Grading Every NFL Team’s Free-Agency Performance

Peak free agency for the NFL’s 99th offseason is over, and more than 200 players signed contracts with a combined value of $2.4 billion in the last nine days.

More moves are coming, and they’ll matter, authentic nike nfl jersey but those transactions will be part of a second wave that doesn’t shape rosters as much as those in the early stages of free agency.

With that in mind, it’s time to issue report cards on the free-agency performance of every NFL team with the following grade scale:fd1c5c1a36050df564b4f9877d47a566_crop_exact

A+: It was pretty much perfect.cheap nike authentic nfl jerseys

A: The good drastically outweighed the bad.

B: The good slightly outweighed the bad.

C: The bad slightly outweighed the good.

D: The bad drastically outweighed the good.authentic nike nfl jerseys wholesale

F: Anything that could go wrong did go wrong.new nike authentic nfl jerseys

Here’s how the class fared.

What they needed to do

Still rebuilding after a roster overhaul and a three-win season, the Arizona Cardinals had one job: Add as much support as possible for young quarterback Josh Rosen authentic nike nfl jerseys china (or Kyler Murray, if they go that route). Arizona can afford to build up its defense through the draft, but the offense needs experience and proven talent. The offensive line was a bloody mess last season.

What they did right

The Cardinals acquired solid and reasonably priced offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they added depth at guard by signing veteran J.R. Sweezy.

Where they went wrong nfl authentic jerseys nike

They focused far too much on defense. The contract they gave linebacker Jordan Hicks isn’t bad, but that $8.5 million average annual salary could have gone to a stronger guard like Rodger Saffold or Billy Turner. Why spend even a dime on 36-year-old Terrell Suggs? And they’re inexplicably giving cornerback Robert Alford $7.5 million authentic nike nfl jerseys for sale a year on the wrong side of 30. New pass-catchers Charles Clay and Kevin White aren’t likely to do much to help Rosen or Murray either. It’s unclear what general manager Steve Keim is thinking.authentic nike nfl jerseys stitched

What they should do now

The rub with using a first-round pick on Murray is you’d better get a first-rounder back for Rosen. If not, you’re setting Murray up to fail immediately. The Cardinals have to use a first-round pick on a receiver, tight end or offensive lineman who can make an impact right off the bat.

Rico Gathers Reaches Plea Deal on Misdemeanor Marijuana Charge

Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers reportedly reached a plea deal following his arrest on a possession of drug paraphernalia charge.

Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reported the cheap authentic nfl nike jerseys deal Thursday, noting the charge was reduced to a class C misdemeanor. The deal with the Collin County D.A. comes with 90 days deferred adjudication and a fine of $99 plus court costs.hi-res-3350ea90bd933e5bbf68ec3f17c9122f_crop_north

Patrik Walker of 247Sports noted Gathers was arrested in cheap authentic nike nfl jerseys from china August before the Cowboys made their final 2018 roster decisions, but he still made the 53-man team.

The Cowboys selected Gathers with a sixth-round pick in 2016, but he didn’t play his first two years in the league. He tallied just three catches for 45 yards in 15 games last season, and Walker suggested he is in danger of not making the roster in 2019 despite this news. cheap authentic nfl jerseys nike

Dallas has Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz and Codey McElroy at the tight end position as it looks to defend its NFC East crown.

While Gathers agreed to a plea deal to reduce the legal charge, authentic nfl jerseys nike the NFL still hasn’t issued a ruling and could punish him.

LB Reggie Ragland, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Reggie Ragland 10 days before the start of the 2017 season. The linebacker became a full-time starter by Week 8, but he managed only 44 total tackles.

A full year with the same franchise will significantly help Ragland, especially since he missed his entire rookie campaign after suffering a torn ACL during training camp.

“I’m very comfortable now,” the 2016 second-round pick said,cheap nike nfl jerseys free shipping  per the Kansas City Star’s Blair Kerkhoff. “As far as the defense is concerned, I’m more comfortable now.”

The Chiefs jettisoned all-time leading tackler Derrick Johnson this offseason, which created an opportunity for Ragland to become an every-down option. The 2015 SEC Defensive Player of the Year was considered a two-down run defender coming into the league nfl cheap jerseys nike . Next to Anthony Hitchens, he will now attempt to show his skill set exceeds previous expectations.

“I feel like I am underrated as a cover guy, but as a three-down guy, nfl nike jerseys for cheap you want to be the main guy out there calling everything, and you want to get the guys lined up,” Ragland said.

