- The Washington Commanders are going all-in with Jayden Daniels: Washington made two of the biggest trades this offseason by bringing in offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
- The Chicago Bears rebuilt their offensive line: Chicago completely revamped its front five by adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Smart NFL teams often try to strengthen their biggest weaknesses during free agency so that they can utilize the “best player available” strategy in the draft.
With that in mind, here are five position units that were improved the most during free agency.
Arizona Cardinals defensive line
The Cardinals had the fifth-lowest-graded defensive line in the NFL last season. In response, Arizona invested nearly $125 million in its defensive front.
The Cardinals’ biggest addition came by adding edge defender Josh Sweat. He earned 70.0-plus PFF grades in four of the past five seasons and posted 10.5 sacks for the Philadelphia Eagles in the regular season and playoffs last year. They also brought back Baron Browning to man the other edge defender spot, and he ranked 23rd in both pass-rush grade and pass-rush win rate last year.
Arizona’s major addition at defensive tackle came in the form of Dalvin Tomlinson, who’s been one of the 32 highest-graded interior defenders in seven of his eight seasons. The Cardinals are hoping 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson can make a jump in Year 2 to solidify one of the other spots on the interior defensive line.
Chicago Bears offensive line
There hasn’t been a single position unit that’s been upgraded more than Chicago’s offensive line. It was clearly a priority for new head coach Ben Johnson, as the Bears traded for a couple of guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, the former has been one of the 10 highest-graded guards in eight consecutive seasons.
Chicago wasn’t done there though, signing center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million deal. His 84.8 PFF grade since 2023 ranks fifth among all centers. The Bears completely turned around their offensive line in one offseason, giving franchise quarterback Caleb Williams a much better chance at succeeding in Year 2.
Minnesota Vikings offensive line
The Vikings are seemingly entering 2025 with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback. Minnesota is attempting to help out last year’s top-10 pick by investing in its interior offensive line by adding a couple former Indianapolis Colts.
Ryan Kelly takes over at center and will be a massive upgrade over Garrett Bradbury. Since 2023, he’s 10th among all centers in PFF grade while Bradbury is 24th. The Vikings also added guard Will Fries. Although he only played five games last season, his 86.9 PFF grade would’ve been tied for second among guards who played at least 250 snaps.
New York Giants secondary
The Giants had the sixth-worst coverage grade in the NFL last year and emphasized fixing that through free agency, signing safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo to deals totaling nearly $100 million.
Holland is the perfect replacement for Xavier McKinney, who departed last year for the Green Bay Packers. Since entering the NFL in 2021, Holland’s 91.3 coverage grade ranks tied for fifth among all safeties.
Adebo is coming off a bit of a down season but in 2023, he was one of the 15 highest-graded and most valuable cornerbacks according to PFF’s wins-above-replacement metric.
Washington Commanders supporting cast on offense
While it’s not necessarily a specific position group, the Commanders have done an excellent job of surrounding franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels with a better ecosystem.
Washington solved its biggest issue at left tackle by trading for Laremy Tunsil. During his six years with the Houston Texans, his 92.3 pass-blocking grade ranks second among all qualifying tackles.
The Commanders weren’t done there though, also trading for wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Since 2021, the former San Francisco 49ers receiver has 92 forced missed tackles after the catch which is 19 more than any other wideout. He’s battled injuries and his play dipped a bit last year, but Samuel is a perfect complement to Terry McLaurin.
After making the NFC Championship Game, Washington is rightly going all-in while Daniels is on a rookie contract.
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