The NFL Vent Zone Free Agency Roundup

I said in my last blog that Free Agency can be more enjoyable than the season itself for some fans, with all teams benefitting from the hope and aspirations that a few savvy signings can have their team pushing for the playoffs in the season to come. I’d argue that this can be truer now than it has in the past with teams seeming to be much more willing to be aggressive and make risky trades and big-name signings. It’s hope season for all teams; let’s see what they have been getting up to!

Javon Hargreave to 49ers

Alright, I am going to start here seeing as I am a 49er fan. It’s a great move, but it does come with some questions. Let’s start with the positives. Hargreave is a beast, and an already elite 49er defense just got even stronger. Hargreave comes off the back of an outrageous season with the Eagles that saw the team record a franchise record, 70 regular-season sacks. Hargreave himself had, 60 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries. The dominant defensive tackle was a nuisance for opposing offenses all season long and Eagles fans will be pretty pissed to see him end up with arguably their biggest rivals for the NFC Championship title.

For the 49ers, Javon Hargreave is a fantastic addition to the centre of their defensive line. They have been dominating teams whilst ‘making do’ at the tackle position, but Hargreave comes in and offers instant game-wrecking ability alongside Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. The big loser in this move is Javon Kinlaw, the third-year defensive tackle who the 49ers took with the draft pick they got for trading away DeForest Buckner. He’s had a pretty anonymous start to his career and this move proves that his audition as a replacement for Buckner has failed. In fact, the huge contract for Hargreave begs the question, why didn’t the 49ers just give that to Buckner in the first place?

Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins

The tear-down job in Los Angeles has begun, and the price of their ‘F them picks’ approach to winning a Super Bowl is starting to show. A question for another day will be, was it worth it? Do you take 1 year of glory for the price of multiple years of misery to follow? Maybe we will discuss it on the pod, but I think I probably would. Anyway, that’s not the story here. The story here is that the Miami Dolphins have snagged themselves one of the better cornerbacks in the league.

Statistically, 2022 was another great season for Ramsey, and at the age of 28 with no major injury concerns, this is a great signing for the Dolphins. They are now, officially, a matchup nightmare. With defensive coordinators already having to panic about how to stop Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, offensive coordinators now have to figure out how to navigate around Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard. Is this the year that the Dolphins can finally claim the AFC East Crown? It won’t be easy with the Bills already dominant and the Jets looking like getting Aaron Rodgers. Either way, they’re giving themselves the best chance possible.

Orlando Brown to the Bengals

I love this move. Good teams have good lines, and the story of the Bengals' offensive line has been a big one over the last few years. You have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. You have one of the best receiver groups in the league. So, go and get one of the best tackles in the league. It just makes so much sense and I think it is one of the better signings of free agency. Not much more to say really…

Ezekiel Elliot cut

Has anyone hurt running backs more than Ezekiel Elliott? As Chris pointed out on last week’s podcast, no one trusts running backs with big contracts thanks to the disaster-class situations with Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott, who became dead weight for their teams as they pushed for glory. There was a moment last season where it looked like Jerry Jones may let Pollard go and stay loyal to his man. That would have been a disaster. I think it is clear now that Jerry was just saving face and trying to put a positive spin on paying Elliott $12.4 million for 3.8 yards per carry in 2022.

Despite the current injury to Pollard, he clearly is an exciting prospect and the right running back to hitch the wagon to. His explosiveness and agility in all aspects of the game showed that he was in a different league to Elliott at this stage in his career. The addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore means that the Cowboys are having a good off-season, which they need in a tough NFC East.

I have only covered a few of the biggest talking points from free agency so far, but please do come back next week as we continue the journey through the NFL offseason.