Contributed by Creative Commons

Like any other NFL offseason, this one has seen good players switch teams and chase the dollar bills that they so desire. While this NFL offseason did not have a multitude of valuable free agents, many teams had to cut players to open up cap space. Many of these cut players were really talented like Darrelle Revis, DeMarcus Ware, Steve Smith and Julius Peppers.

One winner of the NFL free agency thus far is the New England Patriots. The biggest move they made was to sign a former division opponent with the New York Jets Darrelle Revis. Revis signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the option for a second year. The Patriots also signed another cornerback, Brandon Browner, to a multi-year deal, though he will be suspended for the first four games of the 2014-15 season. They also bolstered their offense by signing some receiving weapons for Tom Brady. Julian Edelman resigned with the team and Brandon LaFell joined the team on a three-year deal, leaving the Carolina Panthers.

Another winner of the free agency is Patriots conference rival, the Denver Broncos. The Broncos quickly snagged cornerback Aqib Talib from the Patriots with a six-year, $57 million deal. They also signed breakout safety T.J. Ward to a four-year deal. If this was not enough to dominate the Broncos defense, they also signed former Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware to a three-year deal to improve their defensive line. However, this does not mean that the Broncos did not improve on offense at all. To cope with the departure of wide receiver Eric Decker to the Jets, Denver signed former Steeler Emmanuel Sanders to a three-year contract.

One NFC team that fared very well in the offseason thus far is the Philadelphia Eagles. The most important move that this team made was to trade for New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles. After receiving this pass and run threat, the Eagles locked him up by agreeing to a two-year extension. Further improving on offense, the Eagles were able to resign wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. While Maclin did not play in the last season because of a torn ACL, Cooper filled in and had a breakout season. They also made some improvements on defense by resigning secondary player Nate Allen and signing former Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins on a three-year contract.

The fourth team that has done well in the offseason is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though they had to cut Revis, they used that money to fill a lot of gaps throughout the team. They signed secondary player Alterraun Verner to a four-year, $26 million deal to replace Revis. They signed two additional defensive players Michael Johnson and Clinton McDonald. On the offensive end, they signed linemen Anthony Collins and Evan Dietrich-Smith, as well as quarterback Josh McCown to a two-year deal. He is expected to start at quarterback for the Buccaneers who have made some serious offseason moves.

While certain teams have added players in the hopes of having a more successful season, there are some teams that lose many players to free agency. One of these teams is the Carolina Panthers. Coming off a very good season, the Panthers lost a number of receivers and had to cut veteran Steve Smith to open up cap space. Carolina saw Ted Ginn Jr., Brandon LaFell and other receivers leave the team in the past few weeks. If the season were to start today, their starting receivers would be players like Marvin McNutt, Kealoha Pilares and Tavarres King. Cam Newton cannot be very happy with that. Also, important defensive players like Quintin Mikell and Mike Mitchell are floating around the free agency.

Another loser of the 2014 NFL offseason thus far is the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys cut DeMarcus Ware to relieve cap space. Dallas also lost defensive end Jason Hatcher to divisional rival, the Washington Redskins. The team has been unable to sign any impressive defensive players in the free agency period and the opportunities to pick up such players are becoming scarce. The biggest move the Cowboys have made was signing quarterback Brandon Weeden to be Tony Romo’s backup, which is really not a big move at all.

The Oakland Raiders, the team entering the offseason with the most cap space in football, have had trouble signing players to fill the gaps in their system. The Raiders made a strong push to start by proposing a five-year, $42 million contract to Rams offensive tackle Rodger Saffold. However, Saffold failed his physical shortly after and the contract was voided. This left Oakland without a left tackle, which they sought after desperately. While the team did sign some veteran defensive players like LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Raiders have been unable to fill the gaps that they needed to address this offseason.

The fourth and final loser in the NFL 2014 offseason thus far is the Kansas City Chiefs. After completing a strong season last year, the Chiefs saw some of their most instrumental players depart. Left tackle Branden Albert, right tackle Geoff Schwartz and guard Jon Asamoah each signed elsewhere and left Kansas City with some unanswered questions at the offensive line. Also, versatile running back/wide receiver/kick returner Dexter McCluster left the team for the Tennessee Titans. With all of these players gone, the Chiefs are left in a spot that makes last season look unattainable in upcoming years if dire moves are not made in the near future.

About The Author

---- Senior | Editor-in-Chief Emeritus ---- Journalism/Communication

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.