7/22/09
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.
This week, we look at the AFC North and NFC North teams and analyze
their free agent movements. Note: Players are denoted
in order of position and not by their impact.
BAL | CIN | CLE
| PIT | CHI
| DET | GB | MIN
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Key Additions: Signed QB John
Beck, WR Marcus Maxwell, WR Kelley Washington, TE L.J. Smith,
OT Stefan Rodgers, C Matt Birk, CB Chris Carr and CB Domonique
Foxworth. Re-signed WR Demetrius Williams, WR Ernie Wheelright,
TE Quinn Sypniewski, DE Terrell Suggs, DL Dwan Edwards, DL Brandon
McKinney, LB Ray Lewis, LB Jameel McClain, CB Evan Oglesby, CB
Samari Rolle and SS Dawan Landry.
Key Losses: Released/Failed
to re-sign QB Kyle Boller, FB Lorenzo Neal, WR Terrance Copper,
K Matt Stover, C Jason Brown, LB Bart Scott, LB Nick Griesen,
CB Chris McAlister, CB Corey Ivy, S Jim Leonhard; Retired –
Derrick Mason
Analysis: The Ravens defense
took some more hits with the losses of Scott, McAlister, Ivy and
Leonhard. This seems to happen almost every year and the Ravens
still maintain their strong defense, probably due to the man in
the middle of that defense, Ray
Lewis, who was re-signed. Terrell Suggs was also re-signed
after being franchised and the team hung onto Samari
Rolle to maintain some continuity. On the offensive side of
the ball, the loss of C Jason Brown is more than addressed by
the signing of veteran Matt Birk from the Vikings. Combined with
the selection of Michael Oher in the draft, the line should be
very solid. The (potential?) loss of Derrick
Mason to retirement will be a blow to the offense and leaves
the Ravens in the market for a strong WR to help further Joe
Flacco’s development.
Fantasy Outlook: The line should
be in great shape to help protect Flacco and to give some good
holes to the running game. The problem will be at WR, where there
are some definite needs. This may be an opportunity for L.J. Smith
or Todd
Heap (can he stay on the field?) to emerge as a go-to guy.
The running back situation is definitely murky at this point with
LeRon McClain,
Willis McGahee
and Ray
Rice all looking to garner most of the carries. This looks
like a RBBC situation, but my guess is that they are going to
try to give Rice the chance to show that he is an every-down back
and McClain will get the goal line carries. McGahee says he still
has some gas left in the tank, but he is too inconsistent to rely
on. On a side note, Matt
Stover has still not been re-signed, so the kicking situation
might bear some watching in the coming weeks with two young guys
battling for that spot.
Cincinnati Bengals
Key Additions: Traded for Brian
Leonard; Re-signed RB Cedric Benson, RB DeDe Dorsey, FB Jeremi
Johnson, K Shayne Graham (franchise), LB Darryl Blackstock, LB
Rashad Jeanty, LB Brandon Johnson; Signed QB JT O’Sullivan,
RB Gary Russell, WR Laveraneus Coles, OG Evan Mathis, DT Tank
Johnson, S Chris Crocker and SS Roy Williams.
Key Losses: Traded DT Orien
Harris; Released/Failed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Chris Perry, WR
TJ Houshmandzadeh, C Eric Ghiaciuc, OT Stacy Andrews, OT Levi
Jones, DT John Thornton and S Dexter Jackson.
Analysis: After a 4-win season,
it is time to shake things up. Marvin Lewis is (still) on the
hot seat in Cincy. Last year could be written off due to injuries,
but the team has gotten rid of (or lost) a lot of players on their
roster and have replaced them with some veterans. The additions
of Tank
Johnson and Roy
Williams should add some toughness to the defense, but they
will need to do a better job on 3rd down as they were in the bottom
3rd of the league in that category. The big question with this
team will be on the offensive line where they lost some key players
(Andrews, Ghiaciuc and Jones) and drafted enigma Andre Smith.
Fantasy Outlook: Carson
Palmer should be back under center, but he will not have TJ
Houshmandzadeh as a target. The loss of Houshmandzadeh is somewhat
tempered by the addition of Laveranues
Coles and it should be interesting to see if Chad
Ochocinco can actually live up to some of the hype that he
has been giving himself. A revamped offensive line will have to
keep Carson Palmer upright to have any chance of success down
the field. The re-signing of Cedric
Benson, in what could be a potentially strong offense, makes
him a nice sleeper option given that there is not much competition
for his spot and his end-of-year production was more of what had
been expected from him in Chicago.
