8/6/09
Each year, many free agents sign large deals that line their wallets.
Some of those players have an immediate impact on the teams that
sign them. Others have no impact at all. We take a look at each
team’s free agent comings and goings in this series.
In part 3 of this series, we look at the AFC East and NFC East
teams and analyze their free agent movements.
BUF | MIA | NE
| NYJ | DAL
| NYG | PHI | WAS
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
2008 Record: 7-9
Key Additions: Re-signed QB
Gibril Hamdan, RB Fred Jackson, FB Corey McIntyre, WR Justin Jenkins,
OL Kirk Chambers, LB Keith Ellison and CB Dustin Fox; Signed QB
Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Dominic Rhodes, WR Terrell Owens, G/C Seth
McKinney, OL Geoff Hangartner, DE Jermaine McGhee, LB Pat Thomas,
CB Antwain Spann and CB Drayton Florence
Key Losses: Traded OT Jason
Peters; Released/Failed to re-sign QB J.P. Losman, TE Robert Royal,
C/G Duke Preston, G Derrick Dockery, DE Anthony Hargrove, LB Angelo
Crowell, LB Blake Costanzo, LB Vince Hall and CB Jabari Greer
Analysis: The Bills were very
busy this offseason in signing Terrell
Owens to help bolster the offense giving Trent
Edwards another weapon opposite Lee Evans. However, the team
traded OT Jason Peters and lost depth on the defense. They also
made some relatively neutral changes by signing Seth McKinney
to replace Derrick Dockery. The signing of Dominic
Rhodes combined with the re-signing of an effective Fred
Jackson, should help the first 3 games of the season while
Marshawn Lynch is suspended. The Bills also needed some secondary
help due to the loss of Jabari
Greer, so they looked to Drayton
Florence and Antwain
Spann.
Fantasy Outlook: Owens was
the big FA acquisition on offense and the Bills were wise to lock
him into only a one-year deal as he tends to wear out his welcome
in year two. He should help with the maturation of Trent Edwards,
who the team feels could excel in a no-huddle offense. Look for
Lee Evans
to enjoy the lack of double-teams on the other side and to have
a nice fantasy season, being more consistent than he has the last
few years. Marshawn Lynch could be looking at Fred Jackson stealing
carries and Dominic Rhodes getting some 3rd-down work which, combined
with a 3 game suspension, makes him much less valuable than prior
to the 2008 season. The line could be less effective as well,
which is one of the reasons they drafted Eric Wood in the first
round and Andy Levitre in the second. The defense is looking to
improve its speed on the outside with the drafting of Aaron
Maybin, but will likely not be viable from a fantasy perspective.
Miami Dolphins
2008 Record: 11-5
Key Additions: Traded for DT
Tony McDaniel; Re-signed OT Vernon Carey, LB Channing Crowder
and S Yeremiah Bell; Signed G Joe Berger, C Jake Grove, DE Jason
Taylor, CB Eric Green and S Gibril Wilson
Key Losses: Traded C Samson Satele; Released/Failed to re-sign
QB John Beck, WR Todd Lowber, OL Al Johnson, G Matt McChesney,
OT Daren Heerspink, DE Vonnie Holliday, LB Kelvin Smith, CB Andre
Goodman, CB Scorpio Babers and S Renaldo Hill
Analysis: The Dolphins quietly
built on the momentum they had last year. They re-signed OT Vernon
Carey and added C Jake Grove to improve the line. Many feel that
center is the most important spot in the AFC East along the line
with guys like Vince
Wilfork, Kris
Jenkins and Marcus
Stroud all lining up on the opposite side of the ball. On
defense, the Dolphins brought back Jason
Taylor to help provide an outside pass rush and added S Gibril
Wilson and CB Eric
Green to help in the secondary. The lack of moves in the offseason
won't spell a challenge for the Dolphins, but rather their first
place schedule and teams being overly prepared for the wildcat
formation. Nobody will overlook this team in 2009.
