Biggest & Best Moves of the 2023 Off-Season (So Far)

 Now that we are about a week into the off-season officially beginning, it is time to go over some of the biggest moves that we have seen yet. The NFL landscape has already shifted greatly as contenders have reloaded and bottom feeders have loaded up. I am going to go over some of my favorite moves so far in the first week of FA and what they mean!

Dolphins trade a 2023 third-rounder, TE Hunter Long for CB Jalen Ramsey
MIA Grade: A
LAR Grade: C+

One of the biggest names we knew could be on the move this off-season was Jalen Ramsey, and it did not take long. The Rams traded the former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion to the Miami Dolphins for just a third-round pick and reserve TE Hunter Long. Obviously it isn't just the player you are moving/trading for and there is a contract attached (which was the kicker here). The Rams wanted to get off of Ramsey's albatross deal that has him PAID for the next two seasons while Miami is in win-now mode and likely just created the best CB duo in football with Ramsey and Xavien Howard. I see what the Rams were obviously trying to do here, but I still feel like they could have gotten more had they waited a little longer. Even with the big contract, a 3rd feels like nothing for a perennial All-Pro who is coming off of yet another 15+ PD season.

Giants trade for a 2023 third-rounder for TE Darren Waller
NYG Grade: A+
LV Grade: D

This was the most shocking move yet of the off-season. Ramsey may be a better player than Darren Waller, but no one saw a trade for him coming. TE is the position with the least elite players at it right now in football. It is just so hard to find a consistent elite threat at that spot. Waller is and has been one of the 3 or 4 perennial elite guys there, and he was on a fair contract for his skill with the Raiders. Out of the blue, they decided to move him to the Giants, and for a bag of chips. A third round pick is not worth an ELITE Tight End who is a match-up nightmare for pretty much every team in the league. What a move by the Giant front office. I'm not sure how they quietly maneuvered all of this, but man was it a good job. After securing QB Daniel Jones long-term, they were forced to try and get him some weapons so he can really win them games. What a beginning to doing so, snagging one of the best tight ends in football for him while giving up pretty much nothing. The Raiders on the other hand are a joke for this move. What are they trying to build. Cutting Derek Carr and now trading Waller suggests they are rebuilding, but then re-signing Josh Jacobs and adding Jimmy Garopollo would say otherwise. This team must be really content being stuck in purgatory. D move for them.

Seahawks sign DT Dre'Mont Jones to a 3-year/$51 million deal
Grade: A-

Under HC Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider, the Seahawks have been known for two things in the off-season: drafting against the consensus rankings, and spending nothing on outside FAs. Their philosophy has clearly changed in both regards since the trade of Russell Wilson. Last off-season Seattle had its best draft in years (due to picking players that were supposed to be drafted in their respective spots) and now this year, Seattle is super active in FA. Their first, and biggest, signing was none other then poaching another Bronco in 26 year old Dre'Mont Jones. Jones was within my top 10 FAs heading into FA and I thought he would command over $60 million on his new deal. While Seattle is paying him quite well, they got a steal in my opinion. 4-years/$51 million MAX. The defensive line of Seattle was why their defense struggled so mightily to end the season, and so they went out and got arguably the best D-lineman available. Jones is just 26 and also had 6.5 sacks in just 13 games last season. In Seattle's 3-4 scheme, Jones fits perfectly and is going to be a key cog for a team clearly in win-now mode!

Bengals sign OT Orlando Brown Jr. to a 4-year/$64 million deal
Grade: A

This might be THE best all-around move of FA. The Bengals know that offensive line has been their weak spot for some time now, and it clearly showed up in their narrow AFC Championship loss to KC. The Chiefs on the other hand in that game allowed ZERO sacks en route to victory, and then eventually a Super Bowl victory. Arguably their best O-lineman? Orlando Brown. The 26 year old tackle has been a key piece to the KC offense for multiple seasons now. With money to spend, the Bengals went out and stole him right from their rivals, and on a deal that isn't bad at all for them. For $16 million per year, the Bengals are getting a Pro Bowl edge protector for Joe Burrow to finally give him the time he needs to go deep. While doing this, they made their direct rivals worse. What a win-win move by Duke Tobin and the entire Cinncy front office.

Lions sign S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a 1-yr/$8 million deal
Grade: A+

We have all known the Lions are loading up for future success. The future is officially now after this deal came through on Sunday night. CGJ was my no. 4 ranked overall FA on the market, and it was a bit of a shock when he was not one of the first players to sign when FA opened. He took his time and has now landed in the Motor City with the Detroit Lions. What a STEAL for Detroit. Man are they already young and hungry, but they now added a 26 year old ball-hawking safety who led the entire league in INTs with 6 last season. Gardner-Johnson seemed on the brink of receiving a multi-year deal worth well over $10 million a season. Maybe the market was not willing to pay a premium even for an elite safety, but the Lions scoped it out and were able to steal him on such an affordable 1 year contract. The Lions have now made multiple splash additions in FA and are loaded with draft capital (including picks 6 and 18 in April's upcoming draft). I am still not quite sure how GM Brad Holmes pulled this deal off, but man, great job. 

Offensive Moves I liked:

RB Jamaal Williams → 3-yrs/$12 million to the Saints
RB Miles Sanders → 4-yrs/$25 million to the Panthers
WR Brandin Cooks → traded to the Cowboys
OT Mike McGlinchey → 5-yrs/$87 million to the Broncos
RB Rashaad Penny → 1-yr/$2 million to the Eagles

Here are 5 offensive moves I loved so far as well. Starting at the top, the Saint front office continues to put in work. Jamaal Williams is one of my favorite RBs in the NFL, and he proved a lot of people wrong in 2022 as he led the NFL with 17 rushing TDs. Williams is a big bruiser who can grind you down throughout a game. He will be an elite compliment to the elusive Alvin Kamara and also is one of the best locker room guys in the NFL. $4 million a year for him is such a steal by New Orleans. 

