The NFL offseason is one of the most exciting off-seasons in all of sports. With free-agency, trades, the combine, draft, and more, it's a very expecting time to be a football fan. Now that the draft is over, the off-season is over. There's nothing really left to do but wait for training camp this summer. Since the off-season is now over, we can look back and look at it as a whole. Although we can't fully and realistically grade it until after a few years when we see how everything turns out, we're going to do our best now. We're going to identify six teams that had a great off-season and four who didn't. Let's get started.
Great
6. Tennessee Titans- The biggest part of their success came from trading their #1 overall draft pick to Los Angeles for a bunch of other picks. Their biggest pick came at #8 (the Rams' original spot): T Jack Conklin. This was a great pick, as he was the best offensive-linemen still on the board (Ronnie Stanley was already drafted and Laremy Tunsil's character issues sent him sliding) and the Titans need to protect Marcus Mariota (who was injured last season), the man they see as their franchise QB. They also got defensive end Kevin Dodd from Clemson, who's got all the physical attributes to be a playmaker in the NFL, and Heisman winner Derrick Henry, who will give a much-needed spark to their run game.
They also resigned TE Delanie Walker, who was a big target for Mariota last season and one of the league's best. On top of that, they also signed WR Rishard Matthews (giving Mariota a new target), traded for RB DeMarco Murray (who should do better than he did last season with the Eagles), and got QB Matt Cassel (who will be a good backup in case Mariota goes down again).
All in all, a very productive offseason for the Titans. They won't be contending for the playoffs next season, but this is definitely a move in the right direction.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs flew under-the-radar a bit, but they still made a splash. Their defense was the real issue last season, so they focused on it in the draft. With a crop headlined by Vernon Hargreaves and Noah Spence, this is a solid draft class. Spence is a Round 1 talent but dropped because of character issues. Hargreaves meanwhile, has top ten talent. The 'Bucs also got kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round. While this move was subject to a lot of internet ridicule, Aguayo is an elite kicker in a league that now features longer extra points.
Their biggest free-agent move was resigning elite RB Doug Martin. They also further addressed their defense by adding CB Brent Grimes, who's an elite corner despite having some baggage (his wife), and DE Robert Ayers, who had a great season last year in New York. TB also picked up Seattle guard J.R. Sweezy.
The 'Bucs play in a tough division (Carolina, New Orleans, and Atlanta), so don't expect them to chase the division crown next year. Nonetheless, they did get a lot better this offseason. They should be making the playoffs within a few years.
4. Houston Texans- Yet another AFC South team to come out of the offseason stronger, the Texans added a bunch of offensive firepower in their quest to retain the division crown next season. After all, it was their defense (thanks to guys like J.J. Watt, Jonathan Joseph, Brian Cushing, and Vince Wilfork) that led them to the playoffs. The Texans had very little stability at the QB position last year, but they remedied that by landing one of the biggest free-agent targets: QB Brock Osweiler. They also got Lamar Miller, who was very productive for the Dolphins over the last few seasons. He should make up for losing Arian Foster (who was injured for most of last season anyways).
At the draft, Houston loaded up even more on offense. They used their first-round pick to trade up and get Notre Dame's Will Fuller. The Texans already have an elite WR1 in DeAndre Hopkins, but Fuller is a speedster who is great with the deep-ball. He and Osweiler should work well together. The Texans also drafted Fuller's teammate Nick Martin (one of the top ten o-linemen in the draft) and the incredibly athletic Braxton Miller.
By making significant improvements to their offense, the Texans have to be the favorites to win the AFC South next year.
3. Baltimore Ravens- Like Tampa, Baltimore quietly had a very good offseason. They used the sixth pick in the draft to get Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley, something that will hopefully help them forget about Kelechi Osmele. They also drafted the talented back Kenneth Dixon and Navy's Keenan Reynolds, someone who should make big plays and will be an upstanding guy in the locker room.
Along with Osmele, the Ravens also said goodbye to safety Will Hill. However, signing Eric Weddle away from SD is an upgrade. They also kept elite kicker Justin Tucker and receiver Kamar Aiken, who brokeout last season. They also added Mike Wallace from Minnesota and TE Ben Watson, who brokeout last season with the Saints.
As good as that all is, possibly the best news for Ravens fans is that Joe Flacco is coming back. Their franchise QB and former Super Bowl MVP missed a lot of playing time last year and having Jimmy Clausen just wasn't the same. With Flacco back, expect the Ravens to push for the playoffs.
2. Oakland Raiders- The Raiders had a fantastic offseason, starting with free agency. They signed Kelechi Osmele away from Baltimore. This is a huge coup, as Osmele is one of the league's best guards and is only 27. They also signed Seattle's Bruce Irwin, which should help the defense. Though the Raiders lost the legendary Charles Woodson to retirement, they signed safety Reggie Nelson and Sean Smith from the Chiefs, so the secondary looks strong. They also resigned Marquette King (one of the league's best punters) and OT Donald Penn, a very reliable player.
