Looking to make some future wagers on the NFL this season. Want to get some value by betting early. Let’s take a look at the Offseason Report Card and see which teams made the best or worst moves. This could be the difference between scoring big at 50-1 odds on Superbowl Winner or wasting your money.
New York Giants: F
Are the Giants rebuilding or playing for 2019? Does anyone know, including the Giants themselves? Their offseason moves have been curious, at best. They swapped Olivier Vernon for Kevin Zeitler, improving the offensive line weakness but leaving the team with even less pass rush after trading Jason Pierre-Paul last offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. fetched Jabrill Peppers and two early draft picks to make up for the loss of Landon Collins, but the team cashed in those picks on a run stopper (Dexter Lawrence) and developmental defensive end (Oshane Ximines) and tried to replace Beckham with Golden Tate, who showed some decline last year. The oddest move of all was using the sixth overall pick on Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, who never produced significantly in college and will likely be stuck on the bench behind the declining Eli Manning.
New Orleans Saints: B
Entering what could be the final season of Drew Brees’ career, the Saints are going all in. The moves that reflect that stance include the free-agent additions of Latavius Murray, Nick Easton and Jared Cook. The team added another potentially solid offensive lineman in second-round pick Erik McCoy. The one missing piece to the puzzle was a No. 2 wideout opposite young star Michael Thomas, but New Orleans is hoping for a bounce back year from Ted Ginn and further development from Tre’Quan Smith.
New England Patriots: A-
The Super Bowl champs can’t be faulted for some of the losses they’ve had on offense, including the retirement of future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski, but they’re no less impactful. The Patriots will try to replace him with the additions of Demaryius Thomas, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and first-round pick N’Keal Harry, while their other early draft picks of cornerback Joejuan Williams and edge rusher Chase Winovich appear to be excellent values. Perhaps their best move was finding a replacement for the departing Trey Flowers in Michael Bennett and doing so by only swapping late-round draft picks.
Minnesota Vikings: C+
Minnesota has addressed its offseason needs but is it enough? The Vikings hope the offensive line issues are fixed after signing Josh Kline and drafting center Garrett Bradbury. Kyle Rudolph’s pending free agency was addressed when the team drafted Irv Smith Jr, and Alexander Mattison replaces veteran backup running back Latavius Murray. The window is shrinking with an elite defense that’s aging and two star wideouts in their primes.
Miami Dolphins: C
Miami has been patient in what looks like a rebuild, with a new coaching staff. Adding Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen at minimal cost are low-risk moves while the team decides if it needs to draft a quarterback next year. It remains to be seen how the defense will generate pressure after losing Cameron Wake and trading Robert Quinn. First-round pick Christian Wilkins is one source of pressure, but he hardly addresses what has now been two straight offseasons of massive losses going back to Ndamukong Suh.
Los Angeles Rams: B-
The Rams fell to New England in the Super Bowl last year after going all in during the 2018 offseason. Their moves this offseason haven’t created as many headlines but show an effort to add the finishing touches to the defense with safety Eric Weddle, second-round safety Taylor Rapp and former Packers pass rusher Clay Matthews. Bringing back Dante Fowler puts the pass rush in a good place surrounding Aaron Donald. The concern regarding Todd Gurley’s arthritic knee is also apparent after the team re-signed Malcolm Brown and drafted Darrell Henderson in the third round.
Los Angeles Chargers: C+
One of the most balanced rosters in the NFL, the Chargers had a relatively quiet offseason. The addition of veteran linebacker Thomas Davis is a move that a win-now team makes, and the team addressed two of its biggest remaining defensive needs by drafting defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and safety Nasir Adderley. Free-agent wideout Tyrell Williams moving on was the team’s biggest loss, albeit not unexpected.
