After the lockout the NFL had a matter of just a couple of weeks to get lots of wheeling and dealing done. Rookies as well as free agents needed to be signed quickly to get training camp and preseason on the way. Some teams stuck to resigning key veterans while others looked to make major moves. The following is a breakdown of some of the key moves made in the last few weeks:
Questionables
Randy Moss- Retired- After no team stepped forward to offer a long term deal, Randy Moss filed papers to retire from the NFL. Whether or not he will remain retired remains to be seen. As the season goes along and injuries start to happen he may be a key acquisition for some team desperate for a veteran with reliable hands. However Randy Moss's mouth and bad attitude may deter most teams from reaching out to sign him.
Terrell Owens-Unsigned-After suffering an ACL tear in April, the 38 year old veteran hasn't found a team ready to take a chance on him. Whether it is the combination of his age and injury or his mouth that is keeping teams away no one will say for sure. Recent youtube video shows T.O. showing off his agility to prove to teams his leg is healthy. As time goes on he may convince a team to take a chance on it in particular once teams are decimated by injuries and are in desperate need. Until then T.O. may have to sit and wait.
Free Agent Signings & Trades
AFC
East
Buffalo Bills- Bills biggest moves were to sign their draft picks Chris White, Johnny White, Marcell Dareus, Da'Norris Searcy, Aaron Williams, Chris Hairston, Michael Jasper & Justin Rogers and resign veterans Drayton Florence, Scott Chandler & Garrison Sanborn. Their most major free agent signings were QB Tyler Thigpen, WR Brad Smith & LB Nick Barnett. This is a team in desperate need of wins so any help to their receiving corp or defense is welcome.
Miami Dolphins- after signing all their draft picks and resigning veterans, Dolphins made some serious moves in the free agent market. They traded S Jonothon Amaya and future draft picks to the Saints for RB Reggie Bush. They then signed LB Jason Trusnik, QB Matt Moore, LB Kevin Burnett, DT Ronald Fields & T Ray Willis. Dolphins must make improvements this season or chances are they will be searching for a new head coach.
New England Patriots- Patriots were one of several teams who made some of the most serious moves in the last few weeks. They traded away draft picks for DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco. They also signed DT Stephen Williams, C Chris Morris, DE Mark Anderson & DE Shaun Ellis. Ochocinco should be a help at receiver since the Pats lacked a good deep threat once trading WR Randy Moss last season. With good pick ups on defense they should be a formidable opponent for their division.
New York Jets- The Jets were quick to sign all of their draft picks and resign key veterans Mark Brunell, Santonio Holmes & Antonio Cromartie. Their biggest of all free agent acquistion was the signing of recently released WR Plaxico Burress. Burress has been incarcerated for 2 years so his ability to get into football shape quickly and be an effective contribution this season will be an important factor for himself and his future as well as the Jets playoff chances this season.
Questionables
Randy Moss- Retired- After no team stepped forward to offer a long term deal, Randy Moss filed papers to retire from the NFL. Whether or not he will remain retired remains to be seen. As the season goes along and injuries start to happen he may be a key acquisition for some team desperate for a veteran with reliable hands. However Randy Moss's mouth and bad attitude may deter most teams from reaching out to sign him.
Terrell Owens-Unsigned-After suffering an ACL tear in April, the 38 year old veteran hasn't found a team ready to take a chance on him. Whether it is the combination of his age and injury or his mouth that is keeping teams away no one will say for sure. Recent youtube video shows T.O. showing off his agility to prove to teams his leg is healthy. As time goes on he may convince a team to take a chance on it in particular once teams are decimated by injuries and are in desperate need. Until then T.O. may have to sit and wait.
