Year: 2013

Cincinnati Bengals re-sign DE Robert Geathers

stevenlourie Bengals

It’s not that 9.4 million over 3 years is unreasonable, for Robert Geathers, but the Bengals have 3 picks in the first 2 rounds and a ton of cap space. Geathers kind of sucks, so they should have taken this opportunity to find someone to replace him in the rotation with Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap. Geathers. Only 4 players graded out worse than him on ProFootballFocus among 4-3 ends as he had just 4 sacks, 4 hits, and 17 hurries on 399 pass rush snaps, through the post-season, a 6.3% rate, and he was only average against the run, even at 6-3 280. At the very least, they should give Carlos Dunlap more snaps than him in 2013.

Grade: C

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Minnesota Vikings re-sign OT Phil Loadholt

stevenlourie Vikings

Phil Loadholt is a top flight right tackle, ranking 8th among right tackles on ProFootballFocus last season. He’s graded out well above average in two straight seasons, but right tackles should not be able like left tackles because they don’t protect the blind side. Credit the Vikings for not overpaying Loadholt, with this 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with 7 million guaranteed. He’s a fierce run blocker, 4th among offensive tackles and 2nd among right tackles in that aspect last season, and he holds up in pass protection as well, with penalties (11) being his only weakness. Adrian Peterson has to be pretty happy about this re-signing.

Grade: B

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Kansas City Chiefs sign TE Anthony Fasano

stevenlourie Chiefs

The Chiefs needed a #2 tight end with no depth behind Tony Moeaki, who is no sure thing, and Fasano, a solid blocker who can also contribute a little bit as a chain mover in the passing game, can serve in that role well. However, this is way too much money for a backup tight end. Fasano will get 16 million over the next 4 years with 4.5 million guaranteed. This is even worse than the 3 year, 9 million dollar deal the Chiefs gave Kevin Boss last off-season (he was cut one year into it) and almost as bad as the 5 year, 25 million dollar deal the Vikings gave John Carlson last off-season. For comparison, Martellus Bennett, a much better tight end and the new starter in Chicago, got just 20.4 million over 4 years, just 4.4 million more than Fasano.

Grade: D

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Chicago Bears sign TE Martellus Bennett

stevenlourie Bears

Martellus Bennett might not have been as good of a receiver as Eli Manning made him look last year. Eli has made tight ends like Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard look better than they were before. However, he’s athletic and should still be able to produce as a receiver, even if he doesn’t match the 55 catches for 626 yards and 5 touchdowns he had last season. He’s also a phenomenal blocker and was overall ProFootballFocus’ 5th ranked tight end last season. He was even 10th rated in 2011 stuck behind Jason Witten, because of his blocking.

I thought, overall, he was a better available tight end than Jared Cook, who is unproven as a receiver and doesn’t block at all. Cook got a ridiculous 38.5 million over 5 years with 19 million guaranteed, while Bennett got just 20.4 million over 4 years with 5.215 million guaranteed, which is a much better deal. He’ll be infinitely better than incumbent starting tight end Kellen Davis and help out Jay Cutler a lot. This was definitely a need and the Bears filled it for a reasonable part with the best tight end on the market (other than Tony Gonzalez, who wasn’t leaving Atlanta).

Grade: A

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Tennessee Titans sign G Andy Levitre

stevenlourie Titans

I have never liked the idea of giving a guard a lot of money, but the Titans desperately needed guard help and Levitre will instantly turn the left guard position into a position of major strength. Plus, Levitre got less money than Davin Joseph (7 years, 52.5 million with 19 million guaranteed), Carl Nicks (5 years, 47.5 million with 31 million guaranteed), and Jahri Evans (7 years, 56.7 million with 12 million guaranteed) over the last few off-seasons.

Levitre got 6 years, 46.8 million with 10.5 million guaranteed. He was ProFootballFocus’ 9th rated guard in 2012 and 6th rated guard in 2011 (despite making 4 of his 16 starts at left tackle) and deserves this type of contract when you compare it to other deals guards have gotten recently. This is a solid deal and it will definitely help Chris Johnson, who needs good blocking to succeed.

