The 2023 offseason is underway and the fireworks have been going off for hours now. We’ve seen veteran defenders find new homes and a treasure trove of tackles land in new cities. It’s an exciting time so here are moves from day one including some trades you may have missed.
Ryan Poles Is Cooking
Coming into this offseason, the Bears had a boatload of cap space and they’re using it. Ryan Poles moved to improve their offensive line by signing guard Nate Davis to a 3 year, 30 million dollar deal. Davis played 682 snaps in 2022 and allowed 3 sacks with a PFF grade of 70.6%. Chicago then signed one of the most underrated players in the league in TJ Edwards. The Bears dealt Roquan Smith last season and have had a hole in the middle of their defense. Edwards is a great athlete and is well worth the 3 year, 19.5 million dollar deal he got. In 2022, Edwards made 172 tackles, 2 sacks, and 8 pass breakups.
At this point, the Bears weren’t done signing linebackers. They grabbed Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on a 4 year, 72 million dollar deal. In 2022, he totaled 119 tackles, 1 sack, and 12 pass breakups. The Bears still have a lot of cap space and there are a lot of good players still available. Chicago is going to continue to make a splash this offseason.
Denver Is Making Sure Russell Wilson Stays Upright
Last offseason, Denver added Russell Wilson and weapons. They now have brought in two strong offensive linemen. Denver first signed guard Ben Powers to a 4 year deal. He allowed no sacks last season and played 1,094 snaps. In addition, Powers is powerful in the run game and will be a major asset to the Broncos offense. About an hour later, they signed massive tackle Mike McGlinchey. In 2022 with the 49ers, he allowed six sacks and had a PFF grade of 71.5%. Denver dipped into their pocket big time and inked McGlinchey to a 4 year, 80 million dollar deal.
Terry Fontenot Is Putting The Hot In Hot-Lanta
For once in their franchise history, the Atlanta Falcons had an ample amount of cap space and boy are they using it in the best way possible. Sometimes when teams have a massive amount of cap space they throw it away by overpaying for mediocre players, but that’s not what general manager Terry Fontenot is doing. They first took care of business in house by extending guard Chris Lindstrom. Lindstrom inked a 5 year, 105 million dollar deal and he’s worth every penny. In 2022, Lindstrom had a 95.0% PFF grade and allowed only two sacks. He’s a mauler. Atlanta also re-signed linebacker Lorenzo Carter who had 4 sacks and 58 tackles in 2022.
Once they addressed in-house business, Fontenot looked at the market and he struck. He traded a seventh round pick to reunite Arthur Smith and tight end Jonnu Smith. He’ll backup Kyle Pitts, but could prove to be a solid safety net for Desmond Ridder. He then signed All-Pro safety Jessie Bates to a 4 year, 64.02 million dollar deal. Bates is a ballhawk and will serve nicely with AJ Terrell. In 2022, Bates totaled 71 tackles and 4 interceptions. Atlanta added a pass rushing defensive tackle and stole David Onyemata from the Saints. They signed Onyemata to a 3 year, 35 million dollar deal. Last season, Onyemata made 43 tackles and 5 sacks.
The NFC South is ripe for a hostile takeover and Atlanta made great steps to win the division. They have a young core of weapons, a solid offensive line, and are building a strong defense. Watch out for the Falcons in 2023.
Jawaan Taylor Secures The Bag In Kansas City
After not tagging Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie signing with the Commanders, the Chiefs were in dire need of signing a tackle. They made a splash snagging Jawaan Taylor. Kansas City inked Taylor to a 4 year, 80 million dollar contract and he’s worth every cent. Taylor was the reason that the Jaguars were able to successfully run the ball in 2022 and he helped keep Trevor Lawrence on his feet which gave him the ability to unlock his true potential. I personally adore this signing and think it’s the best of the offseason thus far.
Tennessee Quickly Replaces Taylor Lewan
A few weeks ago the Titans released Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan. They quickly found his replacement in Eagles tackle Andre Dillard. Tennessee landed the twenty seven year old tackle on a 3 year, 29 million dollar deal which to me feels like a great value addition. While he has seen minimal play time the past two seasons, he has a big frame and will work awesome in the Titans offensive scheme that relies heavily on the run and play action.
Big Spenders In San Francisco
Patrick Peterson Wants A Contender, But Doesn’t Sign With One
Patrick Peterson recently listed his three top landing spots with Philadelphia, Dallas, and Cincinnati. Peterson talked about the Bengals saying “Man, I really like what the Bengals have. They have a quarterback. They have a great establishment on the offensive side of the ball. I know Eli Apple’s gonna be a free agent, an impending free agent coming up. I feel like I can come in there and help those guys.” He’s speaking about a contender and then went and inked a 2 year deal with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is not a contender by any stretch of the imagination. They have a record of 18-15-1 the past two seasons and had a monumentally bad offense in 2022. Weird move for a guy in the twilight years of his career.
New England Retains Jonathan Jones
The Patriots haven’t done too much thus far, but they did retain an important defensive piece in Jonathan Jones. They re-signed him to a 2 year, 20 million dollar contract. Jones in 2022 made 69 tackles, 4 interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and forced 3 fumbles. I know Patriots fans want Bill Belichick to go out and do more, but this is a really good move and one that’s important for their potential success in 2023.
Miami Lands Jalen Ramsey And Overpays For Mike White
The past two offseason’s, Miami has gone all in. Last year they signed Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, and Teddy Bridgewater. Now, they’ve made a move to replace Byron Jones who recently retired and traded for one of the best corners of the past twenty years in Jalen Ramsey. Personally, I think Miami fleeced Los Angeles. They shipped a third round draft pick and tight end Hunter Long in exchange for Ramsey. Long last season was only targeted once the whole season and recorded no stats.
While the Ramsey move is massive, they went out and signed Mike White for an outrageous sum. Miami signed him to be Tua’s backup on a 2 year, 16 million dollar deal. Look, I understand that Tua has had a shaky injury history, but to be paying him 8 million a year is wild.
Jimmy G Reunites With Josh McDaniels
The dynamic duo that we never really saw in New England is back together. After losing Derek Carr, the Raiders were in desperate need of a quarterback and they went out and signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a 3 year, 67.5 million dollar deal. A bit steep, but when the quarterback market is dry and you really need one, you’re going to pay that much money. Last season in San Francisco, Jimmy G passed for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. My thoughts on this are that as of right now it’s a big signing, but in a few weeks or maybe days it’ll be rather unremarkable.
Buffalo Keeps Two Keep Linebackers
While teams in their division have grabbed megastars like Jalen Ramsey and (possibly) Aaron Rodgers, the Bills made sure to hold onto two key linebackers after losing Tremaine Edmunds. Buffalo re-signed both Tyler Matakevich and Matt Milano on two year extensions. Milano was a First Team All-Pro last season after making 119 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 12 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. Considering the loss of Edmunds, keeping Milano was massive. In addition, they gave special teams spark plug and Connecticut native Tyler Matakevich a two year extension. He’ll most likely be promoted in the Bills defense to play alongside Milano with Edmunds being in Chicago.
