The NFL offseason has officially been underway, and just a few weeks into free agency, the NFL already feels reshaped in many impactful ways. Free agency occurs when a player’s contract expires, allowing them to sign with any team. As new players enter free agency under their contracts, teams looking for new players are beginning to emerge, and many teams have already made promising signings as the NFL prepares for the draft.
Many players have found new homes within the last few weeks; notable signings include the Ravens signing Trey Hendrickson, the Texans trading for David Montgomery, the Chiefs signing Kenneth Walker III, and much more.
A lot of these moves will have immediate impacts on certain teams, as free agency gives opportunities for teams to pick up who they need.
“I think a very impactful signing so far has been Walker III to the Chiefs. He just won Super Bowl MVP for the Seahawks, and that signing will help the Chiefs a lot.” Isaiah Davila, a senior at BHS, said.
Running back Walker III just recently had over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns for the Seattle Seahawks, but most notably won Super Bowl MVP against the Patriots, totalling 27 carries for 135 yards, in a 29-13 win to put himself in the history books.
The Chiefs have had a lack of a run game in recent years, and this signing will surely upgrade their offense, as Walker has plenty of momentum heading into this next season.
As far as positions, many quarterback changes have been made as well. The Miami Dolphins have moved on from Tua Tagovailoa, as he recently had a career high last season in interceptions with 15, and an underwhelming ending to his tenure with the Dolphins.
Miami went on to pick up Malik Willis from the Packers, who served as a backup to Jordan Love these past few years. However, Willis showed lots of promise in his limited playing time, playing decently in losses against the Bears and Ravens.
For Tagovailoa, he was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons quickly after his departure, as Michael Penix Jr. is recovering from a knee injury. He signed a one-year deal for $1.3 Million, so there isn’t much playing time promised for his time there. However, we could see Tagovailoa get better, as he is in a much better situation with receivers such as Drake London and Tight End Kyle Pitts, and they were relatively close to the postseason last year.
Many trades have shaken up the NFL landscape so far as well. Mentioned before, but one notable move was the Texans trading for former Lions’ RB Montgomery, as the Lions got Offensive Line depth in return, picking up Juice Scruggs.
This was impactful for Houston, as Joe Mixon has been injury-prone as of late, and Montgomery is coming off a promising season with Detroit, as he and Jahmyr Gibbs were seen as the best RB duo in the NFL.
Montgomery finished in the top 30 in rushing yards with 716 and eight touchdowns, and that’s with Gibbs getting the majority of the carries throughout the season. Montgomery was seen as a back that could do much better if he starts, and he’ll certainly have that opportunity with the Texans this upcoming year.
With Montgomery’s departure, the Lions picked up former Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco. He’s been quite injury-prone lately, only being healthy in 20 games in the last two seasons with the Chiefs. However, when he is healthy, he can be a reliable option for a run-heavy offense like the Lions. His first two seasons with Kansas City were very promising, putting up nearly 1,000 yards in both and 12 touchdowns in both seasons combined, just missing a few games. Pacheco looks to get back to this performance level as Detroit will be a new beginning for him, and certainly will be a good pickup for this already loaded offense.
Another notable trade so far has been DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, giving former MVP Quarterback Josh Allen more weapons for his offense.
The Bills’ receiving room has been lackluster as of late, as they have not recorded a 1,000-yard receiver this year. Khalil Shakir was their top receiver with only 719 yards; Keon Coleman and Josh Palmer were not too far behind. Moore certainly brings another reliable option for the Bills’ offense. Coming off a successful season with the Bears, he looks to get back to his productivity before the Bears’ receiver room gets too crowded. This isn’t the best move, but it definitely brings an impact to the Bills’ offense, as they look to get over the hump and finally see success in the postseason.
Overall, every year the NFL offseason has shown how aggressive teams will get in pursuit of long-awaited success. Franchises have made it clear that standing still is not an option, and while only time will tell if these will pay off, the excitement and unpredictability of the offseason have already set the stage for a highly competitive and compelling season ahead.
