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The most underrated moves of the NFL offseason

Date: May 26, 2020

By: Heaven Hill

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Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports

With the draft concluding over a month ago, we are now well into one of the strangest NFL offseasons in the history of the league. Since COVID-19 threw a wrench into everything, players and front offices have had to adjust to the new conditions. The pandemic affected the draft, cancelling the event in Vegas and forcing Commissioner Goodell to announce picks from his basement. Offseason programs were impacted, with teams having to institute virtual organized team activities, or OTAs, to prepare for the season.

It even shook up the free agency process, as the league restricted teams from in-person contact with the players, making it extremely difficult to conduct physicals. Defensive lineman Michael Brockers, who agreed to a deal with the Ravens, had his offer reneged on due to issues with travel and his physical, and he resigned with the Rams as a result.

Nevertheless, although there are still big names on the market like Jadaveon Clowney and Logan Ryan, a ton of league-altering moves were made and there are some new faces in different jerseys around the NFL. Here are some underrated transactions that are being slept on now but will look like huge steals at the end of the year.

The Jets committing highway robbery with Brian Poole

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Patrick Semansky/AP

On March 21, Gang Green managed to retain one of their best in-house free agents at a terrific bargain as they resigned Brian Poole for just $5 million. Poole, after worsening play with the Falcons, joined the Jets in 2019 on a cheap, one-year prove-it contract. Normally, once you perform well on a deal like that, you re-enter free agency the next offseason and cash out.

Poole did his part of the bargain, as he was superb this year. He graded as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, leading the NFL in fewest yards per target allowed and fewest yards allowed per coverage snap. Essentially, throwing at Poole in the slot was useless and he excelled in Gregg Williams’ system.

Now, after that season, it was widely assumed that Poole would get about a three-year deal, ranging from $21-30 million. Just last offseason, top tier slot cornerbacks like Tavon Young, Justin Coleman and Bryce Callahan all got huge deals similar to that projection. Somehow, the Jets kept Poole for another one-year deal, at just $1.5 million more than he signed the year before. Without a doubt, an absolute robbery and New York gets to keep a premium player on their defense for a great price.

The Chargers pick up a bookend tackle with Bryan Bulaga

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Paul Sancya/AP

Last season, Philip Rivers had one of his worst seasons ever under center for the Chargers, throwing his fewest touchdown amount since 2007 along with a jaw-dropping 28 turnovers. While his play definitely declinded, the biggest problem in Los Angeles wasn’t Rivers, but rather his offensive line.

According to PFF, the Chargers ranked 31st in pass-blocking grade; out of 55 tackles who played at least 700 snaps in 2019, Los Angeles right tackle Sam Tevi graded as the fourth-worst pass blocker. He was beaten by his defender without allowing pressure an alarming 37 times, which was tied for the league lead. The other tackle, Trent Scott, was dead last out of the 55.

Rivers must have been fed up, as he left the Chargers for Indianapolis. Unfortunately for former backup Tyrod Taylor and top-10 pick Justin Herbert, Tevi and Scott still call Los Angeles home.

However, the front office addressed the position in a big way by landing Bryan Bulaga from Green Bay on a three-year, $30 million deal. Bulaga has been a model of consistency on the right side for most of his career and is instantly a huge upgrade. In fact, in each full season since 2014, he has ranked among the top-10 right tackles in PFF pass-blocking grade, with three top-three years. With their new rookie under center, the Chargers need elite protection. Bulaga provides that with ease, on an inexpensive contract in what was a shrewd move for LA.

Adrian Clayborn lands in Cleveland

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When you look at a list of teams who have won the offseason, the Browns have to be somewhere in that distinction. They snagged top-tier players like Austin Hooper and Jack Conklin. Then, they landed instant impact rookies like Jedrick Wills and Grant Delpit. However, one player they acquired that could transform their pass rush is Adrian Clayborn, who signed for a two-year, $6 million pact.

Clayborn was a rotational pass-rusher in Atlanta, only topping more than five sacks once. The one season he did (9.5 in 2017), his stats were bolstered by a six-sack outing against Chaz Green and the Cowboys. Due to the low production, Clayborn has been underrated at his position for quite a while.

Clayborn only played 42% of the snaps on defense for the Falcons, getting overshadowed by other players like Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett and Takkarist McKinley. Despite this, very few players won on pass rush attempts more than him. In fact, according to PFF the only qualified edge rushers with a higher pass-rush win rate than Clayborn were J.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa and Za’Darius Smith.