Cleveland Browns
Key Additions: Traded for QB
Brett Ratliff, DE Kenyon Coleman and DB Abram Elam; Signed RB
Noah Herron, WR David Patten, WR Mike Furrey, WR Devale Ellis,
TE Robert Royal, OG Floyd Womack, OT George Foster, OT John St.
Clair, DT C.J. Mosley, DL/LB David Bowens, LB Eric Barton, LB
Bo Ruud, CB Roderick Hood, CB Corey Ivy and CB Hank Poteat
Key Losses: Traded Kellen Winslow
II; Released/Failed to re-sign RB Jason Wright, WR Joe Jurevicius,
TE Darnell Dinkins, OG Seth McKinney, G Scott Young, OT Kevin
Shaffer, OT Eric Young, DL Louis Leonard, LB Andra Davis, LB Kris
Griffin, LB Willie McGinest, LB Shantee Orr, LB Antwan Peek, CB
Terry Cousin, CB Travis Daniels, CB Daven Holly, FS Sean Jones
and FS Jason Venson
Analysis: Out with the old.
In with the new. The hiring of Eric Mangini as head coach meant
that there would be significant movement on this roster. On defense,
the losses of Andra
Davis and Sean Jones could hurt, but the team added Barton
and Bowens to give the Browns more of a Jets’ feel (along with
the trade for Ratliff, Coleman and Elam). The new defense is going
to have to get more pressure on the opposing QB because they were
horrible on 3rd down and tied for the 2nd lowest number of sacks.
The offensive line was poor at the tail end of last season and
the addition of Womack and draft pick, Alex Mack, should help
improve the line. The trade of Winslow should eliminate some distractions,
but Royal will not be able to match Winslow’s abilities. Of course,
the big news with respect to the Browns roster this season was
the arrest and suspension of Donte Stallworth. With the loss of
Joe Jurevicius
and Stallworth, it should be interesting to see if the production
of Edwards falls further.
Fantasy Outlook: The line looks
better this year, but Jamal
Lewis is a year older and who is going to be the QB? It certainly
feels like the right time to let Brady
Quinn have at it, but Anderson has shown some streaks of brilliance
in the past. My guess is that Mangini puts Quinn in there and
lets him sink or swim. Braylon Edwards needs to deliver this season
as Mangini will probably not have a lot of patience, so expect
a bounce-back season for Edwards. Lewis is not the same runner
that he used to be as he turns 30, but he is the de-facto runner
in Cleveland. Jerome
Harrison has some potential to steal some carries as a 3rd
down back and James Davis (RB,
LB) could
be a nice sleeper as a rookie who has flown under the radar.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Key Additions: Re-signed QB
Charlie Batch, TE/FB Sean McHugh, OT Max Starks (franchise tag),
OL Chris Kemoeatu, OL Trai Essex, LB Keyaron Fox and CB Anthony
Madison; Signed WR Shaun McDonald and CB Keiwan Ratliff
Key Losses: Released/Failed
to re-sign QB Byron Leftwich, RB Gary Russell, RB Verron Haynes,
WR Nate Washington, OL Kendall Simmons, OL Marvel Smith, LB Larry
Foote, LB Mike Humpal and CB Fernando Bryant (retired).
Analysis: When a team wins the
Super Bowl, it is really hard to retain all of the talent that
got you there. The Steelers have again shown why they are one
of the premier organizations in the NFL by retaining most of their
core players and should be in a good position again this season.
The retention of Starks, Colon and Kemoeatu should soften the
blow of losing Marvel Smith along the offensive line. Nate
Washington going to Tennessee should be offset by the addition
of Shaun
McDonald. The loss of Foote in the middle of the defense could
be an adjustment, but the Steelers are very familiar with replacing
players on that defense by having other guys step up.
Fantasy Outlook: The Steelers
running game is very solid after gaining 105 yards a game. The
O-Line is relatively intact, but the question is who is going
to be carrying the ball. Willie
Parker will be looking over his shoulder at Rashard
Mendenhall who is coming back from injury during his rookie
season. Early in the season, FWP should be a good play, but Mendenhall
could easily be the starter during the second half of the season.
Hines Ward
is happy with his contract extension (through 2013) and Santonio
Holmes is coming off his SB MVP. Ben
Roethlisberger is a steady field general who is not going
to light up a lot of fantasy rosters this season, but if you can
get him as a backup, he can have some big games. The defense will
be a top 3 defense to target again.
