The Kansas City Chiefs are public enemy No. 1 in the NFL after winning Super Bowl LIV. Right now, teams are hoping they’ve improved their rosters enough in free agency to be able to compete for a championship in 2020. So which of the Chiefs’ 2020 opponents improved and which teams will find themselves crippled by the moves they made in free agency? Here are my thoughts on the matter:
Chargers
Additions: RT Bryan Bulaga, CB Chris Harris, DT Linval Joseph, OG Trai Turner
Departures: QB Philip Rivers, RB Melvin Gordon, FB Derek Watt, WR Travis Benjamin, OG Michael Schofield, OT Russell Okung, DT Brandon Mebane, LB Jatavis Brown, LB Thomas Davis, S Adrian Phillips, DB Jaylen Watkins
Verdict: The Chargers added some great pieces on the defensive side of the ball in Harris and Joseph. They seem to finally be investing in offensive line help now that their franchise quarterback has left the building. I feel that Tyrod Taylor is a veteran stopgap at this point in his career. Despite some good moves I don’t see them winning anything in 2020 with a stopgap at the QB spot.
Raiders
Additions: WR Nelson Agholor, CB Eli Apple, DT Maliek Collins, DB Jeff Heath, OL Eric Kush, LB Nick KwiatkoskI, LB Cory Littleton, QB Marcus Mariota, DE Carl Nassib, TE Jason Witten
Departures: QB Mike Glennon, WR Dwayne Harris, LB Vontaze Burfict,
LB Tahir Whitehead, CB Daryl Worley, S Karl Joseph
Verdict: I actually like the majority of the moves Las Vegas has made this offseason and I’m comfortable saying they’re better off in 2020. I have a problem with one move, though. Adding Mariota, even as a backup, is a mistake. They need to find a quarterback of the future for their Las Vegas tenure. I have a hard time believing that either Carr or Mariota can be that guy.
Broncos
Additions: CB A.J. Bouye, DL Jurrell Casey, OL Graham Glasgow, RB Melvin Gordon, P Sam Martin, TE Nick Vannett
Departures: QB Brandon Allen, QB Joe Flacco, OG Ronald Leary, C Connor McGovern, DE Derek Wolfe, CB Chris Harris Jr., CB Cyrus Jones,
S Will Parks
Verdict: The Broncos offseason moves make little sense to me. They sign Gordon to become a feature back when they have a verified star in Phillip Lindsay. They trade a pair of picks for Casey and Bouye which are lateral moves at best with departures of Wolfe and Harris. The best move they made was adding Glasgow, but I think they need more help on the offensive line if they’re to improve enough to become a player in the AFC West.
Falcons
Additions: DT Tyeler Davison, DE/LB Dante Fowler Jr., RB Todd Gurley, TE Hayden Hurst
Departures: RB Devonta Freeman, RB Kenjon Barner,
WR Justin Hardy, TE Austin Hooper, TE Luke Stocker, OT Ty Sambrailo, OG Wes Schweitzer, DE Adrian Clayborn, LB De’Vondre Campbell, OLB Vic Beasley, CB Desmond Trufant, S Johnathan Cyprien
Verdict: On paper, it feels like the Falcons managed to get a bit better. They added some much-needed help on the front seven and they added some new weapons on offense to replace those departing. I can’t help but feel like Matt Ryan will still have his work cut out for him despite those minor improvements.
Panthers
Additions: WR Robby Anderson, QB Teddy Bridgewater, WR Pharoh Cooper, TE Seth DeValve, OG John Miller, LT Russell Okung, WR Seth Roberts, QB P.J. Walker, DE Stephen Weatherly, LB Tahir Whitehead
Departures: QB Cam Newton, QB Kyle Allen, WR Chris Hogan,
TE Greg Olsen, OG Trai Turner, OG Greg Van Roten, OL Daryl Williams,
DT Dontari Poe, LB Luke Kuechly, DE Mario Addison, DE Vernon Butler,
DE Bruce Irvin, DT Kyle Love, CB James Bradberry, CB Ross Cockrell,
S Colin Jones, S Eric Reid
Verdict: On the surface, it feels like the Panthers jettisoned a ton of talent. I don’t hate the idea of a new coach from bringing in his guys. And that feels exactly like what Matt Rhule has done in Carolina. He added former players he worked with at Temple like Anderson and Walker to help instill his culture. I feel like this team could see a similar jump in the first year to what the Chiefs saw in 2013 under Andy Reid.
Texans
Additions: WR Randall Cobb, CB Vernon Hargreaves III, RB David Johnson, QB AJ McCarron, DB Eric Murray, OT Brent Qvale, CB Bradley Roby, DB Jaylen Watkins
Departures: RB Carlos Hyde, RB Lamar Miller, WR DeAndre Hopkins,
DT D.J. Reader, OLB Barkevious Mingo, CB Johnathan Joseph, S Jahleel Addae, S Mike Adams
Verdict: Not only did this team get worse, but they created distrust with the head coach and quarterback in the process. At this point, the Texans are defeating themselves back by having so much faith in Bill O’Brien and his ability to be the coach and general manager for the team. Our friends at Texans Wire believe that owner Cal McNair will be forced to decide between their franchise QB and HC/GM — that’s never a good sign in regards to how things are trending.
