Free Agency, Day Three

71 signings and trades are in the books. Expect at least that many in the next week.

Bills sign DE/OLB Mario Williams

The Bills signed defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams to a six-year worth as much as $100 million dollars with $50 million guaranteed.

The Bills made the biggest splash in free agency by grabbing onto Mario Williams and not letting go until he was signed to a deal and looking for a home in Buffalo. While Williams has been hurt on occasion, missing the back half of the last two years with injuries, he’s remains the consummate pass rusher when he’s been healthy. He’ll pair very well with Marcell Darues and give Buffalo the pass rush it’s needed for years. The only question now becomes how do the Bills follow this up?

Saints sign OG Ben Grubbs

The Saints signed offensive guard Ben Grubbs to a five-year, $36 million dollars including $10 million guaranteed.

This was definitely the way to go for the Saints. After they lost All-Pro Carl Nicks to the Buccaneers, they were able to get a guy who’s just a tier below Nicks as a player for a cheaper price. Grubbs should pair well with Jahri Evans and give the Saints the second best guard tandem in the NFC South. The only question is how will the loss of Nicks affect the other offensive linemen? Time will tell.

Titans sign OG Steve Hutchinson

The Titans signed seven-time All-Pro offensive guard Steve Hutchinson to a three-year deal worth $16 million dollars.

The Titans interior offensive line didn’t play well last year, so going for a great guard made sense. The question is what does Hutchinson have in the tank? He can be a great mentor, but he’s missed some time with injury and is 35. If he’s the Steve Hutchinson that everyone’s come to know and love, then the Titans got a steal. If he continues to have injury issues and plays like an older guard (see Alan Faneca in Arizona) then this feels like a band-aid solution to a bigger problem.

Chargers sign WR Eddie Royal

The Chargers signed wide receiver Eddie Royal to a three-year $13.5 million dollar deal that includes $6 million guaranteed.

The Chargers needed to try and find someone to help replace Vincent Jackson. They didn’t finish the job by signing Royal, but they helped the passing game out. Royal could be great in the slot and offers value as a punt returner, which the Chargers need after they let Darren Sproles walk. They still need a bigger guy, but Royal should fill the slot position well.

Chiefs signed TE Kevin Boss

The Chiefs have signed tight end Kevin Boss to a three-year contract worth $9 million dollars.

I’m a little confused by this move, but not necessarily against it. The Chiefs have a solid athletic tight end in Tony Moeaki, which means that Kevin Boss’ targets will probably be limited. However, Moeaki is coming off a torn ACL and how athletic he will be after words has yet to be seen. Boss will be a good insurance policy, but should Moeaki be completely healthy, he’s not going to have a lot of production. This was a risky move.

Patriots re-sign DT Marcus Harrison and OC Dan Connolly, sign S Steve Gregory

The Patriots have re-signed defensive tackle Marcus Harrison and offensive center Dan Connolly to undisclosed contracts and safety Steve Gregory to a three-year deal worth as much as $8.5 million dollars, including $3.5 million guarantees.

The Patriots made a solid and intelligent move in re-signing starting center Dan Connolly. Center is the second most important position along the offensive line and when you have someone you like at that spot, you need to keep him. The Pats haven’t done a great job keeping their guys at various positions, but got it right here.

The Harrison and Gregory signings both are attempts to help the defense that I think will fall flat. Harrison played well when he was with the Bears, but only in spurts and I just don’t think he’ll be able to be much of a pass rushing threat. Gregory has been in and out of the Chargers defensive lineup, but never made enough of an impact to stick around. He might be a slight upgrade, but I just don’t see him helping that defense.

Broncos sign S Mike Adams

The Broncos signed safety Mike Adams to a two-year deal.

This was a nice move by the Broncos. I don’t expect Adams to be a great starter but he’s an experienced safety who can help the young guys they have like Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore develop into better players. He can also step in and play well if one of those guys struggle. Nice value signing.

Browns re-sign CB Dimitri Patterson and OT Oniel Cousins, sign DE Juqua Parker

The Browns re-signed cornerback Dimitri Patterson to a three-year, $16 million dollar deal with $6 million guaranteed and backup offensive tackle Oniel Cousins to an undisclosed contract. They also signed defensive end Juqua Parker to a one-year deal worth $3 million dollars.

Re-signing Patterson makes sense. They like him as their nickel corner and he does well in that role. He’s not a starting quality corner, but in a pass heavy league, having a quality nickel is very important.

