I picked my favorite free agent signings for each of the NFC teams yesterday. Here are my favorite signings for each of the AFC teams.
Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Jones, DT
The Chiefs have yet to sign a free agent. They've seen a couple of their starters (Kendall Fuller and Stefen Wisniewski) leave. Good teams often see players leave and the Chiefs are the champs. They did use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Chris Jones. It looks like their keeping one of the most important players but they did trade the last player that they tagged. Nothing's a done deal until it is. The Chiefs need to sign Jones to a long term deal. Or ship him to the Vikings.
Denver Broncos
Defensive Trades
The best offseason moves of the Broncos have been the two trades that they made for defensive players. The acquired corneback A.J. Bouye and defensive tackle Jurrell Casey for a fourth- and a seventh-round pick, respectively. They assume a couple serious contracts but they add terrific players to their defense. Head coach Vic Fangio should be very happy.
Los Angeles Chargers
Bryan Bulaga, OT
The Chargers had to improve their offensive line and they added one of the best right tackles in the league in Bryan Bulaga. As long as he's healthy this is an excellent addition.
Las Vegas Raiders
Nick Kwiatkoski, LB
The Raiders have been very active in free agency. Nick Kwiatkoski was never a full-time starter in Chicago. I never understood it. Every time I saw him play he simply made plays. I expect him to be the leader of an improving, on paper, Raiders defense.
Houston Texans
Not-a-thing
I'll continue the bashing of general manager(?) Bill O'Brien. The Texans should've gotten more for trading DeAndre Hopkins than the Vikings got for trading Stefon Diggs. They didn't. If David Johnson stays healthy and returns to his 2000-yards from scrimmage ways, the trade might be a push. For now, it's a joke.
Tennessee Titans
Vic Beasley, Edge
If Vic Beasley plays like he did in 2016, this is a great signing by the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts
DeForest Buckner, DT
I'll look past the fine signing of Philip Rivers and go with the terrific trade for Deforest Buckner. A single first round pick is a bargain for one of the 2-3 best defensive players in the league. The Colts are building a very intriguing defense.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Joe Schobert, LB
It must be a gas to be a Jaguars fan. They add a boatload of high-end draft talent and expensive free agents, have a blink of success, and then tear the whole thing down. Right now, I tap the Jaguars as the team most likely to be drafting first in the 2021 NFL Draft. As for the signing of Joe Schobert, I really liked him throughout his time in Cleveland. It's interesting that his deal with the Jaguars is for five years. That doesn't happen too often in this era of short-term deals.
Baltimore Ravens
Michael Brockers/Calais Campbell, DL
Other than their practice of often letting home-grown talent leave in exchange for Compensatory Picks, I'm annually a big fan of the moves that the Ravens make. The addition of Calais Campbell through trade and Michael Brockers through free agency are excellent additions. If Campbell does nothing on the field for the Ravens he'll make an immediate, positive impact on the locker room. He's just a great guy and team leader. Brockers played in Aaron Donald's immense shadow in Los Angeles but he often made a few impact plays of his own in every game. He should get the opportunity to make an even bigger impact on the Ravens defense.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Stefen Wisniewski, G
The Steelers haven't been too active in free agency. If the pattern holds, the addition of Stefen Wisniewski should bring another Lombardi to Pittsburgh. He signs with the Eagles-Super Bowl. He signs with the Chiefs-Super Bowl. He's a mercenary and good things happen wherever he goes. Despite never staying in one place very long he's also a very good football player.
Cleveland Browns
Jack Conklin, OT
The Browns have been signing free agents in bulk. They had to improve their offensive line. Jack Conklin was the best free agent offensive lineman and one of the better right tackles in the league. Good deal.
Cincinnati Bengals
D.J. Reader, DT
Has Mike Brown been locked out of the building? The Bengals embraced free agency this year like they rarely have. Perhaps never have. D.J. Reader is literally the biggest of their several signings. He's developed into one of the best nose tackles in the league.
New England Patriots
Beau Allen, DT
I've been intrigued by Beau Allen since the 2014 NFL Draft. He's never been a star. He's never been an every-down player. He's one of those high-effort grinders that does nothing but help his team.
New York Jets
Connor McGovern, G
The Jets had to improve their offensive line. Connor McGovern is a solid step in that direction.
Miami Dolphins
Byron Jones, CB
The Dolphins have been one of the most active teams in free agency. They made a few signings that I like (Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson among them). I'll go with the signing of Byron Jones as my favorite. Paired with Xavien Howard, the Dolphins now have one of the best cornerback duos in the league. They are certainly the highest-paid duo.
Buffalo Bills
Stefon Diggs, WR
The Bills have been active and I like nearly all of their signings. I'll go with the addition that I actually like the least. As a Vikings fan, I hated to see Stefon Diggs go. He's been one of my favorite players since the day that he was drafted. At least the Vikings got a solid return on the trade. On the Bills side of things, Diggs is an outstanding addition to a fast improving team.
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