play0:56How disappointing is the Steelers defense?Jeff Saturday criticizes the Steelers defense for allowing 33 points against the Bengals.
play2:30Are the Cowboys one trade away from being Super Bowl contenders?Domonique Foxworth, Peter Schrager, Jeff Saturday and Kimberley A. Martin discuss if the Cowboys trading for a star defensive player can make them Super Bowl contenders.
play1:08Why Jeff Saturday ranks Lions as No. 1 team in NFCJeff Saturday puts the Lions at the top of his NFC power rankings after Detroit shut down Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
play1:15Why Schefter thinks Maxx Crosby is ‘staying in Vegas’Adam Schefter joins “The Pat McAfee Show” and shuts down the idea of the Las Vegas Raiders trading Maxx Crosby.
play2:10Dan Graziano on Dolphins: ‘It’s bad in Miami’The “Get Up” crew weighs in on the state of the Dolphins after Mike McDaniel’s news conference on Monday.
play2:00Can the Texans get their offense back on track?Peter Schrager joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss the Texans’ struggling offense after their loss to the Falcons.
Watt to McAfee: The Colts offense has no weaknesses (1:17)J.J. Watt details to Pat McAfee how the Colts are running a flawless offense currently. (1:17)
How disappointing is the Steelers defense?Jeff Saturday criticizes the Steelers defense for allowing 33 points against the Bengals.
Are the Cowboys one trade away from being Super Bowl contenders?Domonique Foxworth, Peter Schrager, Jeff Saturday and Kimberley A. Martin discuss if the Cowboys trading for a star defensive player can make them Super Bowl contenders.
Domonique Foxworth, Peter Schrager, Jeff Saturday and Kimberley A. Martin discuss if the Cowboys trading for a star defensive player can make them Super Bowl contenders.
Why Jeff Saturday ranks Lions as No. 1 team in NFCJeff Saturday puts the Lions at the top of his NFC power rankings after Detroit shut down Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
Jeff Saturday puts the Lions at the top of his NFC power rankings after Detroit shut down Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
Why Schefter thinks Maxx Crosby is ‘staying in Vegas’Adam Schefter joins “The Pat McAfee Show” and shuts down the idea of the Las Vegas Raiders trading Maxx Crosby.
Adam Schefter joins “The Pat McAfee Show” and shuts down the idea of the Las Vegas Raiders trading Maxx Crosby.
Dan Graziano on Dolphins: ‘It’s bad in Miami’The “Get Up” crew weighs in on the state of the Dolphins after Mike McDaniel’s news conference on Monday.
The “Get Up” crew weighs in on the state of the Dolphins after Mike McDaniel’s news conference on Monday.
Can the Texans get their offense back on track?Peter Schrager joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss the Texans’ struggling offense after their loss to the Falcons.
Peter Schrager joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss the Texans’ struggling offense after their loss to the Falcons.
I’m being a little facetious here, but with nearly two months of football in the books, we do have a much better sense of how each NFL team’s acquisitions have fared in their new digs. Some players haven’t made it onto the field at all, while others have transformed their new franchises. Coaches have shifted team cultures into better places or no longer have working keycards. A lot has already happened, even if there’s much more to come.
And so, I’m here today to sort each of the league’s 32 teams and their offseason business into tiers. I suppose success is in the eye of the beholder, but the question I’m asking for each move a team made is this: If it could make the same move again, would it? Would it draft that player with the same pick it did in April? Would it spend the same amount of money to bring in a player? Would it hire that coach?
Crucially, keep in mind that these tiered rankings are relative to the expectations I believe each team realistically could have had given what they spent this offseason. It’s unrealistic to compare the Patriots to the Ravens, for example, when the Pats signed six new starters who make $8 million or more this year, while the Ravens didn’t sign any. Instead, I’m judging the Patriots versus what would have been reasonable expectations for their spending, and the Ravens by the same token.
I’ve separated teams into seven tiers, starting with the best offseason of the bunch and working my way from exceeding expectations down to coming up meaningfully short, finishing with the worst offseason in the league. I’m not sure anyone should be surprised with where these tiers start, though. (Teams are listed alphabetically within each tier.)
Meanwhile, Anarumo has helped turn around a defense that couldn’t tackle or cover last season, with his exotic pressures and variety of defensive looks creating turnover opportunities for the Colts on a weekly basis. Bynum has played a huge role in locking down the back end for Indy, while fellow veteran defensive back Charvarius Ward was off to a solid start before suffering a concussion during pregame warmups and hitting injured reserve.