Cleveland ranked 20th in the NFL in sacks last season, so they realized his talent and landed Clayborn on a reasonable deal. With him, Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi, quarterbacks might be in trouble.

The Las Vegas Raiders take a gamble on Nick Kwiatkoski

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The Raiders’ relocation to Vegas and that new Death Star-looking stadium isn’t the only move the franchise made this season. In addition to Marcus Mariota and Jason Witten, Jon Gruden went out and solidified their front seven as well. Cory Littleton and Carl Nassib got the eye-popping contracts, but another move went pretty under the radar.

Las Vegas signed Nick Kwiatkoski from the Bears as well, on a three-year, $21 million deal. Kwiatkoski never entered the starting lineup in Chicago for a full season, with Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith above him on the depth chart. However, this past season with Trevathan on injured reserve down the stretch, he finally got to make his mark.

Once Trevathan signed an extension in the offseason, the writing was on the wall. Despite not getting on the field full-time, he showed his ability from sideline to sideline. In fact, according to PFF in 2017 and 2019, he earned overall grades of 80.5 and 72.6, respectively. Although he only played 382 and 512 snaps in those years, Kwiatkoski demonstrated his well-rounded run defense, tackling, pass-rushing and coverage ability. Kudos to the Raiders for acquiring a versatile player with not a ton of tread on his tires, at a low cost.

A return to Pennsylvania for Stefen Wisniewski, but this time in Pittsburgh

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Seth Wenig/AP

Wisniewski got drafted to the Raiders in 2011, the same team his father, who was an eight-time Pro Bowler, played for. After helping pave the way to a top-10 rushing attack on one of the best offensive lines in the league as a rookie, he moved to center where he remained for the rest of his tenure in Oakland. He’s been on multiple other teams since then and has been consistently solid on the interior. Wisniewski’s PFF grades hovered between 68.1 to 80.0 at least 600 offensive snaps every year from 2011-17. Unfortunately, his 2018 season was uncharacteristically poor, with a grade of just 56.2 on 678 snaps in Philly. After getting benched and later cut in 2019, he secured a one-year deal with the Chiefs valued at under $1 million.

In Kansas City, he served as a reliable backup, and came in handy once starting left guard Andrew Wylie went down towards the end of the season with an injury. Just like that, the Chiefs had a cheap, experienced mauler with Super Bowl experience ready to prove himself after a tough ending with the Eagles. Wisniewski delivered, earning an overall grade of 70.9, which was ninth among qualifying left guards according to PFF. It was the seventh time in his career where Wisniewski graded as a 70.0 or higher, showing his reliability at the position.

The Steelers, lacking interior offensive line depth with B.J. Finney going to Seattle and Ramon Foster’s retirement, signed Wisniewski for two-year, $2.85 million. As an affordable player who fits a need and can start in a pinch, this is a great signing for Pittsburgh.

Emmanuel Sanders heads to Bourbon Street

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The Saints offense is filled with a bevy of offensive weapons. Whether it’s dynamo Alvin Kamara, the multi-faceted Taysom Hill, or the statistical outlier Michael Thomas, New Orleans is lethal almost everywhere. However, one position they have been lacking at the past couple seasons is WR2. From Ted Ginn to Tre’Quan Smith to Brandon Coleman, there has been a revolving door at the position.

While these players have not been terrible, they aren’t always reliable. This was evident in the playoffs the past few years with defenses able to key in on Kamara and Thomas, leading to their downfall. Saints fans have been clamoring for years for the team to sign a dependable option at WR2, and this past March they finally got their wish.

In Sanders, the Saints get a tremendous talent, even if he is 33 years old. He’s shown in the past that he can be a dominant WR2, racking up over 3500 yards and 20 TDs from 2014-2016 with Demaryius Thomas in Denver. Not only that, but he has elite hands with only one drop on 97 targets last season. Lastly, despite his age he’s still playing at a high level.

According to PFF, Sanders has been a top-25 receiver these past two seasons, and he transformed the 49ers passing offense last season when he got there. For a two-year, $16 million deal, the Saints snagged a great option, and he will easily take some pressure off the rest of the Saints’ dangerous offense.

Heaven Hill is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports and can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.

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