Remember when the Redskins signed Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year, $100 million contract in 2009 and then tried to turn him into a two-gapping defensive tackle when he’d been one-gapping his whole adult life? And remember when the Dolphins signed Ndamukong Suh to a six-year, $115 million contract in 2015 and tried to do exactly the same thing? The expensive schematic misuse of those two foot-stompin’ defenders are two of the most prominent examples of teams paying through the nose for high-quality players and putting them in roles where they’re destined to underperform.
There are examples in this free-agency period as well, but here are a few examples of teams signing players in systems where the schematic fit—and thus, the production payout—should go rather nicely.
Nick Foles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Why did Foles succeed far more under both Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson in Philadelphia and not elsewhere? Both head coaches understood which kind of system Foles needed for his own optimal performance—an RPO-heavy scheme with a lot of play action, easily-defined reads, and multiple quick options. When the Jaguars signed Foles to a four-year, $88 million contract to replace Blake Bortles, they were obviously hoping that Foles could take them out of the quarterback purgatory they were in with Bortles, but they also did it with new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, Foles’ quarterbacks coach when he stepped in for Carson Wentz and won Super Bowl MVP at the end of the 2017 season. DeFilippo should be able to have Foles at his highest level—though Foles is one of the most scheme-specific quarterbacks in the NFL, he has a history of performing very well when he’s in that scheme.
Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints
From Reggie Bush to Alvin Kamara, Sean Payton has long been one of the best coaches and offensive designers when it comes to getting the best out of versatile running backs. And while the Saints will undoubtedly miss Mark Ingram’s power running, what Murray brings to the table may give Payton another Kamara-style player. A 1,000-yard rusher for the Raiders in 2015, Murray worked reasonably well in rotation last season in a Vikings offense that didn’t seem to know what it was. An underrated inside runner and receiver, Murray can also hit the hole and break tackles to a reasonable degree.
Tevin Coleman, RB, 49ers
This isn’t just a great schematic fit–it may turn out to be the best signing of this free-agent period. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan used Coleman to his best effect as a runner and receiver as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, and now, he has Coleman in his backfield again for $10 million over two seasons. Coleman was reasonably productive with the Falcons under Steve Sarkisian last season, but Shanahan will no doubt give Coleman all kinds of options in a backfield full of talent, and a playbook full of “21” personnel looks.
Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
We’re cheating a bit on this one, because it was a trade, but wow.
“Very rarely do you get a chance to acquire a player of this magnitude. He’s at a relatively young age. He’s got a lot of football left in him. Great hands, great work ethic, committed, competitive, he really wants to be great. That’s all you can ask for.”
That’s what Browns general manager John Dorsey said about Odell Beckham, Jr. once the Trade that Shook the World became official. No doubt that Beckham is one of the league’s best receivers, but how does he fit in Freddie Kitchens’ system? I took an All-22 look at that last night, and the schematic fit is so good, and Baker Mayfield is so much better than the 2018 version of Eli Manning… well, I’m convinced that Beckham could be even better in Cleveland than he ever was with the Giants. There are legitimate questions about how Antonio Brown would fit in Oakland’s still-developing offense. There should be no similar concerns in this case.
John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills
Last season, Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen threw passes of 20 air yards or more on 19.7% of his attempts, by far the most in the NFL. Allen’s coaching staff knows that he has a cannon for an arm, and also that he’s still learning a lot of the subtleties that make great quarterbacks great. So, in the interim, Buffalo is going vertical as much as possible. Allen had reasonable deep targets in Zay Jones and Robert Foster last season, but Brown is on a different level as a deep receiver. Despite the fact that he was catching passes from two inconsistent quarterbacks in Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson last season, Brown caught seven deep passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns last season. With expanded opportunities, Brown could be among the most prolific “bombs-away” receivers in the league.
