matt Ryan gives the Colts a sure thing at QB. It's been years since they've had that. Ryan gives them a consistent, clutch, veteran presence at the position that is going to be a gamechanger. Pairing Ryan's skill up with HC Frank Reich's smarts is going to be a thing of beauty. The Colts also will be surrounding Ryan with a great supporting cast of multiple All-Pros on offense along with some budding stars. This was such a great move and it pushes the Colts from a wildcard team to a Super Bowl contender in my opinion.
Houston Texans: Trading QB Deshaun Watson to the Browns
To end off this article, we are mentioning the other side of the one of the other moves. The Deshaun Watson trade was a win/win (for now at least) for both parties involved. The Texans feel like they may already have their next QB of the future on roster in Davis Mills who was pretty promising as a rookie last year and so Watson was sort of just sitting there putting a dark cloud over this franchise. For a guy who was never going to play another down for them, they got one of the biggest hauls in NFL history. Three 1st-round picks, one 3rd-round pick, and one 4th-round pick. This team is obviously in a rebuild, but now they are going to have multiple firsts for each of the next two seasons (along with having multiple in the 2022 draft). If Mills turns out to be the guy, the Texans are set up beautifully to build up a major contender within the next few years around him using all of those picks. This was an amazing move for the Texans and probably their best in franchise HISTORY, not just this off-season!
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