4-Down Territory: Free-agency winners and losers, best and worst deals
Now that the major part of the 2023 NFL free agency cycle is past, it’s time to look at which teams accomplished the most with their transactions, and which teams still have a lot of work to do. 4-Down Territory hosts Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar get into it at the team level, and also the individual player level, with their winners and losers from free agency!
00:00 – Which team did the most to bolster their prospects for the 2023 season?
04:40 – Which team put itself on the wrong track?
09:38 – Which deal was the best in terms of player quality, team need, and price?
13:55 – Which of these deals was the worst in all these categories?
You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:
Which team did the most in free agency for their upcoming season?
(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Now that the major part of free agency has died down, which team did the most to bolster their prospects for the 2023 season?
Doug: The Miami Dolphins didn’t do a lot, but what they did could really pay off. Last year, they traded for Tyreek Hill to put their offense over the top, and this time around, they traded for Jalen Ramsey to hopefully do the same for their defense. Ramsey isn’t quite the pass defender he was a few years ago, but he’s still an excellent overhang cornerback, and he can press receivers out of their routes in short areas. It’s a big addition for a pass defense that needed it.
Then, the Dolphins signed former Titans linebacker David Long to a two-year, $11 million deal that may rise to the level of larceny. Long is one of the most underrated three-down linebackers in the NFL, and when you factor in that Miami also bagged defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as a free agent, I absolutely cannot wait to see what this defense looks like in 2023.
We also have to mention the Lions and their secondary – getting Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson on team-friendly deals was a series of home runs for a defense in desperate need – and I think the Lions should still consider the best cornerback available with the sixth overall pick.
Kyle: I love what the Lions have done. David Montgomery is a really good player — although I get that paying RBs is bad process, but betting against Jamal Williams replicating his 2022 season is fine. I love the CJ Gardner-Johnson signing, and adding him along with CBs Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley should help their defense significantly. That offense is gonna hum, and now they’ve given themselves some more flexibility in the draft with their two top 20 picks. They’re now the firm favorite in the NFC North for me.
So, I want to shout out the Bears here because I think adding DJ Moore and then Robert Tonyan to pair with Cole Kmet is exactly what they needed to do to help Justin Fields. The D’Onta Foreman add is sneaky fun too. More on them later though.
And which team made the most expensive mistakes that they'll feel in the 2023 season?
(Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)
Conversely, which team either lost the most, or made the most mistakes, to put itself on the wrong track?
Doug: The Denver Broncos were already dealing with the biggest contractual albatross in NFL history with their current quarterback. I have no earthly clue what they were thinking when they gave former 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey a five-year, $87.5 million deal with $50 million guaranteed. Through his career, McGlinchey has been a good, not great, player, and given the importance of right-side protection in any offense led by Russell Wilson, that’s a lot of cash to give a guy who does it pretty well – but not at a top-tier level.
Add in losing defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones to the Seahawks, and I’m at a loss. I do like the acquisition of former Cardinals pass-rusher Zach Allen, but at a time when the Broncos needed to do everything possible to build an airtight offense around Wilson, this was not the right answer – especially when you factor in the rumors of Denver being willing to offload one or more of their receivers.
Kyle: I’m gonna circle back to the Bears here. The process of throwing all that money at TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds after trading away Roquan Smith is bad. They also didn’t wind up with a right tackle — which now becomes their top priority with the No. 9 pick. I’m wary of banking on a rookie OT to protect your QB. Also — what are the Cardinals doing? Is this just a reset year for them with Kyler likely out for the season? Kyzir White is fine. Whatever. But Byron Murphy and Zach Allen both leaving — plus trade rumors with DeAndre Hopkins. This feels like a tear down. Rough.
Which free-agent deal was the best for quality, fit, and price?
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
Of all the free agency signings, which deal was the best in terms of player quality, team need, and price?
Doug: As weird as it seems to praise the Washington Commanders for anything these days, the signing of quarterback Jacoby Brissett to a one-year, $8 million deal with $7.5 million guaranteed was an absolute win in all those categories. Brissett is coming off a season with the Browns in which he not only became a locker room leader with Deshaun Watson hanging over his head, but he also improved as a quarterback. His decision-making processes sped up, he was more willing to turn the ball loose, and his teammates couldn’t say enough about how important he was in managing all the Watson-based dysfunction. The Commanders hope that Sam Howell is their future at the position, and maybe he is, but if there are any bumps in the road, Brissett is more than just a veteran mentor – he can help the Commanders win games with his expanded skill set.
Kyle: Is it bad if I go homer pick and say Javon Hargrave to the 49ers? I’ll skip that one and go instead with the Robert Tonyan signing for the Bears. There’s a world where the Bears go with a ton of 12 personnel and just wreak havoc with Cole Kmet and Tonyan and DJ Moore and Chase Claypool. Or they can go 22 with Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman with the pair of TEs. There is SO much cool stuff they can do offensively with two TEs who are capable blockers and real pass catching threats.
Which deal was the worst in terms of quality, fit, and price?
(Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
And finally, which of these deals was the worst in all these categories?
Doug: Outside of the McGlinchey deal, which still has me puzzled… The Chicago Bears needed linebackers, and they got one (former Eagles star T.J. Edwards) on a team-friendly deal, while shelling out all kinds of dollars for another in Tremaine Edmunds – a four-year, $72 million deal with $50 million guaranteed. That makes Edmunds the NFL’s fourth-highest paid linebacker on a per-year basis at $18 million AAV, just below Fred Warner. It’s not that Edmunds is a bad player – he had a very good 2022 season. But that’s one very good season after four in which Edmunds struggled to match his on-field acumen to his athleticism. Maybe the light that came on stays on, and maybe the Bears use Edmunds as more of an edge-rusher, which he can do… but it’s a lot to bet on, and the Bears are using a lot with which to bet.
Kyle: The Edmunds deal is definitely nuts and would be my answer here. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Derek Carr contract, man. Especially when you see what guys like Geno Smith and Jimmy Garoppolo got. It’s not that it’s gonna cripple them long term or anything, and they still might win the NFC South. But 4/150 with $100M guaranteed is just kind of bananas considering Carr’s track record.
