Best Free Agency Moves

By Kalen Patrick

Well the NFL is back in full swing, Training Camps all over the country are open, and of course there have been the usual flurry of action in Free Agency. Millions of Dollars have been thrown around and now it's time to judge the decisions of the various GM's around the NFL. Of course we won't know how all of these contracts will turn out until we see the production on the field. But it sure is fun to speculate, right?

The team I have to grade the highest so far this offseason is the Eagles. Without a doubt the best move in my opinion far and away was Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles. This is a guy who despite being stranded in obscurity in Oakland for years, was still recognized as arguably the best CB in all of Football. I gotta give the Eagles an A+ for their offseason. They undoubtedly have the best secondary in Football as it stands right now. For Kevin Kolb (an average backup QB) they received a quality CB in Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, in addition to a 2nd round pick from the Arizona Cardinals. So you add DRC, then you sign only the best CB in the game in Asomugha for a very reasonable price. 

Furthermore, you already have Asante Samuel, who you can now trade to the highest bidder. A team like the 49ers could very well use his services, and would likely get the Eagles another 2nd round pick. Other notable additions are Jason Babin who had a monster 2010 season (12.5 sacks), Vince Young (30-16 as a starter) and draft picks Danny Watkins (OG) and Jaiquawn Jarrett (S).

Think about this for a second. The Eagles have managed to drastically improve the secondary, Vick's backup was the average Kolb (Career QB rating of 73.2) and now the proven winner in VY, and bolster the lines with Babin and Watkins, in addtion to possibly acquiring an extra 2 2nd rounders for next years draft. Stroke of genius if you ask me, and now Philly are primed for a very deep run in the playoffs.

The next team is another usual suspect. Gotta go with the New England Patriots. For the small small price of 5th round and 2 6th round picks, the Patriots have managed to acquire Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ocho Cinco. Of course both of these guys have many question marks and issues, but lets be honest, if anyone can get these guys on track, its Bill Belichek and the Patriots. They turned Randy Moss from a lost cause to the best receiver in Football. For the small price, if they can get these guys playing at anywhere near what we know they can, then these might be the biggest steals this year.

Other teams and moves I briefly wanna touch on include: Reggie Bush traded to the Miami Dolphins, I actually love this move. While Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams put up solid numbers, the Dolphins have been lacking a big play threat, something that Reggie specializes in. I look for Bush to have a big impact in Miami, he will fit in like a glove, with the wildcat formations and all the crazy stuff the Dolphins always do on offense.

I also like what Carolina have done. A young raw rookie QB's best friend are his TE's, and the Panthers have definitely added some impact players there. Ben Hartsock will be the reliable blocker, while having Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey will be catching a ton of balls from Cam Newton. I think if Newton can step up, Carolina can be a team that quickly turns it around, a la Miami and Atlanta a few years back. They did a great job, resigning their notable players in DeAngelo Williams and Chris Johnson. Also getting Steve Smith committed is also huge for Newtons development.

FOR A TEAM THAT WENT 2-14, CAM NEWTON HAS A LOT OF TALENT TO WORK WITH

Finally, I wanna touch on one of the under the radar moves which I think will end up having a huge impact. I really thought Mike Sims Walker got a raw deal in Jacksonville. I look for him and Bradford to have a very very solid season together in St. Louis. Sims Walker was a fantasy stud and surprise in 2009. Expectations were through the roof and the Jags passing game struggled mightily in 2010. I think he can have a major bounce back year with Bradford, in the Josh McDaniels offense.

That's it for now, I'm hoping for some/any news about my 49ers. Frustration is getting to an all time high. There is still time to salvage the offseason by making some possible key signings, like Olin Kreutz, Malcolm Floyd, Cromartie/Carlos Rogers, James Jones etc etc. Lets start moving forward in the Harbaalke era in San Francisco.

The NFC West - Trades That Should Happen

The NFC West is easily the worst division in football, after the draft not much has changed in that regard. Why is the NFC West the weakest division? Lets take a look at the projected starting QB's for the teams in the NFC West as it stands right now:
Arizona - John Skelton, San Francisco - Alex Smith, Seattle - Matt Hasselbeck and St.Louis - Sam Bradford. Besides for Bradford, the rest of the projected starters leave a lot to be desired. However, once the lockout is over and trades can happen, I can see the NFC West being extremely active in acquiring QB's. So these are my projected trade ideas.


Trade 1
Kevin Kolb to Seattle for two 2nd rounders and Matt Hasselbeck (essentially do a sign and trade). Lets look in to the reasoning of each team in this trade, and why it makes sense.
For Seattle - They need a new QB, the fact that they didn't draft any in April is telling to me. In this trade Seattle would get a young potentially franchise QB. Not only this, but they get a QB who is familiar with the West Coast Offense, so even in a shortened offseason, the transition to Seattle won't be too difficult for Kolb.

                Kevin Kolb would be a welcome addition to the Seattle Seahawks


For Philadelphia - I'm thinking behind the scenes in Philly that Kolb has been hinting at wanting out. He feels he deserves a starting job and he won't get that in Philly. So in this scenario, Philly gets two 2nd rounders and they get an excellent veteran in Hasselbeck. Should Vick go down during the season Hasselbeck would be an ideal back up for Andy Reid.

Trade 2
Carson Palmer to Arizona for 1st and 3rd round picks.
For Arizona - I keep reading on ESPN how the Cardinals will go get Kolb, but the better fit is definitely Carson Palmer. Now of course you guys reading will quickly think, "oh but the Bengals won't trade Palmer!" well I say read my post titled "The Carson Palmer Dilemma". Now the price is quite steep from a Cardinals perspective, but they showed how good they can be with an established veteran QB. Palmer has more years in him than Warner did when he took over the starting gig in Arizona. You know Fitzgerald is pushing for a big move to get a QB and not drafting a QB tells me they are looking at trade options. Ken Whisenhunt cannot afford another season like last year. They go with the big splash, and something tells me this move will keep him in Arizona for some time.

For Cincinnati - Andy Dalton is the QB of the future in Cincy, there is way too much bad blood between Carson Palmer and the Bengals organization to stay together. Eventually the Bengals will wise up and trade him. In this scenario they get some nice picks to build their franchise from. Odds are Cincy won't be too competitive starting the rookie Dalton. So having two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks (explained later) and two 3rd round picks should go a long way to getting them back in playoff contention.

Now, not all the trades in this division will involve QB's, lets take a look at what else I think should happen.

Trade 3
Chad OchoCinco and 4th round pick to St. Louis for a 2nd round pick.
For St. Louis - Lets face it Sam Bradford needs weapons. He did a solid job with some not so spectacular options at WR. OchoCinco would instantly become the best WR on the team, would provide a reliable productive target for the young Sam Bradford and honestly, he would bring some media attention to the Rams. They have almost become forgotten after so many awful seasons. Now they are ready to take the leap in to the big stage.

                   How good would OchoCinco look in a St. Louis Rams uniform?

For Cincinnati - Its rebuilding time in Cincinnati, and they need a fresh start. They need to move on from Palmer and OchoCinco. Opposite to St. Louis, Cincinnati needs less unnecessary attention in the media while they get this team rebuilt. I can't imagine OchoCinco being too happy to get passes from a rookie with little to no workouts in the offseason. This trade helps give Cincy 2 picks in each of the first 3 rounds.

As for San Francisco, I don't project any major trades to occur for them and I don't think they should be looking for a big trade. Their future at QB is Colin Kaepernick, and they have a nice surrounding cast for him on offense with Gore, Vernon Davis and Crabtree. I do see them looking in Free Agency at a CB like Ike Taylor or Jonathan Joseph.