Right now, the third-year veteran isn’t only a starting inside linebacker; he’s also a nickel backer unless he proves he can’t handle coverage responsibilities.

20-16: South Korea, Iran, Serbia, Senegal, Argentina

20. South Korea

Doomed before a ball was kicked, South Korea did well to nearly emerge from a horrible group with three points. Of all teams, Germany were the one who surrendered them.

Three star performers emerged—one predictable cheap nike jerseys nfl (Son Heung-min), the others not so much (Kim Young-gwon and Jo Hyeon-woo).

19. Iran

Drawn into a horror group of their own, including Spain, Portugal and many peoples’ dark-horse pick in Morocco, Iran did stupendously well to grab four points.

Carlos Queiroz’s tactical moves were clever, stymieing Morocco and nearly embarrassing Portugal, and the team battled impressively in a narrow defeat to Spain.

18. Serbia cheap nfl jerseys from china nike

It’s fair to say we expected more of Serbia, who carried an in-form striker (Aleksandar Mitrovic), a genuine difference-maker (Sergej Milinkovic-Savic) and a robust back six into the tournament.

The key game was always going to be against Switzerland, and losing that in the final minutes essentially knocked them out in Game 2. We only saw one good game from Milinkovic-Savic, and Mitrovic missed an awful lot of chances.

17. Senegal

The first side ever to be knocked out of the World Cup on fair play points. Remember Senegal, as they’re an answer to a quiz question coming your way soon.cheap new nike nfl jerseys

What happened to them did feel harsh, particularly given the sporadic brilliance of their play, but when you contrive to drop points in the way they did, elimination is tough to stave off.

16. Argentina

Things went about as badly as could be expected for Argentina.

They were always likely to emerge from the group—the star quality on show meant at least that much could be expected—but they’re too dysfunctional a side to cope with good, organised opponents. France showed them the door in some style.cheap nfl jerseys nike china

25-21: Australia, Morocco, Germany, Nigeria, Peru

25. Australia

Australia were a lot better than many expected. Emergency coach Bert van Marwijk installed a framework and solidity to their play that made them competitive in every group game.

Their downfall was goalscoring; the only nike jerseys nfl cheap  two they managed were from the spot. The likes of Andrew Nabbout and Robbie Kruse worked hard in open play but fell short on the quality yardstick.

24. Morocco cheap nike nfl jerseys from china

Morocco were an absolute delight to watch and probably deserved more than the solitary point they managed. They pressed, they passed well, they dribbled aggressively, and they entertained us all.

If only every major chance hadn’t fallen to centre-back Medhi Benatia.cheap official nike nfl jerseys

23. Germany

It’s getting very easy to believe there is in fact a curse at play in the World Cup finals. Germany became the third straight nation to follow up winning the tournament with exiting at the group stage next time around, with Spain and Italy having blazed the trail before them.

They looked an absolute mess strategically, heaping pressure on the centre-backs in a quite remorseless way, and were punished accordingly.

22. Nigeria

Nigeria’s opening performance was a real shocker, but a formation change for Game 2 brought about a much better performance and a victory.nfl cheap nike jerseys

They needed only a draw against Argentina in the third game to progress and couldn’t manage it, but it’s clear there’s plenty to build on and work with moving forward in this Super Eagles team.

21. Peru

Like Morocco, Peru picked up plenty of casual fans over the course of the group stage thanks to their exhilarating, attacking style.

They were unfortunate to lose their opening game against Denmark, a result that all but eliminated them, but they kept their heads high and their eyes focused, scoring in and winning Game 3 to the delight of a stadium packed full of White and Red supporters.cheap wholesale nike nfl jerseys

Liverpool Transfer News: Lyon President Offers Nabil Fekir Lifeline Amid Rumours

Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas has given Liverpool renewed hope in their efforts to sign Nabil Fekir after conceding the collapsed deal could be revived this summer.cheap nfl nike jerseys from china

The Lyon figurehead spoke to Le 10 Sport (h/t James Walters of the Daily Express) and said there’s a chance the Reds could still get their hands on the player after an agreed deal was called off in June:

“It seems to me that Liverpool could come back in.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

“That’s what I’ve read in the press, but I’ve not been told anything.

“His transfer failed in June, but he hasn’t been affected by it. He is focused on the World Cup, and he still has his heart in Lyon. Nabil is much closer to Lyon today than he was when we talked to Liverpool.
A pre-existing knee injury revealed during his Liverpool medical was at the root of the £53 million deal falling apart, with Aulas having fought hard for Fekir’s Lyon future prior to that.

