The NFL season is fast approaching and I haven’t been on my A game recently. I haven’t written an article on the NFL in over two months now. It’s time to lock in. Before we get into the good stuff, I want to first say that Deshaun Watson will not be included in this article. Watson might be suspended for the entire season so I don’t know if I can put that trade into the “best offseason moves”. Let’s get into it.
10. Matt Ryan says farewell to Atlanta as he is dealt to the Indianapolis Colts
The man known as “Matty Ice” has found a new home for the first time in 14 years. The former MVP was traded from the Falcons for a third-round pick (which they used to select Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder). Ryan is coming off of four straight losing seasons with the Falcons, but his production hasn’t taken that much of a hit. Since 2018, Ryan has thrown for 4,000+ yards and 25+ touchdowns three out of the four seasons. To see Ryan with an actual offensive line and All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor in his backfield will be a sight to see. Hopefully they don’t lose in week 18 to the Jaguars to miss out on the playoffs again.
9. La’El Collins and Alex Cappa head over to Cincinnati to protect Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow was getting thrown around by opposing defensive lines in the playoffs last season. The Bengals finally addressed their need to protect their franchise center-piece and went after some big bodies this pas offseason. La’El Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras are all players that can immediately jump into the starting offensive line for the reigning AFC Champions. Now it’s time for the front office to figure out their contract situation with one of the best safeties in the league, Jessie Bates III.
8. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is traded to the Arizona Cardinals
On draft night the Baltimore Ravens traded away their #1 receiver in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and a third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for their first-round pick. Brown was coming off his best year in the league yet, recording 91 catches for just over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. Which prompted the following Lamar Jackson tweet…
Despite leaving Lamar in Baltimore, Brown is re-uniting with his college teammate Kyler Murray and this will definitely be a partnership to look out for in the NFC West. Fast forward to today, head coach Kliff Kingsbury says that Brown is “way ahead of the curve” in terms of learning the new offense. In his new spread/pass-first offense, expect Brown to thrive. Especially when DeAndre Hopkins gets back from his suspension. Can’t wait to see this offense in action.
7. Allen Robinson is freed as goes to the Los Angeles Rams
Allen Robinson is a free man. Or at least that’s how he should feel after finally escaping mediocre quarterbacking play. The former Penn State standout signed a three-year deal worth $46.5 million with the reigning Super Bowl champions. Since he has entered the league in 2014 Allen Robinson has had three years of 1,000+ yards and 6+ touchdowns. Here is a list of quarterbacks that Robinson has had since his rookie season.
- Blake Bortles
- Mitch Trubisky
- Nick Foles
- Andy Dalton
That is a whole lot of mediocrity. So to see him in an elite offense like the Rams with an incredible quarterback in Matthew Stafford is a great thing to see. And I guarantee you, Bears fans are just as happy to see him go. They know the pain that this man has been through and this move will help push their “Allen Robinson is elite” narrative even more. I’m excited to see how Robinson does alongside Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson.
6. Von Miller signing with the Buffalo Bills
After winning his second Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams last year, Von Miller signed an absolute mega-deal with the reigning AFC East Champion Buffalo Bills. A whopping six-year deal worth $120 million. Just a reminder, Von Miller is currently 33 years of age. However, that doesn’t mean he still can’t contribute to a championship team (as we clearly saw last year). Miller joins an elite Bills defense that was ranked #1 in the league last year. Coming off a year where he recorded 9.5 sacks in the regular season and 4 in the playoffs, Miller is going to cause problems in the AFC once again.
5. J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack heading to the Los Angeles Chargers
After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last year on the last day of the year, the Chargers went into this offseason with their priorities straight. They re-signed their standout receiver Mike Williams, but that’s not where they stopped. They went out and traded for a former Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack and signed an elite cornerback in J.C. Jackson. Mack will join a front-seven of Joey Bosa, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Kenneth Murray Jr. and Kyle Van Noy. Jackson will join a secondary with Derwin James Jr., Asante Samuel Jr. and Nasir Adderley. With a great defensive coach like Brandon Staley, I can’t wait to see this new-look Chargers team take on the tough AFC West.
4. A.J. Brown gets traded to the Philadelphia Eagles
Adding A.J. Brown to a top-10 offense in the league is an incredible addition. Especially, when you get Brown for only two draft-picks. The former Titans star is going into his fourth year in the league. Out of his three years in the league he has amassed two 1,000+ yard and two 8+ TD seasons. Brown is a top 10 receiver in the league, in my humble opinion, and pairing him with DeVonta Smith on the other side has to have NFC defensive backs sweating. To see Jalen Hurts with these many weapons around him on this offense, I think it’s the Eagles time to shine in the NFC East.
3. Davante Adams is traded to the Las Vegas Raiders
Arguably the best receiver in football, Davante Adams goes to the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade. The Raiders only gave up a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2022 draft to get one of the best receivers in football. In his eight years in the league, Adams has recorded five double-digit touchdown seasons and three 1,000+ yard seasons (even though two years in his career he finished with 997 yards). Even though Adams talent speaks for itself, that isn’t the biggest story of this move. The biggest story is that Adams and his college teammate, quarterback Derek Carr, are reuniting on the Raiders. The Raiders offensive weapons have a lot of depth with Adams, Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Demarcus Robinson, Kenyan Drake and Josh Jacobs. We’ll see how new head coach Josh McDaniels will do in his second-go at being a NFL head coach.
2. Tyreek Hill is traded to the Miami Dolphins
As a New England Patriots fan, I don’t like how good the AFC East is getting. However, adding Tyreek Hill to a receiving corps of Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki is dangerous. Hill came at a hefty price for the Dolphins, as they gave up a total five draft picks for the former Chiefs superstar. Hill is coming from a Chiefs offense with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid where had four 1,000+ yard and five 7+ touchdown seasons. Hill is, in my humble opinion, a top three wide receiver in the NFL. His six Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections speak for themselves. However, this is put up or shut up time for Tua Tagovailoa. Teddy Bridgewater is waiting in the quarterback room for new head coach Mike McDaniel to hand him the reigns.
1. Russell Wilson becomes QB1 of the Denver Broncos
Let me just make this clear. Russell Wilson is an elite quarterback. While he may not have the best record in the playoffs, his talent level has shown that with the right pieces, he can get the job done. Wilson left his home in Seattle after 10 years as the Seahawks signal caller, and it didn’t come cheap for the Broncos. Denver sent over Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, Drew Lock and five draft-picks to Seattle for Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick. Wilson will be 34 years old in November, but he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. In four of his last five seasons Wilson threw for over 30 touchdowns and less than 11 interceptions. Now Wilson will have a better offensive line protecting him and a powerful duo in the backfield consisting of second-year man Javonte Williams and veteran Melvin Gordon III. However, Wilson is going to be surrounded with more firepower than ever on the outside with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Albert Okwuegbunam and Tim Patrick. Both the west divisions in the AFC and NFC are looking like the toughest divisions in the league. It will be a hard test for Wilson and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett however…
The NFL season is fast approaching and I am so excited to see all the new faces in new places. Besides me wanting my Patriots to win another Super Bowl, I want to see my favorite players go through the year in full health. May God please protect Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley from injuries. And I know I didn’t let my Patriots bias enter this article but don’t sleep on that DeVante Parker trade. Don’t let Mac Jones get a deep-threat receiver 👀. I’ll be back with another article very, very soon. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
Great read brother. Can’t wait for the season to start!