Kansas City Chiefs: B-
The Chiefs desperately needed to remake their defense after last season and did just that. Out are veterans Justin Houston, Eric Berry and Dee Ford, among others. In are Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu, Alex Okafor and rookie Juan Thornhill. The team is banking on new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s coaching, but the results couldn’t be much worse than last season. The biggest offseason impact could be the ongoing Tyreek Hill situation. While he’s not an adequate replacement, selecting speedy wideout Mecole Hardman in the draft at least acknowledges what the Chiefs are losing.
Jacksonville Jaguars: C
Jacksonville made up for last year’s biggest mistake, the extension of quarterback Blake Bortles, by releasing him and signing former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Foles might have more trouble with Jacksonville’s lack of offensive weapons, but he was a perfect fit to pair with the Jags elite defense. The Jags deserve credit for letting the draft fall to them by taking pass-rushing linebacker Josh Allen, tackle Jawaan Taylor and tight end Josh Oliver with their first three picks, but the lack of big offensive weapons could come back to bite them.
Indianapolis Colts: B
Despite plenty of cap room, GM Chris Ballard has been resistant to be a big spender this offseason. The team did quietly add former star pass rusher Justin Houston while retaining some key players in the secondary, led by cornerback Pierre Desir. Devin Funchess is an under-the-radar wideout who could help Andrew Luck, as could speedy rookie Parris Campbell. Ballard hit on his first draft last year, particularly on defense, and hopes for a repeat with athletic rookies Rock Ya-Sin and Ben Banogu
Houston Texans: C
There was some big change in Houston’s secondary, with the team allowing former first-round pick Kevin Johnson as well as Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu to walk. They’ll hope Bradley Roby, Tashaun Gipson, and rookie Lonnie Johnson can be even trade offs, but that’s a big risk. The Texans offensive line was a dire need once again, and they spent a pair of early-round picks on Tytus Howard and Max Scharping. The team assigned the franchise tag to star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, but he has still been mentioned in trade rumors.
Green Bay Packers: B
The Packers had problems rushing the passer last season and prioritized that area this offseason. They weren’t messing around. Green Bay signed Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith for big money while letting “face of the defense” Clay Matthews sign elsewhere, and they then selected Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary with the 12th overall pick, for good measure. The team also has new safeties with former Bear Adrian Amos and 21st overall pick Darnell Savage. Protecting Aaron Rodgers was also high on the priority list, and Billy Turner and rookie Elgton Jenkins should help. There are some concerns that the team has enough pass catchers but is counting on a wide receiver-heavy 2018 draft class and the return of Geronimo Allison.
Detroit Lions: C
If the Lions are going to go down, they’re going to do it with head coach Matt Patricia’s personnel. They signed former Patriots Trey Flowers and Danny Amendola and moved on from former Lions defensive stalwarts Glover Quin and Ezekiel Ansah. Tight end T.J. Hockenson looks like a potential star with the eighth pick in the draft, and Jahlani Tavai could threaten the playing time of former first-rounder Jarrad Davis. This team’s identity continues to evolve under Patricia but needs to show improvement immediately after last year’s regression
Denver Broncos: C-
The starting quarterback is different than last year, but the story isa pretty much the same after the Broncos acquired declining veteran Joe Flacco for the No. 113 overall pick in the draft. At least they did find a developmental signal-caller in Drew Lock when the Flacco experiment inevitably goes south. New head coach Vic Fangio brought over cornerback Bryce Callahan from Chicago, and the team gave longtime Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson big money. Early draft choices Noah Fant and Dalton Risner fill big needs at tight end and the offensive line, respectively, but the wide receiver depth and contract situation of star corner Chris Harris are worrisome.
Dallas Cowboys: B
Dallas played its best football late last season after acquiring Amari Cooper and has complemented his addition by signing former Packers slot receiver Randall Cobb. It remains to be seen if he’s actually an upgrade over Cole Beasley at this point. As usual, Jerry Jones has prioritized the pass rush by extending star DeMarcus Lawrence and trading for former star Robert Quinn. The Cowboys also got some nice depth pieces with Christian Covington, Kerry Hyder and George Iloka. Safety remains a position that needs improvement, but the Cowboys did address other needs in the draft with defensive tackle Trysten Hill, guard Connor McGovern, and a pair of running backs (Tony Pollard and Mike Weber).