The club president now seems more open to the move materialising, nike nfl jerseys cheap china and the Mirror’s David Maddock reported they already have a replacement in mind:

Negotiations are sure to escalate after Fekir returns from international duty with France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where he’s hoping to have an impact in Sunday’s final against Croatia.

Discovery of the knee injury means Liverpool might be less inclined to invest so prominently in Fekir, which is why Maddock’s report asserted they would now seek to pay any transfer fee over the course of a five-year contract.china nike nfl jerseys cheap

Liverpool have already spent in excess of £100 million to sign Naby Keita, Fabinho and Shaqiri this summer, but the addition of Fekir could send their expenditure spiralling once more.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Head coach: Dirk Koetter (14-18)

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Todd Monken, defensive coordinator Mike Smith

Koetter took over as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2015, and that unit went on to rank 20th in scoring. He was then promoted to head coach, and they’ve ranked 18th in each of the last two seasons. Save for a five-game hot streak in the second half of the 2016 season, Koetter has gone 9-18 as head coach of a relatively talented team.

His seat should be on fire.

Monken doesn’t look any better considering that the last two seasons were his first as an NFL offensive coordinator. Smith has experience, but his defenses have ranked in the bottom 10 in each of his two campaigns with the team.

This staff isn’t the answer in Tampa.

Head coach: Hue Jackson (9-39)

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese

A supposed quarterback whisperer, Jackson has gotten nothing out of six different signal-callers since he took over the Browns in 2016. That’s a big reason he’s lost 31 of his 32 games in Cleveland.

Jackson deserves some credit for posting an 8-8 record in 2011 with a mediocre Raiders team, but he never excelled as an offensive coordinator and hasn’t done so as a head coach, either. His .188 winning percentage is the lowest in modern NFL history among coaches with at least 40 career games under their belt.

Veteran NFL writer Don Banks runs a relatively new site called HeadCoachRanking.com, which uses a detailed formula to rank all NFL head coaches broadly and within specific categories. And in 2017, Jackson and the now-fired Chuck Pagano finished tied for last.cheap wholesale nike nfl jerseys

Haley and Williams bring experience to the primary coordinator positions. However, the former has never been part of a championship team, and the latter hasn’t accomplished much since he returned to the league after a one-year hiatus due to the Bountygate scandal.

This isn’t the worst staff in football, but it would benefit from some new energy.

Head coach: Vance Joseph (5-11)cheap nfl nike jerseys free shipping

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, defensive coordinator Joe Woods, quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan cheap nike jerseys nfl

Joseph was a puzzling hire to begin with, considering that he had just one season under his belt as a defensive coordinator in Miami and that the Dolphins ranked 29th defensively that year. The Broncos didn’t surrender a lot of yards but gave up far too many points in his maiden season, and now he enters his second yar on the hot seat with just a handful of wins under his belt. cheap nfl jerseys from china nike

Only Jackson, Chuck Pagano and Jack Del Rio performed worse in terms of total ranking at Head Coach Ranking. cheap new nike nfl jerseys

But it’s too early to call him a failure, and at least he has some support. Quarterback Case Keenum is in good hands with the experienced and respected Sullivan, while Musgrave deserves a second season to turn the offense around after doing exactly that with the Raiders in 2016.cheap nfl jerseys nike china

The New York Mets Are Taking a Huge Risk Relying on Their In-House SP Options

The Logic

Jacob deGrom was one of the best pitchers in the NL last season, going 15-10 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 239 strikeouts in 201.1 nfl authentic jerseys  innings to finish eighth in Cy Young voting.

The rest of the New York Mets starting staff was a complete disaster, though.

Noah Syndergaard (7 GS), Steven Matz (13 GS), Zack Wheeler (17 GS), Seth Lugo (18 GS) and Matt Harvey (18 GS) all missed significant time to injury, and the team used 12 different starters on the year.

The combined result of the 11 starters not named deGrom: 34-59, 5.37 ERA, 1.59 WHIP.nfl jerseys from china

Despite that uncertainty, the only notable addition the team made was to sign 35-year-old Jason Vargas to a two-year, $16 million deal. The soft-tossing left-hander made the All-Star team but fell off dramatically with a 6.38 ERA after the break.

