I hope you enjoyed my free agency report cards for the AFC! A very quick and dirty recap: Some of the best signings – relative to pricepoint – were Hunter Henry, Mitchell Trubisky, Tevin Coleman, Marvin Jones and Mike Boone.
Conversely, a couple of the worst were wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Donte Moncrief. Also, I don’t think Will Fuller nor Nelson Agholor signed with the right teams, relative to their particular skillsets. The Texans (not surprisingly) are paying too many running backs, and the Raiders may have overpaid just a bit for Kenyan Drake.
Now, with the NFL Draft roughly 48 hours away and rosters continuing to evolve, I figured it'd be a good time to look at what's going on in the NFC. Here is your full recap of all the big free agency moves in the NFC East.
QB Mike Glennon, Giants, signed w/undisclosed terms.
Team Grade (C ): Let’s get real, here… Daniel Jones is on shaky ground. Sure, the media and teammates seem to like him – he’s a very nice kid and apparently a swell teammate – but his performance is inconsistent and we haven’t seen many signs of that changing. That’s why I’d like to see a better backup quarterback in this spot. Mike Glennon is okay – he actually impressed me a bit during PT with the Jags this past season – but that’s all he is… just okay. I would rather have seen a Trubisky (Bills), Jacoby Brissett (Dolphins) or C.J. Beathard (Jags). Those three all offer more upside than Glennon, if Jones were to continue to falter nor take the next step up.
Fantasy impact: None, unless something happens to Jones or he gets benched down the line.
RB Devontae Booker, Giants, 2 years, $6 million.
Team Grade (B-): On the bright side he’s coming off the most impressive season of his shaky NFL career; but I’m not so sure about this pricetag. One just never knows when it comes to Dave Gettleman’s grasp – or lack thereof – on market price and conditions. I was tempted to write that Booker should, in theory, have been more productive within Jon Gruden’s rushing scheme, but ya know what? Even guys like Wayne Gallman, Devonta Freeman and Alfred Morris had good lookin’ moments within the Giants’ scheme. Booker will backup Saquon Barkley, and perhaps his results will be about the same as last year.
Fantasy impact: Booker makes for a fine handcuff, especially given Saquon’s alarming injury history. High-level handcuff, I’d say.
WR Kenny Golladay, Giants, 4 years, $72 million.
Team Grade (A-): Go for the gold, Gettleman! Look, two seasons ago, Golladay led all NFL WRs in receiving touchdowns. The kid is a stud, but we know the holdup: he can’t stay healthy. He can’t stay on the field. He seems to have a frail frame. Still, now you have Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton around him, taking some pressure off; not to mention Evan Engram at the tight end spot. If the Giants had a better quarterback, I’d say watch out. Thus is the story of many teams this NFL offseason…strong in some areas, glaringly weak in others. It’s hard to get it all right when you have to roster so many players. In the end, this is still an aggressive move; one of the best of this particular offseason.
Fantasy impact: Seems like a clear downgrade for Golladay, because I’d rather have Matthew Stafford throwing the ball to me than Daniel Jones. Also, target share was massive in Detroit. Things are a lot different here when you have to feed Saquon, Engram, Slayton and Shepard as well. Not the best spot for Golladay, but the money certainly feels right in his pocket.
WR John Ross, Giants, 1 year, $2.5 million.
Team Grade (C ): Just feels unnecessary to me. The G-Men have Golladay, Shepard and Slayton at the wide receiver position, and Ross is typically a headache with nagging injuries and inconsistent performance. I understand the attraction to his raw speed, but has it ever really translated to anything at this level? He reminds me of Kevin White in that regard.
Fantasy impact: Would take injuries for anything to open up for Ross.
TE Kyle Rudolph, Giants, 2 years, $12 million.
Team Grade (C ): That seems like an awful lot of money for an aging tight end, no? Look, I understand Rudolph’s overall value – he’s a leader, good blocker, role model – but I can’t get on board at this pricetag. He’s heading toward the end of his career, and I feel like 2 years, $7 million would have been perfectly reasonable.
Fantasy impact: A backup tight end behind Golladay, Slayton, Engram, Shepard and Barkley on the target chart? Yeah, I’m not seein’ it, here.
QB Joe Flacco, Eagles, 1 year, $3.5 million.
Team Grade (C-): I got to see him up close and personal this past season. Lemme tell ya… it’s not pretty. And here’s the sad part – even being terrible, he probably outplayed Sam Darnold on the season. Anyway, turning the page here, “Joe Cool” is just collecting paychecks at this point. I even heard him give an interview saying he just needs to keep feeding all of his kids. The Eagles have Jalen Hurts and the upcoming draft to focus on at the quarterback position. Flacco is an emergency QB at this point.
Fantasy impact: For the Eagles’ sake, they better hope not.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington, 1 year, $10 million.
Team Grade (A-): Through four articles, this is the best move of the NFL offseason thus far. It’s still an A- and not an A because – now entering his 17th season - “FitzMagic” has never reached the postseason; but this Washington Football Team is ready to pop.
You have cornerstone talent at the RB and WR positions in Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin, respectively. Monstrous tight end Logan Thomas looks like a rising star. Head coach Ron Rivera simply creates a winning culture. Add these pieces together, and this is the time to bring in a competitive veteran like Fitz.
Here’s the deal, overall: Fitz might very well be in the “Kurt Warner Stage” of his lengthy career. The game has slowed down for him. He’s seeing things clearer than he did 5-6 years ago. His wisdom is shining through. Can he get you to the Promised Land? Well, he hasn’t proven that yet, but that NFC East is wide open for the taking. It’s now or never for both Fitz and Washington, and I most certainly like the match here.
Fantasy impact: Gibson, McLaurin and Thomas have already been mentioned, and there are more to come. Fitz will have some weapons here, and “Riverboat Ron” will make Fitz feel comfortable in his playing style. In Redraft, I could see Fitz being somewhere between the QB13 and 17. There is some upside in Redraft.
WR Curtis Samuel, Washington, 3 years, $34.5 million.
Team Grade (B+): This is a hefty pricetag, but it’s also what I commonly refer to as a “prime move”. If you wanna get a kid in his prime, on the rise, you obviously have to pay up. Samuel is coming off the best and most intriguing season of his NFL career, and he brings major versatility to the table. Sure, he’s a wide receiver primarily, but he also took carries out of the backfield for Carolina. He is a real problem for opposing defenses when you put him in motion.
The challenge for offensive coordinator Scott Turner is this: Can he do enough of what the Chiefs, 49ers, Rams, Panthers and Cardinals do? Are the motion, misdirection and playaction packages all there? It started to come together last season, so I have to believe it will continue to improve for Washington. That said, Samuel could potentially be a real weapon for them, especially as McLaurin and Thomas are drawing defensive attention away.
Fantasy impact: Samuel is a Redraft and Dynasty play. I haven’t finished my Redraft WR rankings yet, but I have to think he’s somewhere in the WR28 to 36ish range. Time will tell.
WR Adam Humphries, Washington, I don’t have the contract details.
Team Grade (C ): I just don’t think he is very good. He’s a mostly inconsequential player to me.
Fantasy impact: Same as last year – basically none.
John Frascella is a published sports author and fantasy football analyst with over two decades of experience. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things fantasy football.
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