Top 20 Free Agency Moves

[|High School Harry|]

[b][size="5"]Ravens’ acquisitions top free-agency moves[/size][/b]

By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
15 hours, 5 minutes ago

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While the offseason movement of free agency, trades and the NFL draft is like some long-running Christmas celebration for fans that can’t wait to see which new players will be on their team, the reality is much more sobering.

Cutler's rough first season with the Bears included 26 INTs.

Remember all the Chicago Bears fans who were excited to get quarterback Jay Cutler(notes) last year? Well, his first season didn’t go so great. Or the Atlanta Falcons fans who thought the arrival of tight end Tony Gonzalez(notes) meant another step into the playoffs? Or the Washington Redskins fans who thought the signing of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) and re-signing of cornerback DeAngelo Hall(notes) were going to turn the franchise into an instant contender? Well, not so much. In fact, the only thing Haynesworth, Hall and the rest of the Redskins contributed to was the firing of coach Jim Zorn.

Conversely, as the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints proved in getting to Super Bowl XLIV, it’s often the teams that do little that get the job done. The Colts barely played in the free-agent or trade market last year. Likewise, the Saints won a title on the strength of relatively low-profile signings, such as cornerback Jabari Greer(notes), safety Darren Sharper(notes) and defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove(notes).

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[b]With that in mind, here’s a look at the top 20 moves of the offseason so far:[/b]

1. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin(notes) and Donte’ Stallworth(notes) acquired by the Baltimore Ravens: For years, the only big knock on Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was that he couldn’t pick quarterbacks and wide receivers. In the past two years, he has drafted quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) and now has given him two good complements in Bolden and Stallworth. Boldin is the prize pickup this offseason. The Ravens got him and a fifth-round pick for a third- and a fourth-rounder. Yeah, the Ravens also gave Boldin a three-year, $25 million contract extension. For a guy who plays as hard as Boldin, that’s a steal. Throw in Stallworth as a third- or fourth-option in a receiving corps that already has Derrick Mason(notes) and Mark Clayton(notes), and you have the best group the Ravens have ever had at that position.

2. Antonio Cromartie(notes) traded to New York Jets: Yeah, there are a lot of red flags regarding Cromartie, ranging from his personal life to his professional behavior. However, you’re not going to find a better athlete for a third-round pick (or even a second-rounder if the deal upgrades). The bottom line is that the Jets bought a great athlete for a relatively low price. Physically, Cromartie has better tools than anyone in the game at his position, even his new teammate, the great Darrelle Revis(notes). The question is whether the Jets can get it out of him. If so, a really good defense just got that much better.

3. Julius Peppers(notes) signed by Chicago: Peppers would have gotten this price regardless of whether this season was uncapped, so let’s keep that in perspective. For $14 million a year (or a guaranteed three-year, $40.5 million deal), the Bears got the best player on the market and they got a great pass rusher. The knock on Peppers is that he’s laconic. It’s not that he doesn’t play hard, he just never looks like he’s playing hard. That’s not going to go over well in Chicago if the Bears don’t win, particularly after Cutler proved to be such a dud of a personality last season when the team wasn’t winning. However, if Peppers plays to simply his normal level, linebacker Brian Urlacher(notes) gets healthy and defensive tackle Tommie Harris(notes) has a renaissance, the Bears defense will be fearsome.

4. Kamerion Wimbley traded to the Oakland Raiders: There’s something a little weird going on here if the best Cleveland could get for Wimbley and his 26½ sacks during his four-year career was a third-round pick. No one seems to know the problem, but the Raiders got a player who is an above-average pass rusher who isn’t making much ($1.065 million) in the prime of his career. While Wimbley may not be dominant (he could be, but he hasn’t had more than 6½ sacks since his rookie year), he can help a team at the very least. For a team that has made numerous odd moves in recent years, this one actually makes a lot of sense for the Raiders.

[b]5. Antonio Bryant(notes) signed by the Cincinnati Bengals: Give the Bengals credit for not falling into the trap of signing wide receiver Terrell Owens(notes). Sure, four years and $28 million for Bryant seems a little steep, but this guy was dominating two years ago, and teammates will tell you that he plays hard. He’s not always in the right place, but at least he acknowledges his own mistakes, unlike Owens. The Bengals desperately needed a real receiver opposite of Chad Ochocinco(notes) after the tragic death of Chris Henry. Bryant is that guy.[/b] *** agree, disagree, agree to disagree, I like this guy's concise input.

6. Brady Quinn(notes) trade to the Denver Broncos: Much like the Cromartie deal, this move could have a huge payoff for the Broncos, who got Quinn from Cleveland for almost nothing (fullback Peyton Hillis(notes), a 2011 sixth-round pick and a conditional pick in 2012). While there are plenty of things about Quinn that can be questioned (his mental toughness and accuracy are just the start), there is no question that picking up a prospect at quarterback is a great move. Furthermore, Quinn’s best years were when he played at Notre Dame in the same system that Denver coach Josh McDaniels runs now. With only Kyle Orton(notes) in his way, if it’s ever going to work for Quinn, this is about as good as he could hope for.