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Key Additions: Traded for QB
Jay Cutler; Re-signed RB Kevin Jones, LB Nick Roach, CB Marcus
Hamilton; Signed QB Brett Basanez, WR John Broussard, TE Fontel
Mines, OL Orlando Pace, OL Tyler Reed, OL Cody Balogh, OL Kevin
Shaffer, OL Frank Omiyale, DT Israel Idonije, DE Joe Clermond,
LB Marcus Riley, CB Rudy Burgess, S Josh Bullocks and S Glenn
Earl
Key Losses: Traded QB Kyle Orton;
Released/Failed to re-sign QB Rex Grossman, WR Marty Booker, WR
Brandon Lloyd, OL Terrence Metcalf, OT Fred Miller, OL James Blair,
LB Marcus Riley, LB Gilbert Gardner, S Brandon McGowan and S Mike
Brown
Analysis: The team that typically
has a great defense and little offense to put them over the top
finally made a strong move to shore up the QB position that has
been plaguing them for years. With the trade for Jay
Cutler, the team finally has a good QB. The question now is
who he will throw the ball to. Gone are Marty Booker and Brandon
Lloyd, who only combined for 40 receptions in 2008. The team
did not have a pick in the first 2 rounds and they have not picked
up any WR help thus far, leaving some serious questions at WR.
Orlando Pace has been added to the line to shore up Cutler’s blind
side and to open some holes for Matt
Forte. The defense should be solid again with only Mike
Brown leaving. If the Bears can find a veteran WR (Harrison?)
to fill one of the WR spots, the Bears could be a very serious
contender in the NFC.
Fantasy Outlook: Forte looks
to have a strong hold on the RB position, despite the re-signing
of Kevin
Jones and talk of him getting some carries. Cutler should
be able to ease into the offense and, if he gets another weapon
on the outside, could be a nice QB1 option. Greg
Olsen should benefit from having Cutler in the backfield,
especially with some of the improvisation that he does back there.
Devin Hester
led the Bears with 665 yards receiving and he could have an opportunity
to have a breakout season. Rashied
Davis could be the other starting WR, but it is hard to believe
that a 29 year-old WR with 74 career catches is going to be an
impact player on the outside. The defense will again be stout
and worthy of a spot in your Top 12 defenses taken (plenty of
INT’s, but not a ton of sacks).
Detroit Lions
Key Additions: Traded for WR
Dennis Northcutt, LB Julian Peterson and CB Anthony Henry; Re-signed
RB Aveion Cason, OL Stephen Peterman, OL Damion Cook, K Jason
Hanson; Signed RB Maurice Morris, RB Allen Ervin, FB Terrelle
Smith, WR Bryant Johnson, WR Ronald Curry, TE Will Heller, TE
Jake Nordin, WR Eric Fowler, WR Will Franklin, OL Matt Lentz,
OL Dylan Gandy, OL Daniel Loper, DT Grady Jackson, DE Rudolph
Hardie, LB Cody Spencer, CB Phillip Buchanon and S Dowayne Davis
Key Losses: Traded QB Jon Kitna,
DT Cory Redding and S Gerald Alexander; Released/Failed to re-sign
QB Dan Orlovsky, QB Drew Henson, RB Rudi Johnson, WR Mike Furrey,
WR Shaun McDonald, TE Dan Campbell, OL George Foster, OL Edwin
Mulitalo, LB Anthony Cannon, LB Paris Lenon, CB Leigh Bodden and
S Dwight Smith
Analysis: When you go 0-16 for
the first time in history, you have to make some changes. The
Lions have certainly been active in the offseason in revamping
their roster on both sides of the ball. The team shored up the
defense with trades (Peterson, Henry and Alexander) and veteran
signings (Jackson, Buchanon) to hopefully improve on a defense
that was the worst in the league in most categories. Unfortunately,
they were also worst in the league in most offensive categories
as well, and they attempted to give #1 overall pick, Matthew
Stafford, some more weapons with the signing of WR’s Bryant
Johnson, Dennis
Northcutt (via trade) and Ronald
Curry to go alongside Calvin
Johnson. Overall, you have to like what the team has done
with the draft and free agent moves, but they have so far to go
that this is only one step of a major rebuilding process.