That raised plenty of questions about whether the front office did enough to address what was a glaring hole.official nfl jerseys cheap

The Reality

The Mets are off to a brilliant 12-4 start, thanks in large part to a 3.45 ERA from the starting rotation, and Vargas has yet to make his Mets debut.

Here’s a look at how the club’s incumbent starters have fared:

Noah Syndergaard (4 GS, 2-0, 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP)
Jacob deGrom (4 GS, 2-0, 3.24 ERA, 1.08 WHIP)
Steven Matz (3 GS, 1-1, 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP)
Matt Harvey (3 GS, 0-1, 4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
Zack Wheeler (2 GS, 1-1, 2.77 ERA, 1.00 WHIP)

Beyond those five guys, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are pitching well in multi-inning roles out of the bullpen and are nfl authentic jerseys cheap capable of stepping into the rotation if the need arises.

Roquan Smith, Linebacker

Roquan Smith fits the mold of the modern quick twitch NFL linebacker who can flow side-to-sideline with the play.

At 6’1″ and 236 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds, which ranked fourth among linebackers at the combine. That speed is the foundation of his effectiveness against the run and as a pass-rusher. It’s how he recorded 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks during his final season at Georgia.best nfl jerseys

His speed is also what makes Smith a likely top-10 pick widely mocked to the Oakland Raiders. Unfortunately, he experienced some hamstring tightness while showing off his quickness at the combine.

Concern about Smith’s injury grew slightly in early March when Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline reported he was flagged medically by several teams. But that turned out to be only a passing scare, as later NFLDraftScout’s Dane Brugler reported Smith has been cleared and wasn’t scheduled for a combine medical recheck.
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Smith should be just fine going forward, and he is racing Tremaine Edmunds to be the first linebacker selected.
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Evaluating Harold Landry requires a good memory.

The defensive end erupted for Boston College in 2016, leading the nation in sacks with 16.5 while also recording 22 tackles for a loss. He was a constant menace in the backfield because of his burst to accelerate around blockers.

However, Landry couldn’t repeat that high-end production in 2017 because an ankle injury limited him to just eight games played.nfl jerseys cheap authentic

However, he still notched five sacks despite the shortened senior season. Then Landry went on to tear apart the combine, most notably posting a three-cone drill time of 6.88 seconds. Only six other defensive linemen who weighed 250-plus pounds and were selected in the first round have recorded a sub-6.9 time, per PFF.
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So it feels pretty safe to say Landry’s ankle has healed nicely, and he’s worthy of first-round buzz.customized nfl jerseys cheap

Boston Celtics: Kyrie Irving’s Knee

Kyrie Irving’s “minimally invasive” left knee procedure could wind up having an outsized impact on the Boston Celtics’ postseason hopes.nfl wholesale jerseys

A three- to six-week timetable doesn’t guarantee his return before the end of the first round, let alone the start of the playoffs altogether. And if he’s unable to suit up, the Celtics face the prospect of an immediate exit.

It doesn’t matter that they have the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Possible matchups with the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards (assuming John Wall returns) have close-call potential even if the Celtics are at full capacity.nfl jerseys from china

Remove Irving from the equation, and Boston may forfeit favorite status in any one of those hypothetical series.hi-res-8404aaa811b07d5cb78f5f7d71285c00_crop_exact

Indeed, the Celtics have shown they can survive without Irving. Al Horford continues to headline units that outscore opponents by 9.7  official nfl jerseys cheap points per 100 possessions whenever he plays without the All-Star point man. And the defense remains sturdy in the time rookie Jayson Tatum logs on his own.

But generating consistent offense without Irving is a chore the Celtics aren’t fit to complete in a playoff setting. They score like a bottom-three attack when he’s on the bench and don’t have a proven face-up alpha on which to lean in crunch time.

Tatum will be that player one day, just not now. Ditto for Jaylen Brown. Horford can helm an offense by himself for 43 minutes or so, but he’s not the from-scratch dribble-driver needed to excel with the game on the line. (Most big men aren’t, by the way. Boston is lucky Horford is nimble and effective at pump-and-drives from above the break.)reebok nfl jerseys

The Celtics have turned to Irving during high-pressure moments accordingly.

Among the 328 players to make at least five crunch-time appearances, only LeBron James has a higher usage rate or averages more shot attempts per 36 minutes. And just as the Cavaliers would have no way of offsetting his absence, the Celtics don’t have the experience, one-on-one maestros or healthy 6’8″nfl authentic jerseys  All-Star safety nets to last without him.