7. Chester Taylor(notes) signed by Chicago: If you’re one of those people who measures signings by the amount of money spent, Taylor’s four-year, $12.5 million contract may be the best bargain of the offseason. That said, how much you spend on players in an uncapped year is irrelevant. There’s no question that the Bears got a good player. In fact, Taylor may be a better back than Matt Forte(notes). Regardless, Chicago has great depth there now. However, the Bears still really need competent receivers to help Cutler and new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, so you can’t help but think that Chicago might have been best served by taking that money and investing it in Bryant.

8. Dunta Robinson(notes) signed by Atlanta: The Falcons were desperate for a cornerback after allowing 66 plays of 20 yards or more – the most of any team that finished 8-8 or better. Give them credit for getting the best one on the market. However, there is this suspicion when it comes to Robinson that he’ll be one of those guys who takes the money and shuts it down.

9. Karlos Dansby signed by the Miami Dolphins: Like Peppers and Robinson, Dansby was one of the few marquee unrestricted free agents available this offseason. That said, $43 million over five years (including $22 million guaranteed) is a lot of money for an inside linebacker. In fact, it’s the most ever for an inside linebacker in NFL history.

10. Aaron Kampman(notes) signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars: As everyone predicted when Green Bay switched to a 3-4 defensive, Kampman wasn’t going to last long with the Packers. Injuries and age (he’s 30) didn’t help. In moving south, Kampman returns to his natural position of defensive end and should return to being more of the double-digit sack guy he was in 2007 and 2008.

11. Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes) signed by the Detroit Lions: OK, Vanden Bosch is 31 and coming off his two worst seasons (7½ sacks combined) since the injury-ravaged days of the early part of his career. That said, he gives the Lions a guy who can rush the passer, will work hard and knows what coach Jim Schwartz wants (the two were together for five years in Tennessee). When you couple this with two other moves we’ll talk about soon, the Lions have had a very productive offseason.

12. Nate Burleson(notes) signed by Detroit : A lot of people have turned their noses up at the five-year, $25 million contract the Lions gave Burleson, but he was brought in to fill a particular role. Burleson is a really nice third or fourth option, and is not expected to be a primary receiver as the Seattle Seahawks wanted him to be. With wide receiver Calvin Johnson(notes) and tight end Brandon Pettigrew(notes) next to him, Burleson can take advantage of all the open space he’ll find in the secondary.

13. Corey Williams(notes) traded to Detroit : Williams hasn’t been able to reproduce the back-to-back seven-sack years he had with Green Bay in 2006 and 2007. But again, the Lions needed somebody who had a clue about getting to the quarterback and they got that with Williams.

14. Antrel Rolle(notes) signed by New York Giants: Again, money shouldn’t really matter in an uncapped year, but there’s a point where you look at a deal and just shake your head. The five-year, $37 million contract Rolle got from the Giants is a serious head-scratcher. Rolle is a pretty good safety. He’s not great. He’s far from deserving of the biggest contract ever at his position and you get this feeling it’s going to create some awkward feelings if he doesn’t play up to it in New York. Furthermore, this is a position where teams normally can draft someone in the later rounds to fill in, just as the Giants did in 2004 with Gibril Wilson(notes) (drafted in the fifth round).

15. Thomas Jones signed by the Kansas City Chiefs: What does a career-best 1,402 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns get you in New York? Cut. In fact, Jones averaged 310 carries and 1,277 yards during the past three years. Not too shabby. However, between complaints about his contract and the emergence of Shonn Greene(notes), the Jets were happy to cut Jones. Jones isn’t he flashiest runner and he’ll be 32 next season, so the end is obviously closer than the beginning, but he’ll pair nicely with Jamaal Charles(notes) for the Chiefs.

16. LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) signed by New York Jets: If this had anything to do with career achievement, cutting Jones and signing LT makes perfect sense. Too bad all those stats from yesterday don’t mean anything because LT appears to be a shadow of the player he once was, even at $5.1 million for two years. Just as Joe Namath looked awful in going from the East Coast to the West Coast at the end of his career, LT probably isn’t going to look any good going from West to East at this stage of his great run.

17. Jake Delhomme(notes) and Seneca Wallace(notes) signed by Cleveland: The Browns have gone from two young quarterbacks with interesting potential (Derek Anderson(notes) and Brady Quinn) to two guys who are probably better players but won’t get any better than they are right now. Delhomme is the Nuke LaLoosh of passers, alternating between looking really good and really awful sometimes. Worse, he needs a lot of help from people to look good and that’s just not going to happen real soon in Cleveland. Wallace is a nice backup, but that’s all. The Browns better be looking to draft a quarterback early in April if there’s going to be long-term hope.

18. Kassim Osgood(notes) signed by Jacksonville: A premier special teams player on a team that could use one. Osgood will be one of the rare free agents that people will look back on and say, “Man, that was a good deal.” However, all the incentives Osgood has about becoming a receiver are silly. Yeah, he may finally get a chance to play receiver, but his hands are terrible and he’s a bad route runner.

19. Scott Fujita(notes) signed by Cleveland: Fujita is a vastly underrated player who knows how to work and set a tone in the locker room. While it’s understandable that the Saints would let him go, he’ll be a huge help to the Browns.

[b]20. Ben Watson signed by Cleveland: He was the best pass-catching tight end on the market, which has some meaning. He has never played to his vast potential, but he’s a good enough player to help a bad offensive team.[/b][font="Impact"]Why isn't this guy HERE?![/font] [b]