Free Agent Signings & Trades
AFC
East
Buffalo Bills- Bills biggest moves were to sign their draft picks Chris White, Johnny White, Marcell Dareus, Da'Norris Searcy, Aaron Williams, Chris Hairston, Michael Jasper & Justin Rogers and resign veterans Drayton Florence, Scott Chandler & Garrison Sanborn. Their most major free agent signings were QB Tyler Thigpen, WR Brad Smith & LB Nick Barnett. This is a team in desperate need of wins so any help to their receiving corp or defense is welcome.
Miami Dolphins- after signing all their draft picks and resigning veterans, Dolphins made some serious moves in the free agent market. They traded S Jonothon Amaya and future draft picks to the Saints for RB Reggie Bush. They then signed LB Jason Trusnik, QB Matt Moore, LB Kevin Burnett, DT Ronald Fields & T Ray Willis. Dolphins must make improvements this season or chances are they will be searching for a new head coach.
New England Patriots- Patriots were one of several teams who made some of the most serious moves in the last few weeks. They traded away draft picks for DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco. They also signed DT Stephen Williams, C Chris Morris, DE Mark Anderson & DE Shaun Ellis. Ochocinco should be a help at receiver since the Pats lacked a good deep threat once trading WR Randy Moss last season. With good pick ups on defense they should be a formidable opponent for their division.
New York Jets- The Jets were quick to sign all of their draft picks and resign key veterans Mark Brunell, Santonio Holmes & Antonio Cromartie. Their biggest of all free agent acquistion was the signing of recently released WR Plaxico Burress. Burress has been incarcerated for 2 years so his ability to get into football shape quickly and be an effective contribution this season will be an important factor for himself and his future as well as the Jets playoff chances this season.
North
Baltimore Ravens- Ravens cut RB Willis McGahee and WR Derrick Mason while quickly signing all their draft picks. In their places they nabbed RBs Vonta Leach & Ricky Williams from free agency and traded for WR Lee Evans (for a 2012 4th round pick with the Buffalo Bills). They also signed DB Bernard Pollard & TE Jonathan Stupar. Ravens play consistently on defense so by making so many upgrades on offense will hopefully make them more of a scoring threat.
Cincinnati Bengals- Owner Mike Brown called QB Carson Palmer's bluff of retiring if he wasnt traded so this season will see all new faces with Palmer, Ochocinco and T.O. all gone. To that they quickly signed draft picks QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green. They resigned QB Jordan Palmer and signed QB Bruce Gradkowski & TE Bo Scaife. With such tremendous turnover it may be a struggle this season for the Bengals to be competitive in their division.
Cleveland Browns- Browns didnt go after big names like their division rivals. Instead they chose to bring in players to tighten up an offense that showed great promise at times last season. They cut the dead weight of Jake Delhomme, resigned back up QB Seneca Wallace & traded for OL John Greco. On defense they resigned DEs Derreck Robinson & Jayme Mitchell, NT Brian Schaefering, signed DB Dimitri Patterson & all their draft picks most of which were on defense. Cleveland should have a much better season but still will most likely finish 3rd.
Pittsburgh Steelers- Steelers biggest move was to resign free agent CB Ike Taylor. They signed DB Kevin Dockery, WR Jerricho Cotchery & TE John Gilmore & resigned free agents DB William Gay, P Daniel Sepulveda, LS Greg Warren, OT Jonathan Scott, T Willie Colon, K Shaun Suisham, RB Mewelde Moore, NT Chris Hoke & QB Dennis Dixon. They still have 1 of the toughest defenses in all of football and will still be the team to beat in the north division.
South
Houston Texans- After quickly resigning all of their biggest free agents, Texans went after 1 of the biggest free agents in DB Jonathan Joseph. They also signed free agents DB Danieal Manning, P Brad Maynard & RB Lawrence Vickers. They also signed RB Javarris Williams, WR Devard Darling & LB Tim Dobbins. Texans are a middle of the road team in need of consistency to become a legitimate contender in the south division.