Another RB move I loved was Miles Sanders to Carolina. I predicted that move myself and it was cool to see it come to fruition. Sanders ran for over 1,200 yards in 2022 as a key cog in an elite Philly offense. The Panthers are building up a really nice offense and now they have their RB1 in Sanders to help out whatever rookie QB they start fresh with.

While I think Dallas should have traded for DeAndre Hopkins OR signed OBJ instead, landing Brandin Cooks via trade is not too shabby either. It was clear that the Cowboys needed another great WR opposite CeeDee Lamb after the way Dak Prescott sort of fell apart down the stretch last season. Cooks is not the flashy playmaker he once was, but man can he get open and is consistent. He is the perfect compliment to Lamb and Tony Pollard in the backfield. Dallas only had to part with late round picks for Cooks.

Other than Orlando Brown heading to the Bengals, my other favorite OL move so far was easily Mike McGlinchey to the Broncos. Sean Payton was not just going to come in and 'hope' he could fix everything. He has gotten right to work, and landed a massive upgrade at tackle in McGlinchey to help resurrect Russell Wilson's career. Sure, it is pricey, but I think it will prove to be a very worth it move in Denver.

Finally, I loved the Eagles swooping in and stealing Rashaad Penny away from Seattle. Penny has been oft injured in Seattle, but when he is healthy, boy is he good. He averages 6+ yards per carry which is literally Hall of Fame level if he was able to keep playing instead of always getting injured. For such a cheap price, the Eagles are getting insane high reward potential. With Sanders gone, the Eagles can rotate around a backfield of Kenneth Gainwell and Penny, with Hurts mixed in. Not having to be the feature back could really benefit the health of Penny, and with him running behind that OL, it could be dangerous. Never forget Penny's late 2021 tear when he was healthy...

Defensive Moves I liked:

CB Jamel Dean RE-SIGNS on a 4-yr/$52 million deal with the Buccaneers
S Vonn Bell → 3-yrs/$22 million to the Panthers
LB TJ Edwards → 3-yrs/$19.5 million to the Bears
LB David Long → 2-yrs/$11 million to the Dolphins
S Julian Love → 2-yrs/$12 million to the Seahawks

I'm not sure how the Bucs pulled it off for Jamel Dean. Everyone was bracing for Tampa to lose multiple starters in their secondary this off-season, Dean included. The 26 year old has been good enough to warrant a huge contract as his potential is off the charts and again, he is just 26. Yet, somehow, someway, the Bucs were able to retain him on a deal that will have him making just $13 million a season throughout his prime. What a deal for the Bucs as they now have Dean locked up for the future.

Vonn Bell was an underrated FA in this class that I liked a lot. He has been an unsung hero on the elite Bengal defense for the last three years now, and the Panthers clearly saw that as they got him on a nice deal. Bell has been the sort of chess piece safety who can shutdown opposing TEs. There are few DBs you can confidently put on TEs these days, but Bell is one of them. This was a major X-factor to add to a somewhat flat Panther D. This new front office is really building something in Carolina.

TJ Edwards was one of the most underrated yet crucial pieces on that vaunted Eagle defense that carried them to an NFC championship victory. He is just 26 years old and hitting his prime. He is a rangy LB who can do anything asked of him. The Bears are trying to load up on players who can flat out play ball, and he sure is one of those guys. For just over $6 million per season, they will be getting a dawg in the middle of their defensive unit. Ryan Poles stays winning.

Another great LB signing was ever so active Dolphins GM Chris Grier stealing away David Long from another AFC rival. Long is one of the most underrated LBs in all of football, and he too is under 30 and coming off of an elite season. While I do think he could stand to get a little better in pass coverage, this is an elite elite run defender and arguably the best blitzing LB in the sport. I was sure he was set to command $10+ million per season, but somehow the Dolphins talked him into just 5.5 for two seasons. The 'Fins just keep on improving, and with how good their offense did look at times last season, this could marry into an amazing overall team in 2023.

Finally, another deal that did not happen right out of the gate of FA, but a damn good one was Seattle bringing in former Giants' S Julian Love. Love is sort of a jack-of-all-trades DB. He does not have the prototypical size to be a starting outside CB in today's league, but he can certainly play there if needed. However, there isn't really a DB skill he is lacking at, and he is a great chess piece for Seattle to rotate around. Love is just 26 and Seattle now gets him for his total prime of the next two seasons at just $6 million per. The bigger part of this move is with Love in the fold, Seattle will now be able to play Jamal Adams down in the box more often, as an undersized LB and let him wreak havoc. Adams is designed for that role, and the addition of Love makes that more possible in Seattle's new look attacking 3-4 D. With Quandre Diggs, Adams, Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Ryan Neal, and now Love in the fold, the Legion of Boom days could be returning to the PNW.

Quick-hit other good moves: 
-Allen Lazard signing with Jets
-Dalton Schultz signing with Texans
-Tremaine Edmunds signing with Bears
-Jessie Bates signing with Falcons
-Jakobi Meyers signing with Raiders
-Cowboys trading for Stephon Gillmore
-Javon Hargrave signing with 49ers
-Byron Murphy signing with Vikings

-Azeez Al-Shaiir signing with Titans
-Mike Gesicki signing with Patriots
-Baker Mayfield signing with Buccaneers
-Mack Hollins signing with Falcons
-D'Onta Foreman signing with Bears
-Devin Bush signing with Seahawks
-Matt Gay signing with Colts
-Adam Thielen signing with Panthers
-Patrick Peterson signing with Steelers