The Parker signing was a very good one. They didn’t over pay for a rotational pass rusher while getting one of their better value defensive ends in free agency. This was a great signing.

Oniel Cousins is a versatile backup with some potential.

Redskins signs S Brandon Meriweather

The Redskins agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $6 million.

Meriweather struggled with the Bears, but is a solid hitter near the line, much like departing safety Laron Landry. He should help the Redskins in their run defense, though they still need someone to help roam the middle in coverage. This was a decent signing.

The Cardinals re-sign OT Levi Brown

The Cardinals re-signed offensive tackle Levi Brown, whom they released earlier in the week, to a five-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This was a nice move by the Cardinals. They couldn’t have paid him the remaining portion of his rookie contract because it was simply too much for a player of his quality. However, he’s familiar with the system and could easily slide in at right tackle. The coaching is also still fond of him and his skill set. This should help the Cardinals in terms of their offensive line. This just reduces how much they would have to pay him and how much he counts against their cap.

Cowboys sign S Brodney Pool, LB Dan Connor

The Cowboys signed safety Brodney Pool to a one-year contract worth $1.2 million and linebacker Dan Connor to an undisclosed contract.

Pool is an experienced safety with decent coverage abilities, though is clearly a better run-stuffer. The Cowboys have had issues on the back end for a while and while Pool isn’t going to correct all of those problems, he should be a nice stop-gap until the Cowboys can find a legitimate fill in.

I like the signing of Dan Connor. He’s been underrated and stuck behind a great linebacker in Jon Beason. Connor, like fellow Penn State alumnus Sean Lee (now his teammate), Navarro Bowman and Paul Posluszny has been a great technical linebacker who overcomes any athletic deficiencies through smart play. I wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up starting next to Lee before long, in-spite of the presence of Bruce Carter.   

Bears re-sign TE Kellen Davis, DE Isreal Idonije

The Bears re-signed tight end Kellen Davis to a two-year deal worth $6 million dollars and defensive end Isreal Idonije to a one-year deal.  

Both signings make sense. Davis has been a pretty good tight end when he was given opportunities. They retain him at a fair price and he should have more chances to show how good he can be.

Idonije has been a good, though not great pass rusher from the other side of Julius Pepper. He’s also been solid against the run and should still in the mix for a starting job. However he will need to improve as a pass rusher if he wants to play in Chicago beyond next year.

Buccaneers sign QB Dan Orlovsky

The Buccaneers signed quarterback Dan Orlovsky to a two-year contract Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This was a good idea. Orlovsky has never been a great starting quality player, but he’s a solid backup. The Bucs have needed a backup who’d be able to play at least decent football if Josh Freeman were to ever get hurt or miss a significant period of time with injury. Orlovsky is that kind of player.

Giants sign S Chris Horton

The Giants signed safety Chris Horton to a one-year contract.

Horton has starting experience with the Redskins, but was often two inconsistent in coverage to hold on to that job. He’ll be a decent special teamer with the Giants and provide depth, though with the Giants already having three solid safeties, I doubt he’ll play much on defense.

49ers sign RB Rock Cartwright

The 49ers have agreed with running back Rock Cartwright on a one-year contract.

Rock Cartwright is an experience running back who still has some miles left in the tank, though not many. The 49ers may use him as a short yardage back, but he’s mostly going to be thought of as a special teamer.

Dolphins re-sign RB Steve Slaton, sign LB Jamaal Westerman and OG Artis Hicks 

The Dolphins re-signed running back Steve Slaton to a one-year contract and signed linebacker/defensive end Jamaal Westerman to an undisclosed contract and offensive guard Artis Hicks to a one-year deal worth $2 million dollars.

Steve Slaton is a nice third-down back, but hasn’t produced quite like he did as a rookie. He’ll be a decent backup to Reggie Bush.

Jamaal Westerman is a nice 3-4 outside linebacker with some pass rushing skills. He’s not great and probably will not be a guy who can pull double-teams away from Cameron Wake, but he can provide some pass-rush.

Artis Hicks is a big guard who can maul opponents in the running game, sometimes. He’s been fairly in consistent and was not as good in Washington or Cleveland as he was in Minnesota. However, considering the offensive line problems that the Dolphins have had, Hicks makes at the very least a solid backup. He’ll likely find a spot at one of the guard positions or slide in at right tackle.