NFC Teams
ARIZONA (First-place in NFC West, NFC Champion, 9-7)
The Cardinals tied for the sixth best record in the conference and they cannot ignore that fact and their weak division when looking towards the future. They have to get better if they want to be an annual contender for the championship game.
Keeping Kurt Warner will help the offense continue to be productive, as long as they figure out some manner of making WR Anquan Boldin happy. RB Edgerrin James wants out and it makes sense to release him to help the Arizona salary cap.
They added RB Jason Wright (Cleveland) who will be able to handle the production lost when J.J. Arrington left (Denver). But they really don’t have another back to work with Tim Hightower right now. Figure they’ll be seeking a back fairly early in the NFL Draft.
Defensively, they signed Bryant McFadden (Pittsburgh) to replace Eric Green (Miami).
PHILADELPHIA (Second-place in NFC East, advanced to NFC title game, 9-6-1)
Throughout their long stretch among the conference’s contender group, the Eagles have seldom relied on UFAs.
They’ve cherry-picked a few over the years, just as they’ve done this year with OT Stacy Andrews (Cincinnati) and safeties Rashad Baker (Oakland) and Sean Jones (Cleveland). Andrews replaces Tra Thomas (Jacksonville) and Baker/Jones replaced Brian Dawkins (Denver) and Sean Considine (Jacksonville). Baker and Jones are both five-year veterans and will be 27 this year. Dawkins is 35, with 13 years in the league, while Considine will be 28 and in his fifth year in ’09.
Offensively, the Eagles still need weapons, especially now that they’ve lost RB Correll Buckhalter (Denver), WR Greg Lewis (New England) and TE L.J. Smith (Baltimore).
CAROLINA (First-place in NFC South, 12-4)
The Panthers need to get better, but right now they have no room to maneuver. They spent hugely on re-signing LT Jordan Gross and by designating DE Julius Peppers their franchise player, they have that tender offer tied up under the salary cap. Peppers wants out, but the Panthers can’t trade him until he signs the tender offer and even if he does ink the one-year deal, it doesn’t mean Carolina has to pay him.
That’s why Carolina hasn’t signed a single player. They’ve lost some offensive line depth, with C Geoff Hangartner (Buffalo) and T Frank Omiyale (Chicago) leaving.
NEW YORK GIANTS (First-place in NFC East, 12-4)
A year removed from their Super Bowl season, the Giants decided to spend some money and they concentrated on their defense. By adding DT Rocky Bernard (Seattle), DE Chris Canty (Dallas) and OLB Michael Boley (Atlanta), New York’s front seven has talent and depth.
They kept RB Brandon Jacobs as the franchise player and a new deal; but backup Derrick Ward (Tampa Bay) left and the team needs to find somebody else to help Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
MINNESOTA (First-place in NFC North, 10-6)
The Vikings have really pulled in the money-line for the UFA market; they’ve signed just one player of note, CB Karl Paymah (Denver). The only other major addition was quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who will compete with Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job.
Losing Matt Birk at center will be a problem; not so with Darren Sharper at safety. The veteran has lost his speed and play-making ability.
ATLANTA (First-place in NFC South, 11-5)
The Falcons defense has suffered some personnel losses in the UFA market, losing linebackers Michael Boley (NY Giants) and Keith Brooking (Dallas), CB Domonique Foxworth (Baltimore) and DT Grady Jackson (Detroit). Other than signing LB Mike Peterson (Jacksonville), Atlanta has not added much.
DALLAS (Third-place in NFC East, 9-7)
Jerry Jones has kept under control his spending tendencies in this off-season. He’s not dropped a lot of money on the UFAs that he’s signed, and he parted with Terrell Owens in hopes of improving team chemistry.
TAMPA BAY (Third-place in NFC South, 9-7)
Going into the free agency period, everyone expected the Bucs to be very busy in free agency because they had a league high amount of room under the salary cap, over $50 million available. But new GM Mark Dominik has not spent crazily. RB Derrick Ward (NY Giants) was a nice addition to the offense and if TE Kellen Winslow can get his act together, he may give the offense another weapon.
The problem is that Tampa Bay doesn’t have a top-line quarterback and their defense has gotten old. There’s a lot of building ahead for the Bucs.
CHICAGO (Second-place in NFC North, 9-7)
When a team is 9-7 and doesn’t make the playoffs, then it’s pretty apparent they need more talent. An infusion here and there could mean another one or two wins and allow the Bears to get back to the post-season. For whatever reason, Chicago has not been a major player in the UFA market. They’ve lost both of their starting tackles from last season in John Tait (retired) and John St. Clair (signed in Cleveland). They did ink Frank Omiyale (Carolina), but they have O-Line problems at tackle.
NEW ORLEANS (Fourth-place in NFC South, 8-8)
The Saints have added six UFAs, none would be considered top-dollar contracts or upper echelon talents. CB Jabari Greer (Buffalo) should help t he defense. Keeping WR Devery Henderson and LB Jonathan Vilma helps both sides of the ball.
WASHINGTON (Fourth-place in NFC East, 8-8)
As seems to be their pattern, the Redskins jumped early into the UFA-market and spent like a drunken sailor on shore leave. They signed DT Albert Haynesworth, G Derrick Dockery and kept CB DeAngelo Hall. Since then, they’ve been very quiet because they have no money.
SAN FRANCISCO (Second-place in NFC West, 7-9)
The Niners have been known to throw a lot of money around for UFAs, but that has not been the case this year. They’ve held the purse stringers and added good role players and guys that help the depth chart. San Francisco has plenty of holes in the roster, but they are obviously going to fill them with draft picks.
GREEN BAY (Third-place in NFC North, 6-10)
The Packers stumbled last year, but they’ve not panicked in this year’s UFA market. They’ve signed just one player and S Anthony Smith (Pittsburgh) is a guy for the depth chart. Green Bay has lost just one player, in DT Colin Cole (Seattle).
SEATTLE (Third-place in NFC West, 4-12)
There are a lot of changes with the Seahawks, from coaching, to schemes, to the roster. There have been key losses on both sides of the football from DT Rocky Bernard (NY Giants) and LB Julian Peterson (Detroit) on defense, to RB Maurice Morris (Detroit) and T Floyd Womack (Cleveland) on offense.
Seattle signed WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati) and they added DT Corey Redding in the trade with Detroit for Peterson. But they are going to need immediate help from their draft to improve on that 4-12 record.
ST. LOUIS (Fourth-place in NFC West, 2-14)
The Rams are under new direction with GM Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo and they’ve been judicious in their signing of UFAs. They best thing they did was keep one of their own, CB Ron Bartell and franchising S Oshiomogho Atogwe.
DETROIT (Fourth-place in NFC North, 0-16)
The Lions have been active in the last three weeks and coming off an 0-1 record, they should have been. New head coach Jim Schwartz has put the focus on defense and they’ve signed or traded for six players on that side of the ball, topped by LB Julian Peterson (Seattle), DT Grady Jackson (Atlanta) and CB Phillip Buchanon (Tampa Bay.)
RB Maurice Morris (Seattle) was a nice addition to the offense, but the Lions need more guys on that side o f the ball.
[...] READ MORE [...]