Fantasy Outlook: Morris gives
them a nice compliment to Kevin Smith, which could cut into the
2nd year player’s carries this coming season. Calvin Johnson put
up good numbers last season and those in dynasty leagues should
be happy with the drafting of Stafford, although those benefits
may not be realized this season. Another rookie, Brandon
Pettigrew, is supposed to be the next big thing at the TE
position, so taking a flier on him, particularly in dynasty leagues
could pay dividends down the line. Steer clear of the defense
this season as they are still a long way from being a viable fantasy
option.
Green Bay Packers
Key Additions: Re-signed FB
John Kuhn, WR Ruvell Martin, TE Tory Humphrey, DE Mike Montgomery,
CB Jarrett Bush, S Atari Bigby; Signed OL Duke Preston and S Anthony
Smith
Key Losses: Released/Failed
to re-sign RB Noah Herron, TE Bubba Franks, OT Mark Tauscher,
DL Jason Hunter and LB Kenny Pettway
Analysis: The Packers looked
to improve on the defensive side of the ball this offseason by
signing/re-signing 6 guys on the defense (vs. 2 on offense) and
drafting 2 defensive players in the first round (DT B.J.
Raji and LB Clay Mathews). Why not, when you consider that
they were 5th in most points scored and 11th worst in points allowed
in the league? The rookies are probably the biggest of those defensive
players, however. The biggest difference will be on offense where
Mark Tauscher and Bubba
Franks will no longer be part of the Packers offense. The
biggest difference this offseason may be that the Packers don’t
have to deal with the Favre-fest and they can focus on winning
more than 6 games this season.
Fantasy Outlook: The offense
was very solid for the Packers last season. Aaron
Rodgers was a pleasant surprise in taking over for Brett
Favre a year ago, passing for over 4,000 yards and 28 TD’s.
Now that Greg
Jennings has his contract extension in place, look for the
Green Bay passing offense to continue with similar numbers to
last season. Donald
Driver seems like he should be out to pasture at 34 years
old, but he had over 1000 yards last season. Ryan Grant had over
1,200 yards rushing last season, but did not average 4 ypc. It
should be interesting to see if Mike McCarthy will allow Brandon
Jackson the opportunity to run the ball given the 300+ carries
for Grant last season.
Minnesota Vikings
Key Additions: Traded for QB
Sage Rosenfels; Re-signed FB Naufahu Tahi, TE Jim Kleinsasser,
DT Fred Evans, DT Jimmy Kennedy, DE Otis Grigsby, DE Jayme Mitchell,
LB Heath Farwell, CB Benny Sapp and CB Charles Gordon ; Signed
K Taylor Mehlhaff, WR Glenn Holt, and CB Karl Paymah
Key Losses: Released/Failed
to re-sign QB Gus Frerotte, RB Maurice Hicks, C Matt Birk, LB
Napoleon Harris, LB Vinny Ciurciu and S Darren Sharper
Analysis: The big move during
the offseason for the Vikings was the trade for Sage
Rosenfels to compete with Tavaris Jackson at QB. Of course,
now we have to wait to see if both will be taking a back seat
to Brett
Favre. This story has been over-hyped and Rosenfels should
be able to keep defenses honest enough to not have 8 in the box
on Adrian
Peterson. The loss of Matt Birk could be a big one for the
Vikes considering that he has started every game of the last 3
seasons anchoring that offensive line. The loss of Darren
Sharper will hurt their secondary as well, but the big offseason
move could be the possible delay of the suspensions of the Williams’
(Pat and Kevin) for running afoul of the league’s anti-doping
policy. The longer the team can continue to have both of them
manning the defensive line, the better off they will be.
Fantasy Outlook: Despite the
removal of Matt Birk from the offensive line, Adrian Peterson
is still the top back in the NFL. The addition of Percy
Harvin at WR and a new QB running the offense (assuming that
Jackson does not pull a miracle and win the starting nod) will
certainly help the passing game, which was 25th in yards last
season. Perhaps Bernard
Berrian can free himself on the outside and he can have a
QB throw him the ball to make up for the disappointing season
he had last year. Visanthe
Shiancoe is looking to build on his strong season last year
(almost 600 yards and 7 TD’s) and the enigmatic Sidney
Rice enters 2009 as a 3rd year WR (pick him at your own risk).
Don’t forget to grab Chester
Taylor as he still had 399 yards receiving AND rushing last
year (odd coincidence) along with 6 TD’s combined. The defense
was tough against the run, but overall they were just okay, leaving
them a borderline starting defense, with the disposition of the
Williams’ being a key factor.
Material from personal interviews, wire services, team beat
writers, and league and team sources were used in this report.
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