Grade: B

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Miami Dolphins sign WR Mike Wallace

stevenlourie Steelers

It always concerns me when a guy is obviously just chasing money. Wallace held out long into training camp last year rather than play out the final year of his rookie deal and, as a result, he had a poor year by his standards in 2012, with 64 catches for 836 yards and 8 touchdowns despite a career high in targets. He was 34th in the NFL in receiving yards and graded out noticeably below average on ProFootballFocus. It was obvious when he went into that holdout that a down year like that was a possibility, but he didn’t seem to care. He was part of the reason why the Steelers missed the playoffs.

And now he chases the money and goes to Miami, a team with a young quarterback that has made the playoffs just once in the last 11 seasons. It’s very possible he’ll just coast now that he has the money and he’s a one trick pony anyway. He’s got great speed, but he’s still not a good route runner and the NFL has caught on to him over the past 2 seasons. It’s very possible the 1257 yards he had in his breakout 2010 season will be his career best when his career is all said and done. The Dolphins overpaid, giving him 60 million over 5 years with 30 million guaranteed. The guaranteed money goes into his 3rd year, so this is at least a fully 3 year, 37 million dollar deal, unless they want to cut him after 2 years and 30 million.

Grade: C

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Cleveland Browns sign OLB Paul Kruger

stevenlourie Browns

Paul Kruger was a very productive pass rusher down the stretch for the Ravens last year with 14 sacks, 14 hits, and 33 hurries in his final 12 games from week 10 on, but he didn’t really do anything until Terrell Suggs came back and had just 1 sack, 3 hits, and 10 hurries in his first 8 games. In his first 3 years in the league, he was just a rotational player at best, though he was very efficient on 373 snaps in 2011. He also doesn’t play the run well and played just 22 of 62 snaps in the Super Bowl as part of the game plan.

I don’t understand how someone that can barely be part of a game plan can get this much money, 41 million over 5 years with 20 million guaranteed. He’s not a primary pass rusher. He’s a secondary pass rusher and needs a good pass rusher opposite him. He doesn’t play the run. And he’s very inexperienced. I suppose it’s possible that he could continue his strong play from the 2nd half of 2012 into 2013 with the Browns and they needed a pass rusher, but they really overpaid.

Grade: C

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Indianapolis Colts sign CB Greg Toler

stevenlourie Colts

Injuries have limited Greg Toler to 308 snaps over the last 2 seasons, but the Colts gave him 15 million over 3 years anyway. He’s always played pretty well when healthy and graded out above average on ProFootballFocus this season, on the strength of a game against Detroit in which he didn’t allow a completion on 5 attempts, picked off a pass, and had 3 deflections. If he could ever stay healthy over the course of a full season, he could be a solid starter and the Colts definitely needed cornerback help, but it’s unclear who else would have given him this kind of money to find out if he could ever stay healthy. This looks like an obvious overpay.

Grade: C

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Indianapolis Colts sign G Donald Thomas

stevenlourie Colts

Donald Thomas proved that he deserved a starting job in 2013 after playing very well for the Patriots in 7 spot starts in 2012. Despite his limited playing time, he still finished the year as ProFootballFocus’ 17th rated guard. He was a better run blocker than pass protector, but allowed just 1 sack, 2 hits, and 9 hurries, while committing just 3 penalties and he has the versatility to play both guard spots.

The Patriots weren’t going to give him a starting job, but credit the Colts for snatching him up and paying him like a low end starter when he could easily end up being a high end starter if he plays like he did last year. It’s a risk because he’s so inexperienced, but they didn’t give him a lot of money. He was given just 14 million over 4 years and he’ll help out what was the worst offensive line in the league last year in terms of pass block efficiency.

Grade: A

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Miami Dolphins re-sign S Chris Clemons

stevenlourie Dolphins

Clemons is an unheralded player, but he graded out positively both against the run and in coverage last year. He barely played in 2011 and struggled in his first two years in the league after the Dolphins took him in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft, so credit the Dolphins for not committing too much long term to him. With this deal, he’ll have to prove it again and he should once again be an above average starter for the Dolphins for cheap in 2013.

Grade: A

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