Indianapolis Colts- Colts made sure to lock up their biggest free agents on offense by signing deals with QB Peyton Manning, RB Joseph Addai & K Adam Vinatieri. On defense they resigned DTs Antonio Johnson & Eric Foster & DB Melvin Bullitt. They signed LB Ernie Sims & DE Tyler Brayton. Colts struggled last year and with Manning coming back off an injury this season will be a test for them.
Jacksonville Jaguars- Jags drafted a phenomenal qb in rookie Blaine Gabbert. They signed free agent DBs Dawan Landry & Drew Coleman, LBs Matt Roth, Gerris Wilkinson, Paul Posluszny & Clint Session, C Jason Spitz, P Matt Turk, T Tony Moll & resigned TE Marcedes Lewis. QB David Garrard is injury prone and was pulled several times last season for poor performance so this can potentially become Gabbert's team very quickly. Jags can easily become the team to beat if they can get points on the board efficiently and quickly each week.
Tennessee Titans- After cutting QB Vince Young, Titans quickly signed their rookie draft pick QB Jake Locker and signed free agent QB Matt Hasselback. They then signed LB Barrett Ruud, DT Shaun Smith, TE Daniel Graham, DBs Frank Walker, Anthony Smith & Jordan Babineaux & T Pat McQuistan. Titans are hoping the change at QB is the spark they need to turn them around but if they don't a deal worked out with RB Chris Johnson it may be harder to do better than the .500 they did last season.
West
Denver Broncos- after the season of misery last year, Broncos look to make some drastic changes. First they brought in head coach John Fox. Next they quickly revamped their defense by signing their defense heavy draft picks including first round pick LB Von Miller. They traded for DE Jeremy Jarmon & DT Brodrick Bunkley & signed free agents TEs Daniel Fells & Dante Rosario, RB Willis McGahee, DE Ty Warren, WR David Anderson, DE Derrick Harvey & brought in LB Alvin Bowen & DT DeMario Pressley. By strengthening a defense that ranked 32nd overall the Broncos hope to once again become a dominant force in the west division.
Kansas City Chiefs- Chiefs finished 1st in the west division last season & hope to make it further into the playoffs this season. They signed free agent WR Steve Breaston, DT Kelly Gregg, LB Brandon Siler, RB Le'Ron McClain, DB Sabby Piscitelli, DE Amon Gordon & OT Jared Gaither. Chiefs have the most potential to do well in the west if they can get off to a fast start.
Oakland Raiders- Raiders dominated the west division last season but still finished .500 & out of the playoffs so need to make some vast improvements to become more competitive. They signed free agents QB Trent Edwards, OT Stephon Heyer, TE Kevin Boss, DBs Matt Giordano & Josh Bullocks & resigned many key veteran players. They have a new head coach in their former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson & hope that this season they can get back to a winning tradition.
San Diego Chargers- After several years of dominance in the west, Chargers found themselves finishing out of the playoffs last season. They signed S Bob Sanders to a 1 year deal and quickly signed free agent LB Takeo Spikes. Plagued by injuries last season, Chargers hope to keep a healthy receiving corp and a smash mouth defense throughout the season.
NFC
North
Chicago Bears- Bears finished 1st in their division but still lost to the Packers in the NFC championship. Hoping to make some improvements they signed TE Matt Spaeth & Desmond Clark, WRs Roy Williams & Sam Hurd, RB Marion Barber, FB Will Ta'ufo'ou, P Adam Podlesh, LB Nick Roach & DL Vernon Gholston. The north division is up for grabs and Bears hope to make a play for it again this season.
Detroit Lions-after losing Matt Stafford to injury for most of the season Lions struggled down the stretch. Looking to make improvements on their defense they drafted defense heavy and went after many defensive free agents. They drafted DT Nick Fairley to bring in next to last year's defensive rookie of the year DT Ndamukong Suh. They signed free agents WRs, Maurice Stovall & Rashied Davis, LBs Stephen Tulloch & Justin Durant, CB Maurice Leggett, DBs Aaron Francisco, Anthony Madison, Michael Johnson & Eric Wright, DE Keyunta Dawson, RBs Mike Bell & Jerome Harrison, C Rudy Niswanger & T Kirk Chambers. If they can keep Stafford healthy Lions should have a much improved season.
