The 2023 NFL free agent period began with a flurry of big(ish) signings. Then came the latest chapter in an Aaron Rodgers saga whose runtime rivals the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the NCAA basketball tournaments, leading the league’s reloading stage to a backseat.
But while the moves taking place over the back half of the last week weren’t exactly headline generating, they’ll still play a major role shaping the road to Super Bowl 58. Good teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins signed veterans who could push them from winning records to postseason victories. Struggling ones like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots made quiet deals that could clear their path back to the playoffs.
Oh, and the Kansas City Chiefs got better.
Here are the seven signings I liked most to round out the first week of free agency. For a complete list of signings from our top 101 free agents list, click here.
1
Pittsburgh Steelers sign G Isaac Seumalo to a three-year, $24 million contract
Mike Tomlin’s strategy to diffuse the negative impact of a shaky quarterback is to run the ball. Primarily with Najee Harris (579 carries the last two seasons). He may not rely on that as much in Kenny Pickett’s second year behind center, but it stands to reason he’ll place high importance in his ground game in 2023.
So what better addition than a key piece of 2022’s top running offense?
The Eagles ranked first in overall rushing offense efficiency by a wide margin last season.
Jalen Hurts’ propensity to take off and extend drives played a role there, but the team’s running backs combined to average 4.6 yards per carry and 3.3 yards before contact per run — tied for fourth-best in the league. A big part of that was Seumalo, who cleared space up the middle in the run game and helped keep Hurts protected; both his pass and run block win rates in 2022 ranked among the top 20 of NFL interior linemen.
Seumalo’s arrival will allow Kevin Dotson to move into a depth role in the final year of his contract and give the Steelers one of the better guard combinations in the league between the former Eagle and 2022 free agent acquisition James Daniels. Daniels didn’t overwhelm in his Pittsburgh debut, but Seumalo has the chops to be a rising tide that makes everyone’s life easier up front.
The Steelers will benefit from that. Last year’s unit arguably outplayed expectations but still left room for improvement. Their 2.7 yards before contact on rush plays was a below-average mark and Harris’ 2.1 YBC ranked 40th among 46 qualified ballcarriers. If Tomlin is going to use the run to relieve pressure on Pickett, he’s going to need an easier path to more yardage on first or second down. Seumalo can help provide that; his Eagles converted just under 46 percent of their third downs thanks to viable pickups early.
On top of that, the Steelers got a bargain for a player I considered a top 20 free agent (though granted, this year’s crop isn’t super exciting and I may have overrated run blocking when I made Kaleb McGary a top 10 free agent. I would like a redo there). The market for offensive linemen has been uneven, allowing Pittsburgh to pick up a Pro Bowl caliber blocker for the 19th-most expensive average salary among all guards. That’s an easy win for the Steelers and for Seumalo, who won’t even have to change his driver’s license by moving five hours west.
2
New England Patriots sign TE Mike Gesicki for one year, $4.5 million (with an extra $4.5 million available in incentives)
Bill Belichick loves a good buy-low veteran, especially if he’s coming from a conference rival. When Gesicki languished in free agency following an anonymous 2022, the Patriots made moves to punch up their receiving corps.
As a pure tight end, Gesicki is one dimensional. He’s a below average blocker who has only once played more than two-thirds of Miami’s offensive snaps in five seasons in the league. But New England already has a traditional tight end in Hunter Henry. What Belichick lacks after trading Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons (and even before then given Smith’s lack of impact in Foxborough) is a big, flexible target who can torch linebackers up the seam, split out to the slot to bully smaller defensive backs or even line up on the sideline to maximize positional versatility.
No tight end in the league played more in the slot than Gesicki in 2021 (412 snaps, or the majority of his reps). That number fell in 2022 as he searched for a spot in Mike McDaniel’s offense, but that’s not what’s important here — his 126 catches and 1,483 receiving yards in 2020-2021 are. Those were top seven tight end numbers and reasonable WR3 production.
