With the bulk of free agency and the entire NFL Draft officially behind us, it’s time to look at how each team did in the offseason. Did they get better? Worse? What grade did each team receive? All those questions, and more, answered here. We’ll move through one division at a time continuing today with the AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens
Free Agency Grade: D
Baltimore lost key players and made no impact signings. Gone is Pernell McPhee. Gone is Torrey Smith. Gone is Owen Daniels. To replace them they brought in… nobody. So why did I not give them an F? They re-signed Forsett for a bargain price and traded Ngata, whom they were thinking of cutting, for two mid-round picks. Neither of those moves include adding new impact players however.
NFL Draft Grade: B
You see all the names I mentioned above? The Ravens tried to replace them via the draft. Breshad Perriman replaced Smith. Maxx Williams replaced Daniels. Carl Davis is the new tackle up front replacing Ngata. And Za’Darius Smith is the new edge guy to replace McPhee. All could be impact players, but maybe not right away.
Overall Grade: C
While free agency was awful, the draft filled in the gaps. My bet is that they remain about the same this season as they were a year ago. In the mix but not an elite team. This is likely a team that will miss the playoffs once again. However, all that new talent could equal good things over the next few years.
Cincinnati Bengals
Free Agency Grade: B
Big names were added in free agency, but who knows if production will follow. Those players are Denarius Moore, A.J. Hawk, and Michael Johnson. All could make immediate impacts and get some major playing time. All three could flop too. I was a fan of their extension of Rey Maualuga, but losing Taylor Mays could hurt depth in the secondary.
NFL Draft Grade: B+
While taking tackles (Ogbuehi and Fisher) in the first two rounds is somewhat baffling, it’s also somewhat intriguing. Both are terrific prospects that could transform their offensive line in the years to come. If you put aside character issues, they also got two steals when they took Paul Dawson and Josh Shaw in the middle rounds. I’ve been told to also keep an eye on Mario Alford also, who some believe could be a major playmaker.
Overall Grade: A-
I thought the team did a good job adding quality and depth on both sides of the ball. If the newcomers can all make an impact, this is a team that could be back on top of the AFC North at the end of the season. It will be a battle though, as this division is always tough.
Cleveland Browns
Free Agency Grade: B
There were a lot of good moves made in Cleveland this offseason. Signing Tramon Williams was one of them. He’ll be great opposite Joe Haden, and he allowed the team to let Skrine walk. Adding Bowe, Hartline, and Housler was key, as they lost Cameron and Austin. It was also important for them adding Josh McCown, a veteran QB to compete (or start over) Manziel. These moves helped improve the team.
NFL Draft Grade: A
What helped even more however was the draft. Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving are studs and will help transform the trenches on offense and defense. Nate Orchard, Duke Johnson, and Xavier Cooper will all make an impact, potentially this season. Ibraheim Campbell is a player to watch at safety, and they also got one of the steals of the draft when they selected Ifo Ekpre-Olomu in the seventh round. Overall, I loved this draft.
Overall Grade: A-
Along with the moves above, I thought it was great for the franchise that Johnny Manziel completed some rehab to deal with the off-the-field stuff. I still believe he could be a solid QB, even if the world doesn’t. But the team is also set up well to succeed without a world-beater at quarterback. That’s important in case I am wrong.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Free Agency Grade: C
Pittsburgh sat back in free agency and simply tried to re-sign their guys. They succeeded bringing back most of them, but Jason Worilds shockingly retired. That hurt. DeAngelo Williams was one sneaky good signing they had, especially with Bell out the first few games.
NFL Draft Grade: A
While some are down on the Steelers’ draft, I am a huge fan. Bud Dupree has the makings of a stud, and I thought he’d go higher than 22 on draft day. He replaces Worilds perfectly. Senquez Golson is another promising player, and a needed one in the secondary (along with Doran Grant). Sammy Coates is a freak athletically, which is why I loved that selection in the third round. He could be the WR that Wheaton never has developed into. But their selection of Gerod Holliman in the seventh round could have been their best. He led the country in interceptions last season, and I thought he’d be selected in the third round or so. Great draft with a lot of promising players.
Overall Grade: B-
Despite the solid draft, I still can’t grade their offseason any higher than this. They did nothing in free agency and many of the drafted players need developmental time. There was also the suspension of LeVeon Bell for three games, and that will be very costly to start the season. Still, this is still a contender in the division.
By: The Sports Guys
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