NFL experts debate free agency: Our favorite signings, plus the most improved team
Keyshawn Johnson and Dan Orlovsky see the Rams signing Allen Robinson as a perfect fit for the organization (1:38)
The 2022 NFL free agency deals are just now starting to slow down, but a handful of the top names are still on the market. Numerous playmakers and impact talents have agreed to terms for 2022 and beyond, and we’ve seen some wild movement on the trade market, especially under center. Which moves stand out so far, and what have we learned from a week of players headed to new teams?
The Jaguars came out of the gate with their wallet open. The AFC West turned into a race to the top with big-name signings and trades. Teams with glaring issues attacked their weaknesses with savvy deals. Some of the NFL’s top teams made moves that could put them over the top, while others quietly made smaller impact signings. Who is leading the way so far this offseason?
Our expert crew weighs in on free agency, including our favorite signings and the most improved teams. We will update this file all week with a new question each day, hitting top signings, biggest head-scratchers and top bargain deals. Let’s dive in on our reactions to this offseason’s free-agent frenzy.
See more: Grades for the biggest signings
Stephania Bell, fantasy football analyst: WR Allen Robinson II to the Rams. I love the improvements from the Bills and Bengals, and the Rams fall into that same bucket in rescuing Robinson from Chicago. It’s fair to say that despite the ultimate success of Matthew Stafford‘s 2021 season, he wasn’t exceptionally precise when throwing the ball downfield (27th in deep pass accuracy). Enter Robinson, who dropped just one (one!) deep pass on his 128 deep targets in Chicago. He’s a player who will win 50-50 balls and is still in his prime (he turns 29 in August). The rich get richer, much to the dismay of the rest of the NFC West.
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: OLB Haason Reddick to the Eagles. He can set the edge as a strongside linebacker in the Eagles’ base defense and then drop down to rush the passer in sub packages. Reddick has an electric first step, with the ability to bend/flatten off the edge. Philly landed a disruptor here.
Mike Clay, fantasy football writer: OT La’El Collins to the Bengals. The offseason doesn’t get much better than watching a team identify and successfully fill a clear problem area. After watching franchise quarterback Joe Burrow take 70 sacks in 20 games last season, Cincinnati was aggressive in upgrading a weak offensive line. That included a pair of solid interior players in guard/center Ted Karras and guard Alex Cappa, as well as Collins, the highlight of the group. Add in 24-year-old left tackle Jonah Williams and 2021 second-rounder Jackson Carman at left guard, and the Bengals’ line suddenly has a chance to be an asset rather than a major liability.
Tristan H. Cockcroft, fantasy football writer: OLB Von Miller to the Bills. Miller is coming off a strong bounce-back season, including a great showing during the playoffs. He might be the last piece needed to help push the Bills over the top to a Super Bowl win.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: S Marcus Williams to the Ravens. It’s not hyperbole to say the Ravens haven’t had a ball-hawking safety like this since Ed Reed. They’ve had great overall safety play, to be sure, but Williams has elite ball skills with 38 pass deflections and 15 interceptions in five seasons in New Orleans. Williams paired with corners Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters will be a problem for AFC North quarterbacks.
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: WR Allen Robinson II to the Rams. And they got him for less than the Jaguars are paying Christian Kirk! Robinson is basically the wide receiver version of what Matthew Stafford was last offseason — a guy we all feel pretty sure is very good but has been held back by his circumstances for way too long. The list of quarterbacks from whom Robinson has had to try to catch passes during his career is too depressing to get into right now, but it suffices to say he has never had a quarterback like Stafford. In Sean McVay’s offense, with Cooper Kupp drawing attention, Robinson could have a career year.
Eric Moody, fantasy football writer: WR Chris Godwin back to the Bucs. A knee injury prevented him from playing the final three games of the regular season and the postseason. Godwin posted 98 catches for 1,103 yards and six touchdowns before the injury. As one of the league’s best blockers, he’s an important part of the Buccaneers’ passing attack. His three-year contract reflects that.
Matt Miller, NFL draft analyst: CB J.C. Jackson to the Chargers. If you’re going to play in the AFC West, you have to have a lockdown cornerback. Chargers coach Brandon Staley has his now with the ball-hawking Jackson. He’ll see plenty of one-on-one matchups against Courtland Sutton and Davante Adams, which is why L.A. spent big money ($82.5 million over five years) to lock up one of the NFL’s best corners.
Jordan Reid, NFL draft analyst: OT La’El Collins to the Bengals. Even though the Bengals reached the Super Bowl, it was clear that the offensive line needed significant upgrades. The signing of Collins took their offseason upgrades over the top. Reuniting with Frank Pollack, his offensive line coach for the first three seasons of his career, Collins is the rock-solid starter at right tackle who Cincinnati sorely needed.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: CB Carlton Davis to the Bucs. With some patience, the Buccaneers got Davis back on their roster for significantly less than top cornerback value. They’ll pay him $30 million over the next two seasons, while the Chargers will pay J.C. Jackson $40 million over the same period. Jackson might make a few more splash plays, but you won’t find too many people in the NFL who think he’s worth 33% more than Davis in cash and cap value.
Mike Tannenbaum, NFL front office insider: OLB Chandler Jones to the Raiders. He immediately makes Maxx Crosby better, as it’s hard to double-team two edge rushers at the same time. For the Raiders to get to where they want to go, they have to beat Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert in the AFC West. Having two difference-making defensive ends is a great way to improve.
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Seth Walder, sports analytics writer: OLB Haason Reddick to the Eagles. Reddick has a ton of green flags: back-to-back seasons of double-digit sack production, produced for multiple teams, a top-10 pass rush win rate last year, and he’s only 27. It made him, in my estimation, the top free-agent pass-rusher available. And while Reddick’s contract wasn’t cheap, it also wasn’t overly expensive at what could be either $30 million over two years or $45 million over three.
Field Yates, NFL analyst: G Alex Cappa and G/C Ted Karras to the Bengals. Cincinnati’s offensive line need was known to everyone entering the offseason, but it has been softened quite a bit by the additions of two rugged, dependable players in Cappa and Karras. While both project to slide in at the guard spots, Karras also can play center if ever needed. These two should be favorites of Joe Burrow sooner rather than later.
Bell: Bengals. They might not have made the sexiest moves, but the offensive line was perhaps the main thing that stood between them and a Super Bowl victory. Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a league-high 51 times last season. Teams went 16-34 last season when pressured on at least 42% of dropbacks, and the Bengals’ Super Bowl loss was among them (42.9%). The addition of right tackle La’el Collins — Burrow’s new self-proclaimed bodyguard — and interior linemen Ted Karras and Alex Cappa might be just what’s needed to put them over the top in 2022.
Bowen: Bills. The Bills added a game-changer in pass-rusher Von Miller, while defensive tackles Tim Settle and DaQuan Jones bolster the interior of the front. Buffalo upgraded the defensive line here to keep the AFC’s top quarterbacks in check and make a Super Bowl run.
Clay: Chargers. There are plenty of good options here, but I’ll give the nod to the Chargers for their success in surrounding young QB Justin Herbert with a much better supporting cast. Cornerback J.C. Jackson and edge rusher Khalil Mack are among the best in the league at their respective positions. Los Angeles’ run defense was atrocious last season, so defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson were much-needed improvements up front. Re-signing receiver Mike Williams and adding tight end Gerald Everett help the cause on the offensive side.
Cockcroft: Chargers. They rolled on offense in 2021 but were severely lacking on defense, having surrendered the 10th-most yards and fourth-most points. It was probably the primary reason they just missed the playoffs. But the Chargers have done quite a good job upgrading that area, with the additions of Mack, Jackson, Joseph-Day and Johnson. And re-signing Williams and keeping the offensive parts in place certainly helps, too.
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Fowler: Raiders. A team on the cusp just added the necessary players to make a serious run. The Davante Adams trade elevates the entire offense, and Chandler Jones is a Hall of Fame-level edge rusher. With Jones taking Yannick Ngakoue‘s spot opposite Maxx Crosby, the Raiders flipped Ngakoue for Rock Ya-Sin, an intriguing 25-year-old corner with untapped potential. The Raiders got a lot better, and the AFC West will notice. Now, about addressing that offensive line …
Graziano: Jaguars. You can argue with some (if not all) of the contracts, but you can’t say the Jaguars aren’t working to get better in free agency. They landed a top guard in Brandon Scherff, a starting cornerback in Darious Williams, and two key defenders who drew interest from other teams in LB Foyesade Oluokun and DT Folorunso Fatukasi. I don’t know exactly how the pass-catcher situation shakes out with new guys Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram in the mix, but the receivers they had last year weren’t lighting the world on fire. Plus, factor in a dramatic upgrade at head coach. I don’t think the Jags are ready to compete with all of those AFC heavyweights, but after a 3-14 mess, I expect them to be at least a lot better than they were.
Moody: Bengals. They added offensive linemen Collins, Karras and Cappa to help protect their franchise quarterback. And considering the other offensive playmakers on the Bengals’ roster, tight end Hayden Hurst — on a one-year deal — will be a mismatch for opponents.
Miller: Broncos. The trade for quarterback Russell Wilson will receive the most attention (and rightfully so), but adding to an already impressive defense by signing edge rusher Randy Gregory and defensive tackle D.J. Jones could make the Broncos a legitimate AFC West contender.
Reid: Chargers. Having a quarterback on a rookie deal, as the Chargers do with Herbert, is a big roster-building asset. It helped them sign Williams to an extension. But their most impressive moves mostly came on defense. Trading for Mack and signing Joseph-Day and Jackson provided upgrades in key spots. The AFC West is going to be a battle week in and week out, and the Chargers have improved significantly on the defensive side to help complement an explosive offense led by their ascending star under center.
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• Early winners, losers » | Top teams »
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Seifert: Ravens. I thought about the Browns but wondered how much quarterback Deshaun Watson will impact them considering he could serve a suspension. The Broncos made the Wilson deal but play in the toughest division in football. The Ravens, meanwhile, have addressed big needs with good players — safety Marcus Williams and right tackle Morgan Moses, among others — and should be right back in the AFC North mix this season.
Tannenbaum: Browns. The dramatic upgrade at quarterback overshadows everything else. Watson gives them a chance to meaningfully compete for a Super Bowl each year that he stays healthy. An improvement at receiver with Amari Cooper replacing Jarvis Landry makes Cleveland’s offense even more difficult to stop, considering that it already has playmakers around Watson and Cooper in tight end David Njoku, running back Nick Chubb and running back Kareem Hunt.
Walder: Broncos. The upgrade from Teddy Bridgewater/Drew Lock to Wilson outpaces any gains made by other teams and instantly transformed Denver from non-contender to contender.
Yates: Broncos. The additions of Gregory and Jones help fortify an already rock-solid defensive front seven, but the trade for Wilson is what cements Denver as the pick here. No team has been the subject of more “if only they had a quarterback” conversations than the Broncos. They should feel confident they now have one who can lead them to a Super Bowl.