Warren was my pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year after four weeks, and he continues to impress in one of the league’s most entertaining and unique roles. He’s 14th among all receivers in yards per route run. The rest of the draft class hasn’t made much of an impact. Second-rounder JT Tuimoloau was a healthy scratch to start the season and has played just 62 defensive snaps. Third-round cornerback Justin Walley is out for the year after tearing an ACL in camp.
Highlights: Signing the trio of DT Milton Williams (four years, $104 million), Edge Harold Landry III (three years, $43.5 million) and Edge K’Lavon Chaisson (one year, $3 million) in free agency; hiring HC Mike Vrabel and OC Josh McDaniels
Disappointments: Slow starts for RB TreVeyon Henderson (second-round pick) and WR Kyle Williams (third-round pick)
The best of New England’s signings, even adjusting for cost, have come up front on the defensive line. Williams has been a force in the largest role of his career, ranking fifth among all tackles in pass rush win rate. He has come through when the Patriots needed, closing out the win over the Dolphins in Week 2 with a game-sealing sack of Tua Tagovailoa.
Highlights: Drafting first-round Edge Abdul Carter and QB Jaxson Dart; drafting fourth-round RB Cam Skattebo
Disappointments: Signing S Jevon Holland (three years, $45.3 million), QB Russell Wilson (one year, $10.5 million) and OT James Hudson III (two years, $12 million)
The veterans? Not quite as much. Wilson had one swan song against the Cowboys before being benched; the Giants paid him $8.6 million for three starts and hope they won’t have to make it to a fourth. Holland has had his ups-and-downs in coverage, while Hudson was essentially kicked out of the lineup after a sequence of four penalties in four plays against the Cowboys in Week 2. The swing tackle hasn’t played an offensive snap since.
Highlights: Hiring DC Robert Saleh; drafting first-round DL Mykel Williams, second-round DT Alfred Collins and fifth-round S Marques Sigle; trading for Edge Bryce Huff, signing QB Mac Jones (two years, $8.4 million)
Disappointments: Extending QB Brock Purdy (five years, $265 million), signing WR Demarcus Robinson (two years, $8 million)
Highlights: Signing QB Sam Darnold (three years, $100.5 million), Edge DeMarcus Lawrence (three years, $32.5 million) and CB Derion Kendrick (one year, $1 million); trading away QB Geno Smith; drafting first-round G Grey Zabel
John Schneider strikes again. After trading Russell Wilson and promoting Smith into the starting role at just the right time, the longtime Seahawks general manager moved on from Smith and signed Darnold to take over as the starting quarterback in Seattle. Darnold is coming off his worst start of the season, but he leads the league in yards per attempt (9.1) and is sixth in the NFL in QBR (73.2).
Lawrence has been a physical force on the edge for a deep and talented Seahawks front seven. The longtime Cowboys defender has three sacks and 22 hurries on 141 pass-rushing opportunities. Zabel was on my early Offensive Rookie of the Year ballot and has helped solidify the Seahawks’ offensive line. One of the few disappointments was Valdes-Scantling, who was guaranteed $3 million over the offseason before failing to make the 53-man roster.
Highlights: Signing Edge Josh Sweat (four years, $76.4 million) and DT Calais Campbell (one year, $5.5 million); re-signing Edge Baron Browning (two years, $15 million)
The Cardinals haven’t been able to get much out of their top rookies because of injuries, as first-round pick DT Walter Nolen III has yet to debut because of a calf issue, while second-round CB Will Johnson missed two games because of a groin injury.
Their veteran signings have had more success. Sweat has five sacks and 21 pressures off the edge after joining from the Eagles, while Campbell makes plays on a weekly basis in the middle of his 18th pro campaign. Browning, making peanuts relative to other edge rushers, is second on the team with 19 pressures.
Davis-Gaither is one of the few veteran additions who might not have lived up to expectations, as the former Bengals linebacker has allowed a 111.6 passer rating in coverage for Jonathan Gannon’s defense. He was also fined for a hip-drop tackle in the loss to the 49ers, though the play wasn’t penalized on the field.
Highlights: Signing LB Divine Deablo (two years, $14 million), re-signing C Ryan Neuzil (two years, $9.5 million), drafting third-round S Xavier Watts
Disappointments: Signing DT Morgan Fox (two years, $5.5 million), drafting first-round Edge Jalon Walker
Highlights: Trading away WR Adam Thielen, signing RB Rico Dowdle (one year, $2.8 million), drafting fifth-round TE Mitchell Evans
The Panthers chose the right time to move on from Thielen, who had been productive in Carolina before being dealt to Minnesota just before the season. He has been lost in the shuffle there. While the Panthers won’t see the fourth-round pick that forms the bulk of the return for Thielen until 2027, getting out from what was owed to a player who has 47 receiving yards in Minnesota is an easy victory.