Green Bay Packers- The Super Bowl winners made sure to resign many of their valuable free agents and quickly sign all of their draft picks. They didnt pursue any big name free agents confident that they have a team that will most likely play well into the playoffs this season.
Minnesota Vikings- after last year's fiasco, Vikings look to make a fresh start. They traded draft picks for QB Donovan McNabb. They signed free agents WRs Devin Aromashodu & Michael Jenkins, LB Mark Washington, T Charlie Johnson & DE Stylez G White. With no Brett Favre or Sidney Rice the Vikings may find themselves without an identity but can potentially play well in the toughest division in the NFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers- Steelers biggest move was to resign free agent CB Ike Taylor. They signed DB Kevin Dockery, WR Jerricho Cotchery & TE John Gilmore & resigned free agents DB William Gay, P Daniel Sepulveda, LS Greg Warren, OT Jonathan Scott, T Willie Colon, K Shaun Suisham, RB Mewelde Moore, NT Chris Hoke & QB Dennis Dixon. They still have 1 of the toughest defenses in all of football and will still be the team to beat in the north division.
South
Houston Texans- After quickly resigning all of their biggest free agents, Texans went after 1 of the biggest free agents in DB Jonathan Joseph. They also signed free agents DB Danieal Manning, P Brad Maynard & RB Lawrence Vickers. They also signed RB Javarris Williams, WR Devard Darling & LB Tim Dobbins. Texans are a middle of the road team in need of consistency to become a legitimate contender in the south division.
Indianapolis Colts- Colts made sure to lock up their biggest free agents on offense by signing deals with QB Peyton Manning, RB Joseph Addai & K Adam Vinatieri. On defense they resigned DTs Antonio Johnson & Eric Foster & DB Melvin Bullitt. They signed LB Ernie Sims & DE Tyler Brayton. Colts struggled last year and with Manning coming back off an injury this season will be a test for them.
Jacksonville Jaguars- Jags drafted a phenomenal qb in rookie Blaine Gabbert. They signed free agent DBs Dawan Landry & Drew Coleman, LBs Matt Roth, Gerris Wilkinson, Paul Posluszny & Clint Session, C Jason Spitz, P Matt Turk, T Tony Moll & resigned TE Marcedes Lewis. QB David Garrard is injury prone and was pulled several times last season for poor performance so this can potentially become Gabbert's team very quickly. Jags can easily become the team to beat if they can get points on the board efficiently and quickly each week.
Tennessee Titans- After cutting QB Vince Young, Titans quickly signed their rookie draft pick QB Jake Locker and signed free agent QB Matt Hasselback. They then signed LB Barrett Ruud, DT Shaun Smith, TE Daniel Graham, DBs Frank Walker, Anthony Smith & Jordan Babineaux & T Pat McQuistan. Titans are hoping the change at QB is the spark they need to turn them around but if they don't a deal worked out with RB Chris Johnson it may be harder to do better than the .500 they did last season.
West
Denver Broncos- after the season of misery last year, Broncos look to make some drastic changes. First they brought in head coach John Fox. Next they quickly revamped their defense by signing their defense heavy draft picks including first round pick LB Von Miller. They traded for DE Jeremy Jarmon & DT Brodrick Bunkley & signed free agents TEs Daniel Fells & Dante Rosario, RB Willis McGahee, DE Ty Warren, WR David Anderson, DE Derrick Harvey & brought in LB Alvin Bowen & DT DeMario Pressley. By strengthening a defense that ranked 32nd overall the Broncos hope to once again become a dominant force in the west division.