Fantasy Outlook: The Dolphins
have an improved line, which should help the value of Ricky
Williams and Ronnie
Brown more thanl Chad
Pennington. Those backs are still looking at a RBBC, but they
should be able to run the ball better this season, even without
the surprise of the wildcat formation. Pennington does not have
the arm to make a speed guy like Ted Ginn, Jr. more valuable,
but Davone Bess emerged as a possible sleeper when Greg
Camarillo went down in Week 12 with a knee injury. Anthony
Fasano had a nice season last year with 7 TD’s, but he shares
receptions with David
Martin, leaving both of them as possible second TE’s for your
team. The defense was solid in 2008, but a more difficult schedule
leaves them a borderline #1 option for your fantasy team.
New England Patriots
2008 Record: 11-5
Key Additions: Traded for WR
Greg Lewis and TE Alex Smith; Re-signed OL Russ Hochstein, OL
Wesley Britt, DL Mike Wright, LB Pierre Woods, LB Eric Alexander,
S James Sanders and S Tank Williams; Signed RB Fred Taylor, TE
Chris Baker, WR Joey Galloway, WR Robert Ortiz, OL Al Johnson,
DT Steve Williams, LB Tully Banta-Cain, LB Paris Lenon, LB Vinny
Ciurciu, CB Shawn Springs, CB Leigh Bodden, S Brandon McGowan,
S Ray Ventrone and LS Nathan Hodel
Key Losses: Traded QB Matt Cassel, LB Mike Vrabel and CB Ellis
Hobbs; Released/Failed to re-sign RB Lamont Jordan, FB Heath Evans,
WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Kelley Washington, G Billy Yates, LB Larry
Izzo, LB Bo Ruud, S Rodney Harrison and LS Lonie Paxton
Analysis: There are 4 RB’s
that are 32 years old (or more) in the entire NFL entering this
season. The Patriots had two of those last season in Sammy
Morris and Kevin
Faulk. So, what do they do? They grab another one in Fred
Taylor. In keeping with the age theme, they signed octogenarian
Joey Galloway
to battle with recently traded for Greg
Lewis to replace Jabar
Gaffney as the #3WR. This leaves the Patriots with the oldest
roster in the NFL. The big move in the offseason was the trade
of Matt Cassel, who kept the QB chair warm for Tom
Brady while he recovered from a major knee injury. They also
signed Chris
Baker and traded for Alex
Smith at the TE position to push their disappointing TE’s
(Ben Watson
and David
Thomas). The big loss could be the inclusion of Mike
Vrabel in the Cassel deal, which leaves a hole at OLB on a
team that needed more productivity from that spot already. The
team made some major changes in the secondary by signing Shawn
Springs and Leigh
Bodden to battle 2nd year players Jonathan
Wilhite and Terrence
Wheatley at cornerback, which was a huge problem for the Patriots
last season. New England signed Brandon
McGowan to add depth at safety, but the team is hoping that
2nd-round pick Patrick Chung will become the heir apparent to
Rodney Harrison,
who retired.
Fantasy Outlook: Tom Brady
comes back to lead an offense that may be stronger than the "O"that
set records in 2007. While there are still concerns about his
overall health, Brady has looked strong in camp and should play
this preseason. Look for Randy
Moss to have another strong year as he's built a great rapport
with Brady. As usual, Wes
Welker will be PPR gold and should see a lot of opportunities
in the slot with Moss and Galloway on the outside leaving the
underneath wide open. The RB position is murky and the pure definition
of RBBC with Bill Belichick riding the hot hand on a game-to-game
basis. Laurence
Maroney is looking to prove that he is not a bust and has
shown some flashes in camp, but he is hesitant in hitting the
holes and will likely be relegated to the lower part of the depth
chart. Fred Taylor is going to split time with Sammy Morris, with
Kevin Faulk filling in on 3rd downs. The defense is improved IF
(that is a big IF) they can get some pressure from the outside
LB position. The Patriots were terrible on 3rd down defense last
year and hope that a revamped secondary to help shed that label.
Since they might be involved in a lot of shootouts, it is hard
to recommend their defense even if they do improve on last season’s
numbers.
