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 NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals
Free Agency Grade: C+
Arizona made one great signing in the offseason nabbing Mike Iupati. The other additions though were players that were left for dead by other teams. Alfonzo Dennard and LaMarr Woodley were cut by their previous employers, and Cory Redding, Sean Weatherspoon, and Corey Peters weren’t pursued much by their old teams. If that constitutes the best moves they made, that’s not that great. This hurts more considering they lost Cromartie, Acho, Dockett, and Williams. I felt as if they didn’t improve at all throughout free agency.
NFL Draft Grade: C+
It was smart to add another lineman in round 1, especially one with the upside of D.J. Humphries. That did come at the expense of passing up Malcom Brown, a guy I thought would have been an instant starter for the team. Other picks I liked were Markus Golden, David Johnson, and Rodney Gunter. None will be massively impactful this year however. I questioned them passing up cornerback too.
Overall Grade: C+
In terms of personnel on the field, they did a very average job. Off the field wasn’t great either as they lost Todd Bowles to New York. I think their defense will take a step back this year. The good news however is that Larry Fitzgerald will be around still for a cheaper amount, and Carson Palmer should be healthy once more this year.
San Francisco 49ers
Free Agency Grade: C
Many look to their deal with Torrey Smith as a needed move. The problem I have with it is that Smith is solely a deep threat and they paid too much for that. They also let Crabtree get away, which I think is a mistake. Losing Iupati will also hurt them moving forward. I did like them letting Gore walk so they can give the reigns to Carlos Hyde. Signing Reggie Bush made sense too. Darnell Dockett and Philip Wheeler may come in handy, although they lost McDonald, Borland, and may lose Justin Smith too. They sneakily recovered after losing Chris Culliver by signing Shareece Wright. So while they adding some pieces, they lost a lot too.
NFL Draft Grade: A
I loved what the 49ers did in the draft. They moved down two spots in the first round and still got their guy, a stud 3-4 DE in Arik Armstead. He’s a top ten talent in my opinion. They added an edge rusher later with Eli Harold, who was amazing value in the third round. I also like Jaquiski Tartt a lot, despite the value not being great where they selected him. Mike Davis and Blake Bell will add depth at their skill positions, but the real prize could be DeAndre Smelter, one of my sleepers at WR. The guy could be a stud.
Overall Grade: B-
Despite the great draft, the team still likely takes a step back after the offseason. They lost some very valuable pieces, and could lose another when Justin Smith makes his retirement decision. They also downgraded their coaching staff, as I loved Harbaugh and Fangio. I hear they are shopping Kaepernick, which is also a little surprising. Overall, I think they have been replaced by Arizona as Seattle’s biggest conference threat.
Seattle Seahawks
Free Agency Grade: C
This grade would be lower if not for one move: trading for Jimmy Graham. Sure it hurt losing a first round pick and Max Ungerer, but Graham is a pro bowl talent and gives Wilson his first legit target he’s ever had. They also re-signed Marshawn Lynch, although he’s getting up there in age and may soon by due for a drop in production. The rest of their offseason was just bad. They lost Maxwell, Schofield, Carpenter, and Smith (Super Bowl MVP). Good news is that the core is still in tact.
NFL Draft Grade: C
On paper it looks as if they didn’t acquire much talent. But remember they essentially got Jimmy Graham in the first round due to their trade. Didn’t love their second round pick Frank Clark, as he’s a major question mark for me. Could be a typical Pete Carroll pick though. Tyler Lockett is a sleeper, and could be a major factor in the passing and return game.
Overall Grade: C
They lost some pieces for sure, but they kept Lynch, added Jimmy Graham, and drafted a potential stud in Lockett. Overall I think it will all even out, and they’ll remain the class of the NFC (along with Green Bay). Will this be the year Russell Wilson is considered for MVP?
St. Louis Rams
Free Agency Grade: B+
Looking at the free agent period alone, I see mostly good and just a little bad. The little bad was the offensive line, as they cut Jake Long and haven’t yet re-signed Joe Barksdale. Later on you’ll see how they addressed that in the draft. But in terms of who they added, they got two great pieces in Akeem Ayers and Nick Fairley. Yes, the front 7 might be even better this season. Keeping Kenny Britt was key also, and I thought their trade with Philly was a home run. I prefer Foles over Bradford, plus they got better picks due to that.
NFL Draft Grade: B-
As I mentioned above, they used the draft to address the offensive line. Second/third round picks included Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown, and they also used a fourth round pick on Andrew Donnal. That’s a lot of beef. The controversial pick was in the first round as they selected Todd Gurley at #10. This was confusing for me because Tre Mason was solid last year and Zac Stacy has been good also. I saw them taking a top WR or piece in the secondary with that pick instead. So even though I like Gurley, it came at a cost for sure. I’ll add that Sean Mannion is a QB to keep an eye on after they selected him 89th overall.
Overall Grade: B
Will their new QB stay healthy? Are their enough weapons in place? If so, this is a team that can win due to their solid defense and emerging run game. If they young linemen gel immediately, they will punish teams on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
By: The Sports Guys
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