Cleveland Browns: A-
GM John Dorsey has been quite busy turning what was an 0-16 team in 2017 into a real contender. His impact moves include trades for Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. as well as free-agent signings Kareem Hunt and Sheldon Richardson. The Browns also had some good fortune, with LSU cornerback Greedy Williams falling to them in the second round of the draft. Williams was perhaps the best cover corner in the entire draft and projected as a first-round pick. It’s about time Browns fans had some good luck.
Cincinnati Bengals: D
The Bengals probably waited a few years too long to move on from head coach Marvin Lewis and enter a full rebuild. There’s still talent on the roster, particularly at the offensive skill positions and defensive line, but the overall makeup of the team has big problems. The Bengals started to address the issues by taking tackle Jonah Williams in the first round of the draft and linebacker Germaine Pratt in the third round, but simply signing cornerback B.W. Webb doesn’t cure the leaky secondary.
Chicago Bears: B
The reality of being one of the elite defenses in 2018 is that other teams will pillage available talent. That happened with the losses of Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan, but the team addressed those losses. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Buster Skrine should fit in nicely, and the additions of dynamic running backs Mike Davis and David Montgomery are a better fit for Matt Nagy’s offense than the departed Jordan Howard. Perhaps the team’s biggest failure to this point is finding a proven kicker after Cody Parkey’s missed kick ended its playoff run last season.
Carolina Panthers: C+
The Panthers prioritized the offensive line and pass rush going into the offseason and were able to take care of those needs by signing center Matt Paradis and drafting tackle Greg Little and edge rusher Brian Burns. They also deserve credit for thinking ahead at quarterback with Will Grier in the third round, who adds insurance as Cam Newton continues to have shoulder issues. The impact of Thomas Davis’ loss, who signed with the Chargers, remains to be seen.
Buffalo Bills: B+
The Bills had plenty of money and spent big on offense, with Mitch Morse, John Brown, Cole Beasley, Tyler Kroft and Frank Gore set to help young quarterback Josh Allen. The offensive additions didn’t stop there, as the team used three straight draft picks on offensive players after taking defensive tackle Ed Oliver ninth overall. Buffalo deserves credit for surrounding Allen with some talent, but it remains to be seen if he’s accurate enough to be an NFL starter.
Baltimore Ravens: C-
There’s a new sheriff in town with GM Eric DeCosta getting promoted following Ozzie Newsome’s retirement. DeCosta didn’t exactly inherit a great situation and allowed Za’Darius Smith, Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Eric Weddle to walk in free agency. The Ravens did give Earl Thomas big money, and the addition of Mark Ingram gives them a legit running back for their run-heavy offense with Lamar Jackson taking snaps. First-round draft pick Marquise Brown has star potential at wideout, but it remains to be seen if Jackson will be the guy to make him into that star.
Arizona Cardinals: B
The Cardinals needed to clean house after last year’s debacle under one-year head coach Steve Wilks. Kliff Kingsbury is a risky hire, but he’s been given the young tools to grow in Kyler Murray, Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler, on top of the established David Johnson and Christian Kirk. Marcus Gilbert improves the offensive line, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough. The defense also got some chips, including Jordan Hicks and Terrell Suggs. For all the successes, GM Steve Keim did fail in his return for 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen, getting a second- and fifth-rounder on the second day of the draft.
Atlanta Falcons: C+
Head coach Dan Quinn could be going into a make-or-break year. The Falcons have new coordinators and addressed the problem areas along the offensive line, drafting offensive linemen Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary in the first round of the draft while also signing Jamon Brown and James Carpenter. With limited cap room, they couldn’t do much with the defense beyond retaining Grady Jarrett but are hoping healthy returns from Keanu Neal and Deion Jones will be enough. Time will tell.