Tag: Free Agency Grades

Grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings one year later

One year later, grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings.

With the benefit of hindsight, we now have a full season’s worth of information to judge the signings the Indianapolis Colts made during the 2023 offseason.

Some of them panned out better than expected. Others not so much.

Simply looking at the outside free agents brought onto the roster last offseason, we’re here to re-grade the signings the Colts made one year later. So we won’t be discussing the re-signings of players like Tyquan Lewis and E.J. Speed, both of which turned out exceptionally.

For reference, we’ll compare the initial grade we gave at the moment to how we currently feel about the signing.

Without further ado, here are our grades for the Colts’ free-agent class of 2023 one year later:

Grading the Colts’ free agency moves in 2023

Grading every move the Colts have made in free agency this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts have turned their attention to the 2023 NFL draft after making some waves since the opening of free agency last month.

While the Colts are still likely to add a handful of pieces to the roster before the draft—specifically at cornerback and offensive line—the majority of their moves have been made in free agency.

If and when those moves are made before the draft, we’ll add them to this list of grades.

Even with the noise quieting down, we’re still tracking the moves the Colts are making in free agency and will do so through the month of April.

Here’s a look at our grades for the Colts’ moves in free agency, which also includes the notable moves of a trade and the release of a pair of starters:

How would you grade the Commanders’ first week of free agency?

PFF likes the Commanders’ moves thus far.

The Washington Commanders entered the legal tampering period of free agency with a clear plan to improve in the trenches. That began on Sunday when Washington re-signed defensive tackle Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million contract. Payne was slated to play the 2023 season on the franchise tag.

On Monday, Washington focused on the offensive line, adding Nick Gates [New York Giants] and Andrew Wylie [Kansas City Chiefs] to modest contracts to start in 2023.

The Commanders also signed linebacker Cody Barton, who will replace Cole Holcomb. Holcomb signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the Commanders agreed to terms with Barton on a one-year contract. While Washington watched quarterback Taylor Heinicke depart, it signed Jacoby Brissett to replace him.

Pro Football Focus recently weighed in on every team’s free-agent moves through one week. PFF likes Washington’s moves, giving the Commanders a “B” for their early moves.

Here’s what PFF had to say about three players specifically:

Brissett:

Last season with the Cleveland Browns, Brissett played exactly like any team hopes when they bring aboard a bridge quarterback. The journeyman averaged 7.1 yards per attempt on a 9.5-yard average depth of target, attacking downfield but still keeping his turnover-worthy play rate at just 3.1% on the season.

This is not a lateral move from Taylor Heinicke — it’s a marked upgrade at the position, so Washington doesn’t let a trio of wide receivers in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel potentially go to waste.

Wylie:

Wylie is coming off another solid season for the Chiefs in which he produced a 61.6 PFF grade that ranked 63rd among all offensive tackles. Through five seasons in the NFL, Wylie has produced a PFF grade below 60.0 in just one season.

While you’re not going to confuse him for an All-Pro offensive tackle anytime soon, he is still a starting-caliber player on the right side of the line or a solid swing tackle at worst.

And re-signing Payne:

Payne’s career to date in the NFL has been interesting. He’s earned above-average PFF grades against the run but average at best pass-rushing grades in his first three seasons in the league. That flipped over the past two seasons, though, with Payne producing 70.0-plus PFF pass-rushing grades but sub-55.0 PFF run-defense grades.

The Alabama product just set the floor for the group of 2019 Draft interior defenders set to sign extensions this offseason: Quinnen Williams, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Jeffery Simmons. They should all be pretty happy with where this deal landed but should push closer to the $25 million per year range as more consistently productive players over their rookie contracts.

No one knows how these things work out. However, Washington should be applauded for getting a deal done with Payne before free agency. It accomplished two things: It kept the franchise tag out of play. Washington fans certainly know the end game with the tag. Once Payne played on the tag, it was unlikely the two sides would ever agree to a deal.

