RAVENS, EAGLES, BUCS EARN EARLY A’S
Tuesday marked the first full week since free agency began. Offseason grades can’t be fairly awarded until training camps start, but USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis provides scores for every team’s initial work:
A
Baltimore Ravens: Two key players to QB Joe Flacco’s success, LT Eugene Monroe and TE Dennis Pitta, were retained with reasonable deals, and that was before WR Steve Smith joined. Smith should provide swagger. ILB Daryl Smith is also back.
Philadelphia Eagles: They smartly gave extensions to core players (LT Jason Peters, C Jason Kelce) and fair deals to pending free agents (WRs Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin) and had a deft touch in the trade market (RB Darren Sproles). New S Malcolm Jenkins fills an obvious need.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The new regime of GM Jason Licht and coach Lovie Smith added underrated talents LT Anthony Collins, DE Michael Johnson, CB Alterraun Verner and QB Josh McCown while shedding established players it didn’t want (CB Darrelle Revis, LT Donald Penn, G Davin Joseph).
A-
Denver Broncos: They did a pricey but risky deal for DE DeMarcus Ware, a bank breaker for CB Aqib Talib; a reasonable deal for S T.J. Ward and a savvy one for WR Emmanuel Sanders, Eric Decker’s replacement.
Miami Dolphins: New LT Branden Albert should stabilize an offensive line that couldn’t protect QB Ryan Tannehill in 2013 or open holes in the run game. Pro Bowl CB Brent Grimes (re-signed for four years) recovered nicely from his 2012 Achilles injury. Trading T Jonathan Martin was the best for all parties.
New England Patriots: Adding Revis, perhaps the coup of free agency, and CB Brandon Browner should give Bill Belichick a lot more options defensively. With WRs Julian Edelman back and Brandon LaFell on board, the offense should be fine.
B+
Chicago Bears: GM Phil Emery fit DEs Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, DT Jeremiah Ratliff, CB Charles Tillman and S Ryan Mundy, among others, into the salary vacuum largely created by jettisoning DE Julius Peppers.
Green Bay Packers: Like Ware, Peppers got a three-year, $30 million pact, though his guaranteed money ($7.5 million) is about one-third of Ware’s. GM Ted Thompson also re-signed DL B.J. Raji on a one-year deal and locked up CB Sam Shields.
New Orleans Saints: They swooped in to snare FS Jairus Byrd when they didn’t appear to have the flexibility to make such a move. Re-signing RT Zach Strief was a solid choice. However, franchise TE Jimmy Graham’s situation remains in limbo.
New York Jets: GM John Idzik wisely bolstered QB Geno Smith’s supporting cast, signing Decker and RT Breno Giacomini while dumping the contracts of WR Santonio Holmes and CB Antonio Cromartie.
B
Arizona Cardinals: Importing LT Jared Veldheer goes a long way toward protecting immobile QB Carson Palmer. Ted Ginn will add juice to the return game and can be a factor in three- and fourreceiver sets.
Atlanta Falcons: GM Thomas Dimitroff has been busy adding and re-signing bodies for his offensive and defensive lines. That looks like a sound strategy for a team that fell off a cliff in 2013.
Minnesota Vikings: They addressed issue No. 1 by getting QB Matt Cassel back. Defensively, new coach Mike Zimmer will be working with young, though expensive, talent in DE Everson Griffen, DT Linval Joseph and CB Captain Munnerlyn.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Giving OLB Jason Worilds the transition tag at the expense of keeping LaMarr Woodley was the right call. Extending S Troy Polamalu and TE Heath Miller freed cap space while easing the losses of S Ryan Clark and DE Brett Keisel.
San Francisco 49ers: Reupping WR Anquan Boldin and K Phil Dawson were imperatives. It was a bit surprising they didn’t push harder to keep S Donte Whitner considering replacement Antoine Bethea got a deal in the same neighborhood.
B-
Indianapolis Colts: GM Ryan Grigson enhanced his reputation as a lavish spender, shelling out for CB Vontae Davis, DE Arthur Jones and LB D’Qwell Jackson. He also kept his kicking game intact by re-signing K Adam Vinatieri and P Pat McAfee and secured WR Hakeem Nicks with a thrifty one-year deal.
New York Giants: They shedded expensive veterans (Joseph, Nicks, DE Justin Tuck) for value (RB Rashad Jennings, G Geoff Schwartz). But they dipped into the coffers to add CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a reasonable choice in a division loaded with big-time wideouts.
San Diego Chargers: GM Tom Telesco deserves more credit for restoring the Bolts as a playoff team. Despite a lack of cap space, he appears to have done it again, dumping a bad contract (CB Derek Cox) and re-signing a core player (ILB Donald Butler).
Seattle Seahawks: They managed to re-sign DL Michael Bennett, but losing WR Golden Tate was a blow.
Washington Redskins: At least they’re not overpaying anymore with the possible exception of DL Jason Hatcher. WR Andre Roberts looks like a steal.
C+
Jacksonville Jaguars: GM Dave Caldwell has improved his roster with DEs Chris Clemons and Red Bryant, DT Ziggy Hood and G Zane Beadles.
C
Cleveland Browns: In lateral moves, they opted for Whitner and LB Karlos Dansby over Ward and D’Qwell Jackson, respectively. But RB Ben Tate (two years, $7 million) is a bargain.
Detroit Lions: Golden Tate is a nice addition, but did he merit a contract of five years and $31 mil- lion? If the Lions didn’t have so many issues on the back end of their defense, the Tate move might seem more reasonable.
Houston Texans: The capstrapped Texans haven’t done much other than re-signing one tight end (Garrett Graham) and releasing another (Owen Daniels). They’ll get more leverage whenever they do the expected and part with QB Matt Schaub.
C-
Buffalo Bills: Unremarkable gains (RB Anthony Dixon, CB Corey Graham, LB Keith Rivers, G Chris Williams) were offset by the loss of Byrd. New MLB Brandon Spikes should help plug a leaky run defense.
Carolina Panthers: GM Dave Gettleman secured DE Greg Hardy with the franchise tag. Tagging Hardy, however, means the NFC South champions’ receiving corps and secondary have been demolished.
St. Louis Rams: They had one big move in their holster and used it to re-sign OL Rodger Saffold. He’s a solid player who offers position flexibility, which might also mean draft options.
Tennessee Titans: Adding LB Wesley Woodyard and DL Al Woods should ease the transition to the 3-4 defense. But WR-PR Dexter McCluster seems a bit of a luxury, and the Titans might have overpaid for T Michael Oher.
D+
Dallas Cowboys: They seem to be biting the bullet after years of wasteful spending. WR Miles Austin won’t be missed. Ware will be, but even he couldn’t mask a pathetic defense in 2013.
D
Kansas City Chiefs: It might have been wise to spend less on WR Dwayne Bowe last year or extend a valuable midtier player such as Schwartz. After a big leap forward in 2013, Kansas City appears to be regressing.
D-
Oakland Raiders: This is not how you use $60 million in cap space. First, they let rising youngsters Veldheer and Houston walk. Then they voided Saffold’s weighty agreement only to sign a player with a history of shoulder problems (Tuck) and veteran defenders — headlined by Woodley and DE Antonio Smith — who aren’t great scheme fits.
INCOMPLETE
Cincinnati Bengals: The one notable move was releasing LB James Harrison. They still own about $25 million in cap space.