New York Jets
2008 Record: 9-7
Key Additions: Traded for CB
Lito Sheppard; Re-signed FB Tony Richardson, G Brandon Moore,
K Jay Feely, CB Ahmad Carroll and S Abram Elam; Signed WR Mario
Urrutia, TE Richard Owens, OT Michael Kracalik, OT Nevin McCaskill,
DE Marques Douglas, DT Howard Green, DT Anthony Harris, DL Craig
Kobel, LB Bart Scott, LB Larry Izzo, CB Donald Strickland, CB
Rashad Barksdale and S Jim Leonhard
Key Losses: Traded QB Brett Ratliff DE Kenyon Coleman and S Abram
Elam; Release/Failed to re-sign QB Brett Favre RB Marcus Mason,
WR Laveranues Coles, TE Chris Baker, TE Bubba Franks, OT Stefan
Rodgers, K Mike Nugent, DL C.J. Mosley, LB Eric Barton, LB David
Bowens, LB Cody Spencer, LB Brad Kassell, DB David Barrett, CB
Tyron Brackenridge and CB Hank Poteat
Analysis: Eric Mangini leaves
for Cleveland and tries to grab several of his old players (Barton,
Bowens, Mosley, and Poteat). Rex Ryan comes to New York and wants
to bring in his old players from Baltimore. That spells turnover
in the roster. The Jets traded for Lito
Sheppard (Eagles) and signed free agents Bart
Scott and Jim
Leonhard from the Ravens. On offense, QB Brett
Favre retired (at least we think so) and WR Laveranues
Coles took his skills to Cincinnati. Veteran TE’s Chris
Baker and Bubba
Franks became expendable with the rise of Dustin
Keller.
Fantasy Outlook: I hope you
were happy last year with the fantasy production you received
from your Jets players, because you're probably going to be disappointed
this season. Brett Favre was poor at the end of last year, but
a crappy Favre is a better option than Kellen
Clemens or #1 pick Mark
Sanchez this year without Coles to throw to. Thomas
Jones had a nice season playing behind a revamped line and
you have to figure that Rex Ryan is going to want to run the ball.
However, teams are going to be stacking the box against the Jets
and Leon
Washington is going to get more touches, leaving Jones as
a tough value proposition. Despite the fact the Jets moved up
to select Shonn
Greene in the 3rd round, Washington has some good value if
you can snag him in the 10th or 11th inf your draft. Keller should
be improved with another year under his belt and could be a nice
value TE in the later rounds.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
2008 Record: 9-7
Key Additions: Traded for QB Jon Kitna; Re-signed RB Alonzo Coleman,
WR Sam Hurd, WR Miles Austin, TE Rodney Hannah, G Cory Procter
and DE Stephen Bowen; Signed WR Willie Reid, WR Mike Jefferson,
TE Scott Chandler, DE Igor Olshansky, DE Derreck Robinson, DT
Jonas Seawright, LB Keith Brooking, LB Matt Stewart and S Gerald
Sensabaugh
Key Losses: Traded CB Anthony Henry; Release/Failed to re-sign
QB Brad Johnson, WR Terrell Owens, TE Tony Curtis, DE Chris Canty,
DT Tank Johnson, LB Zach Thomas, LB Greg Ellis, LB Kevin Burnett,
CB Adam "Pacman" Jones, CB Tra Battle and S Roy Williams
Analysis: It is amazing what
a difference a year makes. Last year, there was a lot of buzz
around Cowboys camp. Expectations were high and there were plenty
of story lines. Things are much quieter this season, with the
big story being Tony
Romo’s off-field activities garnering most of the headlines.
On offense, Roy
Williams takes over as the WR1 with TO taking his show to
Buffalo. Jon
Kitna was brought in to back up Romo replacing 40-something
Brad Johnson. On defense, there were wholesale changes with the
loss of Chris
Canty (16), Tank
Johnson (1), Zach
Thomas (14), Greg
Ellis (16), Adam “don’t call me Pac-man” Jones (6) and Roy
Williams (2), who combined to start in 55 games last season.
The team brought in a very solid Igor
Olshansky and Keith
Brooking, who still has something in the tank, to fill in
for some of those losses.
Fantasy Outlook: With TO gone,
the big question is who emerges as the #2 WR for the Cowboys.