Kansas City Chiefs- Chiefs finished 1st in the west division last season & hope to make it further into the playoffs this season. They signed free agent WR Steve Breaston, DT Kelly Gregg, LB Brandon Siler, RB Le'Ron McClain, DB Sabby Piscitelli, DE Amon Gordon & OT Jared Gaither. Chiefs have the most potential to do well in the west if they can get off to a fast start.
Oakland Raiders- Raiders dominated the west division last season but still finished .500 & out of the playoffs so need to make some vast improvements to become more competitive. They signed free agents QB Trent Edwards, OT Stephon Heyer, TE Kevin Boss, DBs Matt Giordano & Josh Bullocks & resigned many key veteran players. They have a new head coach in their former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson & hope that this season they can get back to a winning tradition.
San Diego Chargers- After several years of dominance in the west, Chargers found themselves finishing out of the playoffs last season. They signed S Bob Sanders to a 1 year deal and quickly signed free agent LB Takeo Spikes. Plagued by injuries last season, Chargers hope to keep a healthy receiving corp and a smash mouth defense throughout the season.
NFC
North
Chicago Bears- Bears finished 1st in their division but still lost to the Packers in the NFC championship. Hoping to make some improvements they signed TE Matt Spaeth & Desmond Clark, WRs Roy Williams & Sam Hurd, RB Marion Barber, FB Will Ta'ufo'ou, P Adam Podlesh, LB Nick Roach & DL Vernon Gholston. The north division is up for grabs and Bears hope to make a play for it again this season.
Detroit Lions-after losing Matt Stafford to injury for most of the season Lions struggled down the stretch. Looking to make improvements on their defense they drafted defense heavy and went after many defensive free agents. They drafted DT Nick Fairley to bring in next to last year's defensive rookie of the year DT Ndamukong Suh. They signed free agents WRs, Maurice Stovall & Rashied Davis, LBs Stephen Tulloch & Justin Durant, CB Maurice Leggett, DBs Aaron Francisco, Anthony Madison, Michael Johnson & Eric Wright, DE Keyunta Dawson, RBs Mike Bell & Jerome Harrison, C Rudy Niswanger & T Kirk Chambers. If they can keep Stafford healthy Lions should have a much improved season.
Green Bay Packers- The Super Bowl winners made sure to resign many of their valuable free agents and quickly sign all of their draft picks. They didnt pursue any big name free agents confident that they have a team that will most likely play well into the playoffs this season.
Minnesota Vikings- after last year's fiasco, Vikings look to make a fresh start. They traded draft picks for QB Donovan McNabb. They signed free agents WRs Devin Aromashodu & Michael Jenkins, LB Mark Washington, T Charlie Johnson & DE Stylez G White. With no Brett Favre or Sidney Rice the Vikings may find themselves without an identity but can potentially play well in the toughest division in the NFC.
South
Atlanta Falcons-Falcons signed DE Ray Edwards and drafted WR Julio Jones to compliment WR Roddy White. The south is a division up for grabs and Falcons should easily be able to control it.
Carolina Panthers- Panthers are coming off their worst season. They fired coach John Fox and drafted QB Cam Newton. In free agency they signed DB Sean Considine, LB Omar Gaither, K Olindo Mare, WR Legedu Naanee & DT Ron Edwards. Panthers till have QB Jimmy Clausen who they drafted last year and were able to resign RB Deangelo Williams so they potentially have enough weapons now to put together a better season.
New Orleans Saints- Saints traded RB Reggie Bush for DB Jonathon Amaya. They signed RBs Korey Hall & Darren Sproles, LB Will Herring, DB Fabian Washington. The Saints are looking to sharply improve and return to a playoff berth this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-
East
Dallas Cowboys-
New York Giants-
Philadelphia Eagles-
Washington Redskins-
West
Arizona Cardinals-
St. Louis Rams-
San Francisco 49'ers-
Seattle Seahawks-