Secondly, getting Payne done before the next wave of defensive tackles sign mega-deals was critical. If Washington did not get this deal done, there was no way it was paying Payne $25 million per season or more. Kudos to the Commanders for getting ahead of this deal, unlike what happened with wide receiver Terry McLaurin last offseason.

Grading the Bears’ signing of RB D’Onta Foreman

D’Onta Foreman gives the Bears a solid replacement for David Montgomery with more production and at half the cost.

The Chicago Bears have a new running back who is looking to earn the starting job this year. The team signed former Carolina Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman to a one-year contract, who will compete with Khalil Herbert for touches in the offense.

Foreman was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft after a decorated collegiate career at Texas. After a solid start to his rookie season, injuries and work habits sidelined him for nearly two years and he was released prior to the 2019 season.

He found new life with the Tennessee Titans in 2021, filling in for Derrick Henry after he suffered a foot injury and had a career year with the Carolina Panthers last season following the Christian McCaffrey trade. Foreman rushed for 914 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, with five touchdowns. The majority of his production came after Week 6 where he had five 100-yard games.

Foreman now joins the Bears with a chance to earn the starting job away from Herbert. Regardless of the outcome, though, his presence will benefit the offense and fills the void left by David Montgomery and then some. Here is our initial grade of the signing.

Grading the Bears’ signing of QB P.J. Walker

The Bears made a wise move signing P.J. Walker for a number of reasons. Let’s just hope he plays sparingly in 2023.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has a new backup. On Wednesday, the team agreed to sign quarterback P.J. Walker to a two-year deal, giving the Bears a new option behind Fields. They also said goodbye to Trevor Siemian, who was released on Thursday following the acquisition.

Walker comes to the Bears after spending three seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He saw limited game action in 2020 and 2021, but played in five contests this past season, throwing for 731 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the middle of the year. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017 with the Indianapolis Colts, but made his mark with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks as the leader in passing yards and touchdowns in 2020 prior to the league folding due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the acquisition of Walker, the Bears decided to find a player that has similar skills to Fields. Here is our initial grade of the signing.

Grading the Bears’ signing of DL DeMarcus Walker

DeMarcus Walker had a career year in 2022 and cashed in with the Bears. Will he sustain that success or was it an outlier?

The Chicago Bears were lacking on their defensive line in 2022 and made a move in free agency to hopefully improve in that area. The team signed former Tennessee Titans defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker to a three-year, $21 million deal with $16 million guaranteed.

Walker was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and was fairly quiet his first couple of years. He improved significantly in 2019 and 2020 and joined the Houston Texans in 2021 before spending 2022 with the Titans. Walker had his best season last year as a rotational player, totaling 32 tackles, 10 for a loss, and seven sacks, all of which were career highs.

Now, Walker comes to the Bears hoping to build on his success while helping the team improve their pass rush. Here is our initial grade of the move.

Grading the Bears’ signing of RB Travis Homer

Travis Homer won’t be much of a threat in the running game, but he could be invaluable as a pass blocker and on special teams.

Running back was the focus for the Chicago Bears on Tuesday evening. After they said goodbye to veteran David Montgomery, who signed with the Detroit Lions, they agreed to a deal with former Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer. The deal is for two years worth up to $4.5 million.

Homer comes to the Bears after four seasons in Seattle as a reserve running back and special teams contributor. In 2022, he totaled 74 rushing yards on 19 carries, as well as 16 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, Homer had nine tackles and one forced fumble. For the time being, he’ll slot in behind Khalil Herbert in the running back rotation.

The move to bring in Homer wasn’t a home run like many expected (pun intended), but will he be a significant contributor on Sundays this season? Here is our initial grade of the move.

NFL analysts grade Chargers’ free agency signings

Find out what NFL experts have thought of the Los Angeles Chargers’ pickups in free agency.

The first week of free agency is nearing an end, and the Chargers were aggressive from the get-go, with the intentions of bolstering their roster to contend to make a deep run next season.

Following the trade for All-Pro edge defender Khalil Mack, Los Angeles upgraded the defensive side of the ball with the signings of cornerback J.C. Jackson and defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

With that, here’s a look at how NFL experts graded the Bolts’ signings up to this point: