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 West:
Denver Broncos
Free Agency Grade: D
Although they kept Demaryius Thomas via tag, they have yet to secure him long-term. And in committing to the tag, they failed to re-sign “Pot Roast”, Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin, Rahim Moore, and others. Those are big pieces to the team. And although they wisely re-structured Manning’s contract, the team around him is worse than last season for sure. The only notable addition is Owen Daniels, but he is a downgrade from Julius Thomas in so many ways.
NFL Draft Grade: C+
They were aggressive early trading up for Shane Ray, a move that could pay dividends. But with Ware and Miller, why did they feel compelled to take the risk? To me, this move came at the expense of other need positions such as DT, S, and more. They did take a few intriguing offensive linemen, although they also traded one away during the draft to the Lions. Will Manning have enough protection? Those are big concerns in my opinion.
Overall Grade: C-
Keeping Manning and re-structuring him was obviously big, but the rest of the team got worse, and I believe their coaching staff is worse now than a year ago. They will still be solid this season, but I doubt they’ll improve on their performance from a year ago. I hate to see it, but Manning and the Broncos have officially wasted their shot at a Super Bowl.
Kansas City Chiefs
Free Agency Grade: B
This is a team that lost a lot of role players to other teams, the biggest loss being Rodney Hudson who signed with Oakland. But they managed to hold onto Justin Houston and they added Jeremy Maclin, which was a massive signing for them. Maclin in particular was important, as they’ve lacked production from their receivers for years in KC.
NFL Draft Grade: C+
The Chiefs started the draft well by selecting Marcus Peters in the first round. He was my highest rated corner in the draft, and a top ten talent in my opinion. After that they targeted the correct positions, just not the players I would have liked. Mitch Morse and Chris Conley could be okay, but I would have preferred other offensive linemen and receivers in those spots.
Overall Grade: B-
The team should still be pretty good considering their core is still intact. But they lost a lot of depth and there is also the situation with Eric Berry to worry about. Overall they can be somewhat satisfied, but know there is still work to be done.
Oakland Raiders
Free Agency Grade: B+
I really like what Oakland did in free agency, however with the amount of cap space they had it’s a little disappointing that they didn’t land a big fish (Suh, Cobb, Maxwell, Revis, Thomas, Hardy, etc.). With that said they improved the offensive line by adding Rodney Hudson. They added offensive playmakers with Michael Crabtree, Roy Helu, and Trent Richardson. Plus, they improved their defense with Nate Allen, Curtis Lofton, Malcolm Smith, and Dan Williams. No stars, but lots of solid players.
NFL Draft Grade: A-
They built upon their free agent signings by having another solid draft. Amari Cooper is a future superstar and a needed #1 wideout for Derek Carr. Clive Walford was another great selection in the third round and gives Carr a security blanket. I think they also added an instant starter in Mario Edwards Jr. who will play up front on defense. Depth picks made up the rest of the draft, but if any of them stand out then this draft will be a home run.
Overall Grade: A-
The Raiders are clearly a better team now than they were a couple months ago, both on the field and on the sidelines. I expect better results this season, especially if Derek Carr improves. They may be a couple years away from the playoffs still, but they are trending upwards.
San Diego Chargers
Free Agency Grade: B-
Similar to the Raiders, they had a solid but not sexy free agent period. They brought in Orlando Franklin to protect Rivers better, adding depth at corner with Patrick Robinson, and replaced Eddie Royal (Bears) with Stevie Johnson and Jacoby Jones. The big downside to the offseason came from not re-signing Phillip Rivers though, and it seems likely now that he’ll go someplace else after the season.
NFL Draft Grade: B+
They didn’t come away with a lot of players (just five), but they came away with quality ones. The big one was Melvin Gordon, who will immediately be the bellcow on offense running the football. Denzel Perryman is another solid addition, as he could potentially start in week 1 at inside linebacker. One of the keys to the draft will be if Craig Mager turns out to be the player they hope. If not, this draft won’t look as good.
Overall Grade: B
Although there are major question marks surrounding Phillip Rivers, there is a lot to like about this team now. If Gordon stays healthy, unlike their old back Ryan Mathews, this is a team that can make the playoffs in 2015.
By: The Sports Guys
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