Deone Bucannon, $LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It was a weird fit for the Cardinals to hire Steve Wilks as head coach before the 2018 season, because Arizona had as many hybrid defenders as any team in the league, and Wilks and his staff seemed to have no clue what to do with any of them. Bucannon, the Cardinals’ “moneybacker” hybrid safety/linebacker over the previous four seasons, found himself out of favor in 2018. Now reunited with former Cards head coach Bruce Arians, who oversaw Bucannon’s development, and new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Bucannon will be put in place to succeed as a speed linebacker, especially with the free-agency departure of Kwon Alexander.
Jabrill Peppers, DB, New York Giants
The Odell Beckham, Jr. trade was an unqualified disaster for the Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman, but Big Blue did get an interesting player in the trade in Peppers, who played 15 different positions at Michigan and has the ability to play everything from linebacker to slot defender to deep safety. If that sounds a lot like Landon Collins, who left via free agency for a mega-deal with the Redskins, you’re not far off–and Peppers will do his thing for a little over $1.4 million in 2019, and a little over $1.8 million in 2020. It’s tough to give Gettleman credit for much of anything these days, and justifiably so, but he did make an excellent value swap in this case.
Tyrann Mathieu, DB, Kansas City Chiefs
With the release of Justin Houston and the trade of Dee Ford, the Chiefs are newly in need of edge-rushers. That’s about the only position Tyrann Mathieu hasn’t played on a football field, and while new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is inheriting a roster with a lot of holes, the acquisition of Mathieu is a big deal for a secondary in need of versatility and attitude. Mathieu can play any defensive back posotion and fill in as a nickel and dime linebacker, and to great effect. He’s the kind of player a team can build an entire secondary around.
Earl Thomas, S, Baltimore Ravens
It’ll take Thomas being healthy for his four-year, $55 contract to be worth it, but if that happens, the Ravens may well have the NFL’s best secondary in 2019 and beyond. Replacing Eric Weddle wasn’t going to be easy given Weddle’s acumen, but Thomas is as smart on the field as any player in the game, and he still has a range from sideline to sideline and down the deep third of a defense that most players simply wish they had. He’ll have to freelance a bit less in Don Martindale’s system than he did in Pete Carroll’s Cover-1 and Cover-3 concepts, but that should be no problem at all.
Eric Weddle, S, Los Angeles Rams
Why did Weddle choose the Rams over the other teams in the market for his services? As he told the team’s official site, it had to do with his history with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips–who designed the Chargers’ defense Weddle was an indispensable part of from 2007 through 2015.
“The system is what I ran in San Diego for basically nine years,” Weddle said. “You change it a little bit as years go on, you add different concepts, you add different things. But the base of what we ran, is what Wade brought to them. So, that was definitely enticing of knowing the verbiage, knowing how they like to run different coverages, knowing that I played in it. So, that was obviously a check that the Rams brought to the table.”
At this point in his career, when Weddle’s athleticism has declined a bit but his feel for the game has only heightened, it’s a perfect fit for him, and for a secondary that needs a traffic cop.
All of Green Bay’s defensive signings
The executive of this free-agency period may very well be second-year Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, who gave new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine three important pieces for his side of the ball.
To augment a safety rotation that underperformed in 2018, Gutekunst stole Adrian Amos (pictured above) from the Bears on a four-year, $37 million contract. Amos isn’t the best deep safety in the league, but he’s great as a run-stopper and he can cover tight ends and slot receivers as a very high level.
Similarly, ex-Ravens defensive lineman Za’Darius Smith is an underrated player because he does a lot of things well, though perhaps nothing overwhelmingly so. Last season, playing inside and outside for the Ravens, Smith amassed 10 sacks and 61 total pressures. Pettine loves to set his defensive linemen up and let them roll to the quarterback in aggressive fronts, and Smith is perfect for those concepts.
Gutekunst finished off this three-run home run by signing ex-Washington defensive end Preston Smith. With Clay Matthews out of the picture as an elite edge presence and Nick Perry released, it’ll be up to this Smith to bring that pressure outside. Smith wasn’t a big sack guy last year with just six, but he hurried opposing quarterbacks at a high rate, and he was above average against the run and in coverage.
With these additions, and Mike McCarthy no longer limiting Aaron Rodgers’ playbook, the Packers could well be back on the road to relevance.
