nfl free agency 2015: free agent pickups part 2

Yesterday saw the shocking trades, today should see a big signing we already know about, just as soon as Miami has found enough money down the couch to sign Suh. However let’s start with the big one I missed yesterday.

Derrelle Revis – New York Jets: This happened literally as I turned my computer off. Any way with still no official word on Suh signing with Miami, this has to be the no. 1 free agency pick up, with the Jets having a seemingly endless amount of cap space, compared to the Patriots who are pretty close to the line. So just how good is Revis? Well to put it simply he turns the Jets secondary, which was one of the worst in the league into a strength. Now add the signing of Buster Skrine and the rumoured addition of Antonio Cromartie and you have a complete overhaul that makes the Jets secondary one of the best in the league. As mentioned above Bowles likes to line up his defence with 5+ defensive backs a lot, which with the likes of Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle he now has the option to do. The Jets defence could be on the verge of something great.

Shane Vereen – New York Giants: I love this move. The Giants have a talented group of weapons. Odell Beckham Jr, Victor Cruz, Larry Donnell, Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams all performed admirably towards the end of the season. Now with a legitimate no-huddle mismatch they’ve got a player that will thrive under the much talked about Ben McAdoo offence.

Sergio Brown – Jacksonville Jaguars: Sergio Brown is a pretty good replacement for Will Blackmon. Yes they play different positions, but Brown performs admirably as that extra defensive back in nickel and one of the top special teamers in the league.

Walter Thurmond- Philadelphia Eagles: Thurmond was supposed to have a breakout season, leaving the shadow of the legion of boom before injury cut his season short. Now he teams up with fellow ex-Seahawk Byron Maxwell, as both players attempt to show their ability away from the Seahawks defence. Brandon Browner would make this an ex-Seahawks cornerback hat trick.

Dan Williams – Oakland Raiders: This will almost certainly go under the radar, but I love this move. Williams will add some beef to a defensive line that struggled somewhat last year. Williams has gone under the radar on a dominant Cards defence, particularly impressive when you take into account the schemes this team was running.

Curtis Lofton – Oakland Raiders: I praised the Raiders earlier for signing Malcolm Smith, improving an area of need for this team. Now with the addition of Lofton the Raiders line-backer corps have added a strong reliable player to a unit that has become a real strength, featuring Sio Moore, Khalil Mack, Malcolm Smith and now Lofton. That’s a pretty good group.

Jared Odrick – Jacksonville Jaguars: Odrick’s departure is surely a result of the blockbuster pick up of Suh, which has also seen Randy Starks hit free agency. Odrick’s versatility will be a huge benefit for a Jags defensive line that has been underwhelming, but full of potential star power. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them take a run at Randy Starks too. The addition of Davon House will probably see him take up a starting role in an area that this team really struggled with.

Rodney Hudson- Oakland Raiders: This got buried under the flurry of blockbuster moves during the weekend. Hudson replaces Wisniewski who hit free agency. Hudson has been a decent piece on a strong Chiefs offensive line and adds some mid-level talent to a line that couldn’t find a solid line-up last year.

Roy Helu – Oakland Raiders: Helu’s career would have probably turned out differently if not for the breakout of Alfred Morris. Now he has a second chance to prove his ability on a newly rebuilt team. Helu could struggle however. Latavius Murray is their no. 1 at the moment and there is always the chance that we see Demarco Murray join the party in Oakland, putting him at no. 3 on the depth chart in more of a specialist role.

Stephen Paea – Washington: Paea flashed for the Bears last season, but wasn’t dominant. Paea’s ability to get to quarterbacks was admirable, but was part of the problem in regards to the Bears poor ability to stop the run.

Jeremy Maclin – Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs fans would probably have taken anyone after last year’s disastrous efforts at wide receiver. As it turns out they’ve picked up a pretty good one who should probably not have been allowed to hit the market. Maclin reunites with Andy Reid. If Maclin is to be successful however we’ll need to see Alex Smith air it out a little more, maybe attempt passes further than 5 yards.

Sean Weatherspoon – Arizona Cardinals: I like Weatherspoon as a player, but what the Cards are adding is another injury prone player. Injuries generally are pretty random, but adding a player with a history like Weatherspoon after losing a number of important pieces on an exceptional defence last year could spell more heartbreak again to Cards fans.

Pernell McPhee- Chicago Bears: McPhee wants the chance to prove that he is an every down line backer. The Bears are looking at a near complete overhaul for their defence. This could be a very good match if McPhee can prove that he’s more than just a situational player.

Dan Skuta – Jacksonville Jaguars: The Niners woes continue to pile up as a reliable back up in Skuta, gets his chance as a no. 1 on the Jags. Skuta could do pretty well on this team, who have made a number of decent moves.

Harry Douglas – Tennessee Titans: Douglas is considered to be a decent Receiver that had to fight for catches behind Julio Jones and Roddy White. Now he’s a Titan, where he’s fighting Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter for catches. He should be fine.

Brian Hoyer – Houston Texans: Towards the end of last season it became fairly evident that Hoyer’s time in Cleveland had come to an end. Now he’s got a chance to move from a team with problems at wide receiver to a team with… problems at wide receiver. It could be another long season for the unlucky QB.

Ryan Matthews – Philadelphia Eagles: When healthy he’s a great running back. the key point there though is “when healthy”. If Chip Kelly can really keep players off the physios bench then he’s building a decent team. That’s a pretty big if though.