McDaniel also showcased another asset in Gesicki’s tool belt despite his limited role. The tight end’s red zone target share rose from 15.4 percent to 20.3 in his final year as a Dolphin, resulting in five touchdowns despite only 32 receptions. That’s important; Henry’s scoring total fell from nine to two last year as defenses keyed in on his connection with Mac Jones. The only player with more than three receiving touchdowns last fall was Jakobi Meyers, who is now a Las Vegas Raider.
Gesicki and fellow new arrival JuJu Smith-Schuster provide short/intermediate-range targets who can help prop Mac Jones up as he recovers from the hopefully temporary effects of having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge mentor him. The Patriots’ receiving corps isn’t finished yet, but it is improving. Now we wait and see if Belichick takes another swing at rookie wideout this spring despite his abysmal record when it comes to drafting WRs.
3
Lions sign CB/S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal ($6.5 million guaranteed)
CJGJ went from a potential franchise tag candidate to a one-year prove-it deal with guaranteed money worth roughly 40 percent of the value of the tag. In the words of the Virgin Mary, “come again?”
The #Lions are signing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal with $6.5M fully guaranteed signing, per sources.
His agent, Kevin Conner of @UniSportsMgmt, confirmed the deal, which reunites Gardner-Johnson, Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn. pic.twitter.com/RAIAdqYgPv
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 20, 2023
Gardner-Johnson’s flexibility in the middle of the field was invaluable to the Eagles’ run to the NFC title. He tied for the league high with six interceptions. In just 12 games. In his age 26 season. He reached new heights as an Eagle and may still be growing.
Now he goes to the neediest secondary in the NFC. The Lions have made several common sense moves to address their 23rd-ranked passing defense this spring. Cameron Sutton is a rock solid starter. Emmanuel Moseley is capable of Pro Bowl performances if he can stay healthy. Both are flexible enough to play in the slot or outside.
That versatility reaches new heights with Gardner-Johnson, who can play corner or safety while wreaking havoc at either spot. Let’s assume he’ll be the strong safety to Kerby Joseph’s more freewheeling center fielder. The 2022 third round pick had some struggles as a rookie but showed off instinctive coverage chops en route to four interceptions — three of Aaron Rodgers! — and an 84.8 passer rating allowed in coverage.
That’s a lot of ball-swatting help for a revamped cornerback rotation. It’s also a suddenly intimidating defensive backs corps if Moseley is 100 percent and Jeff Okudah can be even 85 percent of the player Detroit thought it was getting when it drafted him third overall. There’s a massive opportunity to fill a vacuum in the NFC North. The Lions are jumping in head first.
So what have the Eagles lost this season? I can’t say it any better than a look at their prospective 2024 compensatory draft pick lineup does (they’ll get four bonus picks out of this, the maximum allowed by the league).
I don't know if I've ever seen a comp pick cancellation chart have this extreme of a ratio between compensatory free agents lost versus signed: pic.twitter.com/EAaQSiLzPy
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) March 20, 2023
They also lost their offensive and defensive coordinators. But they still have Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown and James Bradberry and Lane Johnson and, honestly, have you seen the rest of the NFC? They’re fine. I just wonder if not bringing back Gardner-Johnson at a fraction of what he was worth in 2022 will be something general manager Howie Roseman comes to regret.
4
Kansas City Chiefs sign LB Drue Tranquill for one year, $5 million
Tranquill isn’t a big name and he’s a fairly one-dimensional linebacker thanks to his struggles in coverage. And that’s fine for the Chiefs, because they don’t need him on the field on third downs. He’s a luxury addition who can play behind Nick Bolton and Willie Gay in 4-2-5 setups and provided valuable depth alongside Leo Chenal in a stout rotation of off-ball LBs.
Tranquill is high-motor, gap-filling presence who throws himself into running lanes and forces snap decisions near the line of scrimmage. He also proved he can be effective as a part-time pass rusher. He tallied a career-high 36 blitzes last season and, unsurprisingly, came away with career highs in both sacks (five) and quarterback hits (eight).
