Offseason moves are pretty much in the books now. There’s still a chance a big name player or two gets moved but now that the draft is over teams are unlikely to make big trades, unless contract talks between a player like Tee Higgins or Brandon Aiyuk go horribly wrong. There are also some quality free agents still available including Justin Simmons, Donavan Smith, David Bahktiari, Calais Campbell, Xavien Howard, and Stephon Gilmore. These players could help a team this season, but probably aren’t needle movers at this stage of their careers. That is all a long winded way of saying the offseason is basically over. We can now grade each team’s offseason moves, and decide on which five teams improved the most this offseason.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Key Additions: QB Justin Fields, QB Russell Wilson, LB Patrick Queen, RB Cordarrelle Patterson, OT Troy Fautanu (Rookie), C Zach Frazier (R), WR Roman Wilson (R)
Key Losses: WR Diontae Johnson, CB Patrick Peterson, C Mason Cole, QB Kenny Pickett, QB Mason Rudolph
The Steelers might have finally found a QB. They signed Russell Wilson for the minimum and then surprisingly double dipped at the position and traded a (conditional) fourth round pick for Justin Fields. I think it was a questionable decision to bring in both, even if both moves make a ton of sense by themselves. It might be a sign they don’t have strong conviction in either player, as the famous John Madden quote goes, if you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none. If Justin Fields lives up to his immense potential, and becomes Pittsburgh's franchise QB, then this will obviously be a great offseason, but regardless they've improved at QB. What makes this offseason a great success right now is what they did to set whichever QB up for success. It looks like they finally fixed their offensive line by bringing in two physical rookies that should be ready from day one in Fautanu and Frazier. They also finally don’t have a Matt Canada offense anymore, and although Arthur Smith flamed out as a head coach, he has proved to be a talented offensive coordinator. They have a chance to be functional, and that's all they need considering how lights out the defense is. Bringing in a high end athlete like Patrick Queen could also bring this defense to new heights. This offseason keeps Pittsburgh in playoff contention, and if Fields ends up being a star, might have set them up to be a contender for years to come.
4. Tennessee Titans
Key Additions: WR Calvin Ridley, CB L’Jarius Sneed, RB Tony Pollard, C Lloyd Cushenberry, CB Chidobe Awuzie, OT JC Latham (R)
Key Losses: RB Derrick Henry, DT Denico Autry, LB Azeez Al-Shaair
Tennessee is going all in on Billy Jeans (aka Will Levis), and this offseason should allow them to get a good reading on whether or not he’s their guy. Bringing in an established receiver like Calvin Ridley to be a WR2 next to DeAndre Hopkins is going to be great this year, even though I’m not sure it was the best idea long term. They also fixed their problems at corner by getting one of the best players available in L’Jarius Sneed and signing Chidobe Awuzie. Those moves added high end talent, but the most important thing they did in this offseason was attempt to fix the second worst OL in the league (behind the Giants). Cushenberry is a good up-and-coming center, and JC Latham was probably the strongest lineman in the draft class. They should both be quality options from day one. I wish they were blocking in front of Derrick Henry, but Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears should be an explosive unit. I can at least understand wanting a younger and somewhat cheaper option in Pollard, but if they kept Henry they'd be closer to the best offseason. The Titans might not be a great team but they were able to get some of the best players available and fix key holes in the roster during this offseason.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Key Additions: RB Saquon Barkley, EDGE Bryce Huff, LB Devin White, DB C.J. Gardner Johnson, CB Quinyon Mitchell (R), DB Cooper DeJean (R)
Key Losses: C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox, RB D’Andre Swift, EDGE Hasson Reddick
If Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox didn’t retire the Eagles probably would have had the best offseason in the league. Saquon is going to make Jalen Hurts life so much easier this year, giving them a check down option that can make first downs out of nothing. After Goedert got hurt Hurts didn’t have a reliable option to check down to, so Saquon's explosiveness at running back should keep this offense from stalling as much as it did last season. Defensively the Eagles will also be so much better after picking two of the best defensive backs in the draft. One of their main problems last year was their corners being too slow and old to keep up with the best receivers in the game. Bringing in two of the best corners in the draft seems to solve this issue, although DeJean might play safety with Darius Slay still on the roster. The Eagles did an excellent job of improving their roster even with the retirements of two legends.
2. Houston Texans
Key Additions: WR Stefon Diggs, EDGE Danielle Hunter, RB Joe Mixon, DT Denico Autry, LB Azeez Al-Shaair CB Kamari Lassiter (rookie)
Key Losses: EDGE Jonathan Greenard, RB Devin Singletary, DT Sheldon Rankins
The Texans are rightfully going all in on their superstar 2nd year QB CJ Stroud. Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon should give Stroud two reliable veteran passing options. Mixon is a great pass catcher coming out of the backfield, and although he isn’t close to the player Christian McCaffrey is, he should have a similar role in Bobby Slowik’s Shanahan type offense. Diggs takes this already great wide receiver group to the next level. While Diggs may get the headlines, Danielle Hunter was their most impactful signing and is going to be a star in Houston this year especially lined up opposite Will Anderson Jr. Plugging holes with good players in Autry and Al-Shaair and Lassiter also raises the floor of this unit. The Texans should compete for a Super Bowl in large part due to this offseason.
1. Chicago Bears
Key additions: QB Caleb Williams (R), WR Rome Odunze(R), WR Keenan Allen, RB D’Andre Swift, TE Gerald Everett, OL Ryan Bates
Key Losses: QB Justin Fields, WR Darnell Mooney, SAF Eddie Jackson, OG Cody Whitehair
The Bears had the best offseason of any team, and should go from a below average team to a playoff contender and potential championship contender if Caleb Williams develops like I expect him to. Caleb is a superstar prospect that has the talent to be the best player in the league and they used this offseason to set him up in a great position. Keenan Allen is one of the most reliable receivers in the league, pairing him with a rookie and sometimes erratic QB makes perfect sense. Rome Odunze should also be in a perfect spot to learn from Allen and grow into a special player. Him and Caleb could be the next Burrow and Chase duo as young superstars growing in the league together. Chicago has legitimate hope for the first time in decades, and should be a playoff team this season thanks to a fantastic 2024 offseason.
Photos by Sebastian Foltz (Post-Gazette), Michael Starghill (Getty Images), Stacey Wescott (Chicago Tribune), AP Photos
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