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First Impressions on the 2020 NFL Free Agency period so far

2020 NFL Free Agency

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

2020 NFL Free Agency
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

First Impressions on the 2020 NFL Free Agency period so far

While these deals have only been agreed upon in principle, here are some of the moves that have been agreed upon by both sides that will officially come to fruition on Wednesday. I’m only analyzing deals that have been confirmed by reliable sources, so no you’re not going to receive any Tom Brady click bait coming from this article, you’re welcome in advance. Here are a few thoughts on the biggest moves of free agency so far:

The Bears need to sit the hell down and give Trubisky his last chance

Listen, I get that being a Chicago Bears fan has probably been one of the more terrorizing things of this decade, it tends to feel that way considering I hadn’t even cracked the first grade yet before the Bears last Super Bowl appearance. I understand there’s strong reports coming out that they’re looking to land either Nick Foles or Andy Dalton, and I jumping off the top of a really tall building seemed really appealing at that moment.

You’re asking me to between a former Super Bowl MVP who’ll never reach that kind of pinnacle again and is serviceable for maybe 3,000 yards and 15 touchdowns a season, or Andy fucking Dalton, a 32 year-old “professional football player” who’s never led his team even ONE playoff win?  Nobody was shitting on him this hard two years ago when we reached the playoffs for the first time in eight years, especially when he was having a very solid year. I get last year was a down year, I’m not denying that and Trubisky disappointed me, but he’s earned the right to finish out his rookie contract, and then we can make a detailed judgment through four years of play to determine if he’s still the guy we want leading us at the end of the day. I really hope Ryan Pace is a man of his word on sticking with Trubisky here. 

On the other hand, bringing in Jimmy Graham is a move I’m not too sure on, when Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback and you only manage to squeak out 38 passes, pick up 447 receiving yards, and score three touchdowns, the move looks questionable. At 33 years old, I understand we’re not going to see another All-Pro campaign from this guy, but we’re in a position where we need guys who can come in and make some plays for us right away, and if we didn’t see it from the other guys in the tight end room, let’s hope we can get it right THIS TIME. 

National Crack Cocaine Epidemic in Houston folks be aware

I’ll have what the Houston Texans are smoking please, my sources tell me it levels your IQ to that of a sea otter, and everybody in the fucking front office must’ve had themselves a nice taste. That’s the only viable explanation you must have for trading away in my mind the best receiver in the league behind Michael Thomas. Whoever doesn’t have the balls to stand their ass up in the team meetings and call out Bill O’Brien better get their shit figured out and fast, this isn’t a move you make where everybody standing around you just goes “Man this seems like a competent guy making a sound decision for the future of our organization.” The Texans didn’t even get a FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK for this guy!! They settled for a washed up David Johnson, a 2020 second round pick, and a 2021 fourth rounder. I could get more out of that deal selling my old baseball card collection. Johnson’s financial commitments are mighty hefty, and so the Texans just talked themselves into paying Johnson roughly $13 million over the next year, and they don’t have a first or second round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The Texans no longer have a real superstar on the offensive side of the ball, and in my mind have just committed to rebuilding for at least the next two seasons. But hey, Kliff Kingsbury can now give Kyler Murray the tools for a dynamic offense which were sorely needed, but remember we can’t neglect that terrible defense in Arizona either.

DeForest Buckner just got paid, but are the Colts getting paid down the line?

Don’t get me wrong, you’re gonna gain some solid leverage in the offseason when you’re a part of a Super Bowl caliber defensive line. This was certainly the case for DeForest Buckner, who will find himself in Indianapolis with the Colts in exchange for the Colts No. 13 pick in this year’s draft. 

Right now, I’m definitely questioning this move, with the No.13 pick, the Colts would have definitely chose to rebuild the offense with another young and fresh quarterback, or grab another electric receiver to take some of the pressure off of T.Y Hilton, so this moves means they’re either committed to Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback, or they’re confident they can land another big veteran quarterback name in this year’s free agency period. 

Don’t get me wrong, 28.5 sacks over four seasons commands a lot of respect, and addresses the Colts desperate need for an adequate defensive line which is glaring outside of Justin Houston, but are they that confident Buckner can bring elite level production to Indy? Buckner is a damn good interior player, but he’s always seemed like more of a run stopper to me than a fearless pass rusher, the financial commitment they’re going to have to make towards him in the coming season is a very daring move. We’ll clearly have to see, but the combination of Bucker and Darius Leonard is definitely an exciting one and since I like Ryan Ballard we’ll see if he may’ve just pulled something off here. 

Hooper bolsters the Browns attack

For a team with as much talent on paper as anyone in the league, the Browns offense severely disappointed me. I’m not gonna lie. I understand things won’t be peachy throughout an entire season, but when your offense includes Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr and Nick Chubb, believe me when I say the tools have already been put in front of you. I think it comes down to shitty leadership, but that’s a story for another day. On the bright side I like Hooper a lot, he’s definitely one of the more premier receiving tight ends in the league, 75 balls for 787 yards and six touchdowns definitely sets you up for a nice payday. I don’t know much about his blocking prowess, but in a passing driven offense he’s the perfect fit for this team, it’ll be exciting to see what he can do coming to Cleveland. 

Jerry Jones has got to figure it out

If you read my previous articles, Dak Prescott isn’t worth the massive payday the Cowboys are looking to give him, and franchise tagging him doesn’t give either side any real security at the end of the day. If that’s not bad enough, they’re letting Amari Cooper test free agency, and considering he posted career-highs in all of the right spots of the stat sheet last season, I think it’ll be next to impossible to keep him in Dallas for the price he’s looking for. Last season was an embarrassment for the Cowboys in my opinion, and if they want to right the ship for 2020, that’ll have to involve keeping either both or one of these guys, but I’ll sure as hell tell you they can’t let BOTH of them leave. Jerry Jones you have some decisions to make, and you sure as hell are inclined to make the right choice for the sake of your team.

Is a change of scenery the move for Mariota?

I just caught wind of this move as I was about to wrap up the article, but in light of Ryan Tannehill’s outright controversial contract extension, Marcus Mariota has a chance to change the narrative of his quarterback career as of late, effectively showing Derek Carr the door in my mind. At 26 years old, Mariota still has plenty of time to rewrite the “Heisman winner turned washed up quarterback” tab that has been placed on him in light of his benching in favor of Tannehill. Frankly though, I can’t even blame him for the way his career in Tennessee turned out, he’s never had a stable coaching staff behind him, and of course injuries never quite get your career moving in the right direction. However, let’s see if pairing up with Jon Gruden and Josh Jacobs in Las Vegas can get things moving in the right direction for Mariota. I think he’s definitely still a quarterback with plenty of gas left in the tank, and if you get him in a stable and strong offensive scheme, we may find glimpses of the Mariota that was such a dominating presence in Eugene, Oregon.

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