While he allowed more than 87 percent of his targets to be caught last season, he’s not hopeless against the pass. He makes the right reads, understands his assignments and plays with solid straight-line speed.
Drue Tranquill has to walk over #2 WR here, runs perfectly with the slant, and gets the PBU on it pic.twitter.com/jNF4rJWY5M
— Nate Christensen (@natech32) March 17, 2023
But again, those flaws in coverage can be covered by coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is now loaded with hard-hitting off-ball linebackers aged 27 or younger. Tranquill is an under-the-radar signing now who insulates the Chiefs from injury and keeps their defense fresh throughout the season. It’s not a sexy signing, but it’s the kind of move that keeps Kansas City grinding toward the Super Bowl.
5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign DT Greg Gaines (terms not yet disclosed)
The Buccaneers don’t have an answer at quarterback — Baker Mayfield very much does not count — and would likely be stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future if not for the current state of the NFC South. But since the other quarterbacks in the division are Taylor Heinicke, Derek Carr and the 2023 top overall pick, Tampa’s playoff hopes can’t be discounted.
This has manifested in the common sense decision to beef up a defense that backslid from a top 10 unit in 2020 and 2021. That meant re-signing Jamel Dean to a reasonable four-year, $52 million deal. It also meant getting younger up front by signing Gaines and letting both Akiem Hicks and William Gholston linger in free agency.
Greg Gaines (NT) may be my singular favorite Free Agent target for KC this offseason.
Love the ability to play as a true 0T and play through an OC's chest/handle combo's… WHILE still having the ability to avoid reach blocks and get into the backfield. pic.twitter.com/11SqjQ9MNA
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) March 9, 2023
Tampa gave up 4.5 yards per carry last season as its run defense continued its slide from the NFL’s best unit in terms of DVOA to 13th. Gaines will have to move over with Vea in the middle of the line, but he’s proven capable of both holding his ground and shooting gaps when pressed, creating a constant headache for opposing offensive linemen.
Injuries hit the Tampa pass rush in a big way last season, leaving Vea’s 6.5 sacks as the team’s best. Gaines will offer similar low-key production alongside him — his 13 quarterback hits in 2021 matched Vea’s total in 2022. That’s a lot of beef up front capable of clearing space for Shaq Barrett or Joe Tryon-Shoyinka around the edge. It will also have the added benefit of giving 2022 second round pick Logan Hall extra room to blossom as he steps into a projected starting role on the other side of the line.
6
Miami Dolphins very much revamp their punting game
Thomas Morstead is a great punter but turned 37 years old in March. His 40.5 net yards per punt were his lowest in more than a decade and ranked 24th best in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins’ 5.8 yards per punt return was the worst in the league.
So, amidst the backdrop of adding players like Jalen Ramsey and David Long, Miami quietly upgraded its punting game … I think.
We have signed Braxton Berrios & Jake Bailey. 🐬⬆️ pic.twitter.com/ZHeZpu5kyI
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) March 17, 2023
Berrios was an All-Pro kick returner in 2021 who has averaged 12.3 yards per punt return over the last two seasons. If he adds value in the passing game out of the slot, great — but the Dolphins will see the most dramatic impact in the improvement of its return game. Miami started its average drive at the 26.6-yard line, fifth-worst in the NFL. It’s a modest addition, but one that will subtly lower the degree of difficulty in Tua Tagovailoa’s fourth season behind center.
Bailey is a bigger risk. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2020 but has since fallen off considerably to wind up on Bill Belichick’s list of known undesirables. 2021 saw him wind up with three punts blocked and 2022 was the backdrop of a 35.1 net yard per punt average — dead last among all regular punters and 10.5 yards lower than in his All-Pro campaign.
He’s only 25 years old. Miami is betting he can regain his form in a less antagonistic environment after Belichick suspended him last season following a debate over his return from injury (Bailey has filed a grievance over this discipline). It’s a minor risk and one that could pay off big time, even if it doesn’t show up on highlight reels.
The Dolphins special teams topped out at average last season. These two moves could make them more than capable across every phase of the game.