The Raiders further stocked up on their secondary options by drafting West Virginia safety Karl Joseph in the first round. They also drafted Shilique Calhoun from MSU (which will help ease the sting of Justin Tuck's retirement) and Calhoun's teammate Connor Cook. The Raiders already have a franchise QB in Derek Carr, but Cook should prove to be a reliable backup.
Thanks to a great offseason, the Raiders are actually playoff contenders next season.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Indianapolis better be worried, as every single team in their division had a strong offseason. However, Jacksonville unarguably had the best offseason of any team in the league. It all started when they signed DE Malik Jackson (one of the biggest free-agency prizes) away from the defending Super Bowl champs. The Jags also resigned talented TE Mercedes Lewis. They then bolstered their secondary by acquiring S Tashaun Gipson (one of the few bright spots in Cleveland last season) and the talented Prince Amukamara. To top it off, they nabbed RB Chris Ivory, who had a great season last year in New York.
As good as they were in free agency, they were even better in the draft. In fact, any draft expert will tell you Jacksonville had the best draft of anyone. It started off with them taking Jalen Ramsey with the fifth pick overall. Then, in the second round, they took Myles Jack of UCLA. With that, they managed to score arguably the two best defensive talents in the entire draft. They also drafted Sheldon Day of Notre Dame, another man who can contribute to the defense.
All in all, a fantastic offseason for Jacksonville. The possible cherry on top: their first-round pick in 2015 (Donte Fowler Jr.) is ready to go after missing all of last season due to injury. We could see Jacksonville making the playoffs this year.
Not so Great
4. New England Patriots- The Pats were handicapped by not having a first-round draft pick, but they didn't make it up anywhere else. If you had to sum up their draft in one word, it would be "disappointing". Their biggest pick was QB Jacoby Brissett at 91, a pick that makes absolutely no sense. Yes, Brady has been suspended for four games, but that's what Jimmy Garoppolo is there for. Brissett could have been picked up later, the 91 pick would have been better used getting a weapon for Brady. A lack of receivers was an issue last season, and while Malcolm Mitchell is talented (they got him with pick #112), he's not enough.
New England also failed to make a splash in free agency. The only notable FA they signed were Chris Long (who's past his prime) and Terrance Knighton (who actually may help). On top of that: nothing. They even lost WR Brandon LaFell to Cincy, contributing to their WR problems.
New England's obviously gunning for the Super Bowl, and they are contenders. However, there are teams talented than them, and they should have used this offseason to get better. Instead, they sat on their hands.
3. San Francisco 49ers- The 'Niners hired Chip Kelly (fresh off a contentious stint in Philly) as their new HC. While that move may ultimately work out, it's hard to see it as a huge positive right now. Their biggest offseason story revolved around QB Colin Kaepernick. It looks like Kap is their QB of the future, but things are not exactly off to a hot start. In free agency, San Fran was pretty much a dud. The only real star they got was Zane Beadles, a guard from Jacksonville.
The team also had trouble making an impact in the draft. The only real star they got was Oregon's DeForest Buckner, a defensive star. They traded up for a late first-round pick and essentially wasted it on G Joshua Garnett of Stanford. There were much better targets (including offensive-linemen) available, so this made absolutely no sense.
The 49ers will not be anywhere near the playoffs this season, especially since they play in a division with Arizona and Seattle. This offseason should have been a good step on the path to rebuilding, but it looks like their engine has stalled.
2. Seattle Seahawks- It all started going downhill when Marshawn Lynch, one of the league's true elite running backs, decided to retire. While Thomas Rawls proved himself a capable back last season, he's fairly unproven and has still not fully taken over Lynch's role. They did draft Notre Dame's C.J. Prosise and Alex Collins from Arkansas, so that should help a little bit. Unlike San Fran and NE, they actually had a decent draft. Their first-round pick (Germain Ifedi of Texas A&M) should start while Jarran Reed of Alabama will make an impact on the defense.
However, Seattle struggled in free agency. None of their new signings are worth talking about, and they lost two members of the o-line: J.R. Sweezy and Russell Okung. They also lost defender Brandon Mebane to San Diego.
The 'Hawks should have spent their offseason trying to make up the ground between them and Carolina (and Arizona), but they ultimately failed to make a huge impact.
1. Denver Broncos- Ask any football expert, and odds are they'll say Denver had one of the worst offseasons in the entire league. Their issues revolved around the QB position. Thanks to Peyton Manning retiring and Brock Osweiler signing with Houston, the Broncos had Mark Sanchez as their starter. No offense to Sanchez, but come on. They also lost key defenders Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson & guard Evan Mathis. They did get Russell Okung from Seattle, but made no other impactful free-agent signings.
The Broncos did draft Memphis QB Paxton Lynch in the first round, and he should be the starter. However, Lynch is unproven and it remains to be seen whether or not he will succeed in the NFL. The only other standout pick was Ute back Devontae Booker, who was a Heisman contender last season. He should be a good backup for C.J. Anderson.
The Broncos really have their work cut out for them defending their title, and this offseason really highlighted that.
Thanks for reading everyone.
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