Jets
Additions: OL Josh Andrews, CB Pierre Desir, OT George Fant, OG Alex Lewis, C Connor McGovern, LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Breshad Perriman, OL Greg Van Roten
Departures: QB Trevor Siemian, WR Robby Anderson, WR Demaryius Thomas, OT Ryan Kalil, OT Kelvin Beachum, LB Brandon Copeland, CB Darryl Roberts, CB Maurice Canady
Verdict: I don’t know how a team with so much money in free agency could possibly get so much worse from a season ago. I don’t know that the Jets upgraded at any spots, despite investing heavily in mid-tier offensive linemen. Maybe they’ll surprise me, but I feel like this team will be nothing more than average at best in 2020.
Patriots
Additions: DT Beau Allen, WR Damiere Byrd, QB Brian Hoyer, DB Adrian Phillips, FB Danny Vitale
Departures: QB Tom Brady, WR Phillip Dorsett, TE Ben Watson,
OL Ted Karras, DT Danny Shelton, LB Elandon Roberts, OLB Jamie Collins, OLB Kyle Van Noy, S Duron Harmon, K Stephen Gostkowski
Verdict: Bill Belichick always manages to get the most out of his free agents and I don’t expect that to change without Tom Brady in the building. It’s the burning question in everyone’s mind: “How will they replace Tom?” I think Jarrett Stidham will surprise some folks with his ability, but there will still be an adjustment period. They’ll need to surround him with more talent if he is to succeed.
Ravens
Additions: DE Calais Campbell, DT Derek Wolfe
Departures: WR Seth Roberts, TE Hayden Hurst, OG Marshal Yanda, OL James Hurst, DT Chris Wormley, DT Michael Pierce, DT Domata Peko,
LB Patrick Onwuasor, LB Pernell McPhee, CB Brandon Carr, S Tony Jefferson
Verdict: I like the idea behind beefing up the defensive front in Baltimore. It was clearly an area where they were lacking as they had no real answer for Derrick Henry in the 2020 playoffs. I still wonder if they can’t add some more weapons on offense, specifically ones that can help the team come back from behind.
Bills
Additions: DE Mario Addison, DT Vernon Butler, WR Stefon Diggs, CB E.J. Gaines, DT Quinton Jefferson, CB Josh Norman, OL Daryl Williams
Departures: RB Frank Gore, DT Corey Liuget, DT Jordan Phillips,
DE Shaq Lawson, OLB Lorenzo Alexander, CB Kevin Johnson, S Kurt Coleman
Verdict: The Bills have loaded up on talent in free agency this year. I still can’t help but feel that this team will only go as far as Josh Allen is willing to take them. He had a stacked roster in 2020, with chances to overtake a spiraling Patriots team, and he floundered. I just don’t see him improving and the team around him being good enough to make up for his mistakes.
Dolphins
Additions: S Adrian Colbert, OT Ereck Flowers, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, RB Jordan Howard, CB Byron Jones, OL Ted Karras, DE Shaq Lawson, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Elandon Roberts, LB Kyle Van Noy
Departures: TE Clive Walford, OT J’Marcus Webb, OL Evan Boehm, CB Aqib Talib, S Reshad Jones
Verdict: If the Dolphins land any sort of quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft, they’re automatically my favorite to win the AFC East. I really like what Brian Flores and Chris Grier have accomplished in a short time in Miami. They just need to add that one piece at the most important position for everything to begin coming together for the franchise.
Saints
Additions: S Malcolm Jenkins, WR Emmanuel Sanders, S D.J. Swearinger
Departures: QB Teddy Bridgewater, WR Ted Ginn Jr., OLB A.J. Klein, CB Eli Apple, CB P.J. Williams, S Vonn Bell
Verdict: I have a hard time getting excited about the Saints’ moves. They need to load up for what could be Drew Brees’ last ride at starting quarterback. It feels like they’re waffling on whether they want to go all-in on 2020 or prepare for the future. Sanders adds a threat to stretch the field, while Swearinger and Jenkins sure up the back end on defense. None of these moves should make or break their season, so I’d consider this a balanced free agency.
Buccaneers
Additions: QB Tom Brady, OL Joe Haeg, LB Kevin Minter
Departures: QB Jameis Winston, QB Blaine Gabbert, RB Peyton Barber,
WR Breshad Perriman, OT Demar Dotson, DE Carl Nassib
Verdict: The Buccaneers landed the NFL free agency jackpot, luring Tom Brady from New England. Will he be effective in a new system and on a new team? I have a feeling we’ll see a few more good years of Brady and I’m thrilled that we get to see Brady vs. Mahomes Part IV in 2020. What Tampa Bay does in the draft will largely determine whether they have a successful 2020 season.
