2022 NFL free agency team-by-team grades: Browns, Bills, Broncos, Raiders, Rams

On Mar 19, 2022

The 2022 NFL offseason is officially upon us. Several big-name quarterbacks found new homes ahead of the kickoff of the legal tampering period Monday, but now dozens of notable veterans are actually moving around on the market. From blockbuster moves to bargain-bin shopping, we’ve got you covered below with a running tracker of every team’s 2022 additions, including external signings and trade acquisitions:

It’s not that the players the Cardinals added or retained are bad; Conner and Ertz are vital to their offense. But paying those two a combined $50M+ on long-term deals? What is this, 2017? Arizona went all in on older and/or injury-prone veterans a year ago, but it’d be nice to see the team go a little greener if its gonna spend big money. Pass rusher still needs to be addressed.

Locking up one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers is fine. But they’ve got lots of holes still to fill, especially if they plan on competing with Matt Ryan (or, somehow, Deshaun Watson) at QB. Letting Russell Gage walk may haunt them. Hayward gives them a quality starting corner for a reasonable price, but their offense is sorely lacking.

Williams is a top-flight ball hawk who will instantly improve their defense in transition, especially alongside a healthier Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, etc. Moses gives them quality insurance up front to protect Lamar Jackson. And Pierce is exactly the kind of reunion they needed on defense, especially after the Za’Darius Smith deal fell through.

Von Miller will be a huge difference-maker for an already-stout defense, even if his deal was bigger than expected. They basically swapped out Daryl Williams for Saffold, which isn’t an obvious upgrade. But Settle is another solid pickup for the D-line, as is Howard for the offense, giving Josh Allen a high-upside Dawson Knox complement.

Foreman gives them big-bodied insurance for Christian McCaffrey, which is smart. Higgins is an underrated backup plan behind Robby Anderson. And Corbett is their best O-line investment in two years. Woods, meanwhile, brings experience to the back end of the defense at a reasonable price. Now, what happens at QB?

They were betting big on DT Larry Ogunjobi’s continued development, committing $13.5M per year to the ex-Bengals starter before a failed physical killed the deal. They still have big holes to fill at key spots, from WR to pass rusher.

Good for them, finally getting Joe Burrow some more help up front. Cappa and Karras weren’t necessarily the best options out there, but they’ll do. Also, was B.J. Hill worth locking up over Larry Ogunjobi? Maybe. Maybe not. Hurst is a fine bet for tight end help, and maybe Burrow will boost his stock, but he’s still just a mid-level flyer.

The Browns get a clear upgrade at quarterback by slotting in Watson over Baker Mayfield, but this move does come with risks. The most immediate is Watson’s off-the-field issues with his outstanding civil lawsuits by 22 different women who allege sexual misconduct or assault. The NFL is still investigating Watson regarding this situation and, when you look at how his new contract is structured, it appears like he is bracing for some type of suspension. Losing Jarvis Landry hurts, but getting Cooper gives them a bona fide No. 1 — at a reasonable cost, considering the free-agent market, no less. Bryan and Winovich are decent depth additions.

Dallas Cowboys: C

Gallup was worth keeping, no doubt, but they’re gonna miss Amari Cooper more than most realize, especially with Cedrick Wilson now gone as well. They deserve props for retaining Schultz, too, but there’s still a glaring pass-rushing need to fill after they whiffed on re-signing Randy Gregory. With La’el Collins gone, they’ve also got some questions up front.

It’s hard to give them anything but an “A” this offseason, because, well, Russell Wilson. They promised to be aggressive at QB, and they delivered. Jones is their next-best addition, giving an already-solid defense an ascending big man on the interior. They may well have overpaid for Gregory, but he at least brings long-term upside opposite Bradley Chubb.

QB Tim Boyle (1 year, $2 million)
QB David Blough
FB Jason Cabinda (2 years, $4.1 million)
Jaguars WR D.J. Chark (1 year, $10 million)
WR Josh Reynolds (2 years, $6 million)
WR Kalif Raymond (2 years)
C Evan Brown (1 year, $2.05 million)
DE Charles Harris (2 years, $14 million)
LB Josh Woods (1 year, $1.55 million)
LB Alex Anzalone (1 year, $2.25 million)
LB Shaun-Dion Hamilton (1 year, $1.035 million)
S Jalen Elliott (1 year, $825,000)
S Tracy Walker (3 years, $25 million)
S C.J. Moore (1 year, $1.75 million)

Nothing splashy here, but they were always gonna make more of their noise in the draft. Chark and Reynolds are an underrated duo out wide, giving Jared Goff — or whomever they draft at QB — some big-play talent.

Retaining Aaron Rodgers was the biggest move…