Both Patrick
Crayton and Miles
Austin would love to lay claim to the spot. While Crayton
is probably a better slot guy, it is hard to think that Austin
is ready to handle a starting position considering he has a whopping
18 receptions in his career. The reality is their #2 receiver
is TE Jason
Witten and he will continue to be so regardless of who wins
that battle for WR2. Romo still has a lot to prove (on and off
the field) and can have a very solid season. What he does in the
playoffs will matter most as he tries to shed the label of “Mr.
October”. Marion
Barber should be a solid play again, although Felix
Jones is a Jerry Jones favorite and could steal some carries
should he remain healthy. Tashard
Choice was a nice fill-in last year, but he is nothing more
than a handcuff. Despite losing depth on the defensive side of
the ball, they are still a top 10 defense from a fantasy standpoint.
New York Giants
2008 Record: 12-4
Key Additions: Re-signed QB David Carr, RB Brandon Jacobs (franchise
tag), RB Danny Ware, TE Darcy Johnson, DE Dave Tollefson, DT Leger
Douzable and CB Kevin Dockery; Signed RB Allen Patrick, WR Shaun
Bodiford, TE George Wrighster, TE Lee Vickers, DT Rocky Bernard,
OT Andrew Carnahan, G Tutan Reyes, DE Chris Canty, LB Michael
Boley, LB Kelvin Smith and S C.C. Brown
Key Losses: Release/Failed to re-sign RB Derrick Ward, RB Reuben
Droughns, WR Plaxico Burress, WR Amani Toomer, TE Martrez Milner,
G Mike Fladell, DE Renaldo Wynn, LB Edmond Miles, CB Sam Madison,
CB Rashad Barksdale, CB Brandon Sumrall, S James Butler and S
Sammy Knight
Analysis: The Giants tagged
Brandon
Jacobs keeping him in uniform for at least this season. With
Derrick
Ward heading to Tampa, that was a foregone conclusion. The
team also released Plaxico
Burress, who is trying to stay out of jail after being indicted
on gun charges. The additional release of veteran Amani
Toomer, leave the G-men without either of their starting WR’s
from last year. On defense, they replaced Renaldo
Wynn with Chris
Canty to help with the rush and are counting on Osi Umenyiora
to recover from a torn ACL. They also lost James
Butler who was their 4th leading tackler a year ago and secondary
depth in Sam
Madison and Sammy
Knight. The big change will be at defensive coordinator where
new DC Bill Sheridan takes over for Steve Spagnuolo.
Fantasy Outlook: Jacobs should
get plenty of carries this season as the team tries to determine
who will emerge at the WR position. Due to Jacobs' injury history,
it would be wise to target and handcuff him with Ahmad
Bradshaw. At WR, Domenik
Hixon showed some flashes last season and he also dropped
some big passes. He and Steve
Smith look to be the starters at the beginning of the year
with Hakeem
Nicks pushing for playing time as the season wears on. Sinorice
Moss is heading into his 4th year, but should not push for
a spot on your fantasy roster. Eli
Manning has been a pleasant surprise over the last couple
of seasons, but his lack of weapons and a run-first offensive
philosophy keep him in the middle of the fantasy QB pack. With
few WR options, TE Kevin
Boss (6 TD’s last season) is worth a flier as your second
tight end. The defense is going to be a bit of a question mark
until it finds its identity under Sheridan, but it's a safe bet
they will finish in the top 10 again this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
2008 Record: 9-6-1
Key Additions: Traded for OT Jason Peters and CB Ellis Hobbs;
Re-signed WR Hank Baskett, OL Nick Cole, LB Tank Daniels and CB
Joselio Hanson; Signed RB Eldra Buckley, FB Leonard Weaver, OL
Stacy Andrews, DL Amon Gordon, LB Charleston Hughes, CB Byron
Parker, S Rashad Baker and S Sean Jones
Key Losses: Traded WR Greg Lewis and CB Lito Sheppard; Release/Failed
to re-sign RB Correll Buckhalter, WR Willie Reid, TE L.J. Smith,
OT Tra Thomas, S Brian Dawkins and S Sean Considine
Analysis: The Eagles were active
during the offseason. The line should be improved with the trade
for Jason Peters, but it remains to be seen if veteran OL Stacy
Andrews can be healthy enough to pull his weight. Gone are WR
Greg Lewis,
who never really lived up to the hype and TE L.J.
Smith, who will backup Todd Heap in Baltimore. The Eagles
traded veteran Lito
Sheppard and made a separate trade to reunite CB Ellis
Hobbs with former Patriot Asante
Samuel. Another big loss on defense was the departure of versatile
veteran Brian
Dawkins, with an even bigger loss being defensive coordinator
Jim Johnson, who recently lost his battle with cancer. The team
hopes that S Sean
Jones and Quintin
Demps can make up for the loss of Dawkins.
Fantasy Outlook: With Brian
Westbrook having injury issues this offseason and the loss
of Correll
Buckhalter, second-round pick LeSean
McCoy could be a big factor in their early season success.
Westbrook, if healthy, is a yardage machine and the focus of their
offense. When the season starts, he will be 30, which is the magic
age in which RB’s start to break down. Another rookie with some
fantasy value is first-round pick Jeremy
Maclin, who will push veteran Kevin
Curtis for a starting spot opposite last year’s rookie surprise,
DeSean Jackson.
The Eagles let L.J. Smith walk and have faith that Brent
Celek or 5th round pick Cornelius
Ingram can take over in an offense that was 9th in total yards
last season. Donovan
McNabb played in 16 games for the first time since 2003 and
looks to push the 4,000 passing mark for the first time in his
career after falling 84 yards shy in 2008. Under new coordinator
Sean McDermott, the defense should still have the attacking style
Jim Johnson preached , which should be good enough to rank them
in top 10.
Washington Redskins
2008 Record: 8-8
Key Additions: Re-signed WR Marques Hagans, OL Rueben Riley,
K Shaun Suisham, DE Phillip Daniels, DT Kedric Golston, DT Anthony
Montgomery, LB Alfred Fincher, LB Tyson Smith, CB DeAngelo Hall,
CB Byron Westbrook, S Reed Doughty and LS Ethan Albright; Signed
RB Anthony Aldridge, RB Dominique Dorsey, RB Marcus Mason, WR
Roydell Williams, WR Trent Shelton, OT Mike Williams, OT Jeremy
Bridges, G Derrick Dockery, OL Isaiah Ross, DE Renaldo Wynn, DT
Albert Haynesworth, DT Vaka Manupuna, LB Robert Thomas and DB
Michael Grant
Key Losses: Released/Failed to re-sign WR James Thrash, OT Jon
Jansen, G Justin Geisinger, DE Jason Taylor, DL Ryan Boschetti,
DE Demetric Evans, LB Marcus Washington, LB Matt Sinclair, CB
Shawn Springs and LS Jeremy Cain
Analysis: The Redskins (as
usual) made a splash in free agency by overpaying and negotiating
against themselves. Albert
Haynesworth is a stud, but not worth the $100M his contract
calls for. Re-signing DeAngelo
Hall also proved costly. The signing of Renaldo
Wynn and drafting of Brian
Orakpo offers some options on the defensive line. Derrick
Dockery is a nice fit along the offensive front, but very few
moves were made to address the offensive skill positions. Considering
their 19th place finish in offense and 4th place finish in defense,
it seems like their focus was aimed at the wrong side of the ball.
Fantasy Outlook: The team tried
(and failed) to make a move for Jay
Cutler, which doesn't help the confidence of Jason Campbell
heading into the season. Campbell is barely draftable from a fantasy
perspective this season, only fit as your number two QB. Clinton
Portis, while only about to turn 28, has a lot of carries
on his body, including 342 last season, which should concern fantasy
owners. Ladell
Betts is waiting in the wings (again), so make sure you get
him as a handcuff if you consider Portis. Santana
Moss managed to amass over 1,000 yards receiving last season,
but you have to consider his feast or famine nature when selecting
him - nearly 450 of those yards came in three games. Chris
Cooley was somewhat of a disappointment last year due to only
1 TD but was able to reach his career highs in receptions (83)
and yards (849). The defense was solid and have added more parts
that should help. That leaves the Redskins D/ST a good value to
target as you head toward the end of the draft.
Material from personal interviews, wire services, team beat
writers, and league and team sources were used in this report.
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