As it does every year, the NFL’s 2021 free agent frenzy has resulted in some teams improving, as well as some teams taking a step back on paper. Overall, teams like the Football Team and Cardinals added some essential talent to squads that seemed just a step or two behind the league’s genuine contenders. Now, additions like Curtis Samuel, William Jackson, J.J. Watt, and Rodney Hudson are poised to lift a position group that was critiqued as a weakness during the 2020 regular season. These additions absolutely help the overall roster.
Some teams, however, have been looking to improve their roster through focusing a specific position group. While this limits the overall impact that the offseason can have on the roster as a whole, some franchises believe that upgrading at the spot that held the entire roster back in the past is the best choice for moving forward. Sometimes, bringing a position group from among the worst in the league into a sudden strength is all a team needs to push them over the hump. And at other times, we see front offices that over-expend at a spot that sees little-to-no improvement and simply hinder a front office’s ability to fix other spots that could have made a bigger difference. In this piece, I will be looking at which teams improved the most at a particular spot this year, and take a look at how the additions should help the team, as well as the risks involved with their respective splurges, starting with…
New England Patriots – Receiving Corps
- Acquisitions: WR Nelson Agholor, WR Kendrick Bourne, TE Hunter Henry, TE Jonnu Smith
- Departures: RB James White, WR Damiere Byrd
Three of these guys made my day-one overpays of free agency, but this new Patriots receiving unit is likely to bring an instant improvement along with them in the passing game. Cam Newton goes from Ryan Izzo, N’Keal Harry, and Jakobi Meyers rounding out the starting lineup next to Julian Edelman to the names that you see above. Even the least recognizable of the names, which is likely Bourne for non-49ers fans, is a certain upgrade over the departing Damiere Byrd and helps mitigate the loss of pass-catching specialist out of the backfield, James White. Adding players who totaled 22 receiving touchdowns over the course of 2020 helps out a passing offense that could only muster 10 passing touchdowns by quarterbacks this most recent season.
Los Angeles Chargers – Offensive Line
- Acquisitions: C Corey Linsley, G Matt Feiler, G Oday Aboushi
- Departures: C Dan Feeney, G Trai Turner, G Forrest Lamp, OT Sam Tevi
Four starter from the Chargers’ offensive line this past season are gone. Aside from Turner, these losses are addition by subtraction. Justin Herbert did a spectacular job of surviving behind a less-than-stellar offensive front, especially on the right side of the ball once Brian Bulaga began playing left tackle for the squad. Los Angeles knew that they needed to prioritize the protection of their young star signal-caller, and did exactly that. Not only did they replace their struggling blockers, they also arguably upgraded from Trai Turner to Corey Linsley, a First-Team All-Pro this past year. While the two don’t play at the same spot, the former Packer will step into a similar role as the leader of this offensive front along with his former teammate, Bulaga. Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi are genuine upgrades from Dan Feeney and Forrest Lamp, boosting the team’s interior offensive line into one of the league’s top units in 2021.
Denver Broncos – Cornerbacks
- Acquisitions: CB Kyle Fuller, CB Ronald Darby
- Departures: CB A.J. Bouye, CB De’Vante Bausby
Credit to the Broncos. Originally a choice for my losers of the free agency season due to their inactivity despite plenty of holes in their roster, they have doubled-down at a huge position of weakness for the squad throughout 2020. Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby are combining their powers to become one of the better cornerback-duos in the league. Darby’s signing with Denver was fine, but would have been underwhelming if the former Eagle, Bill, and Football Team player was to step in at the number-one spot. The one-year deal that Fuller was brought on ensured that not only would Darby not be relied on as the team’s bona-fide cornerback, but that their top CB is a genuine number-one guy with shutdown potential. After retaining Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons at the safety spots, this secondary has quickly turned into a strength in a division that has some quality quarterbacks.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Secondary
- Acquisitions: CB Shaquill Griffin, S Rayshawn Jenkins, S Johnathan Ford
- Departures: CB Tre Herndon, CB D.J. Hayden, CB Greg Mabin
An honorable mention goes to the Browns for their signings of Josh Johnson and Troy Hill, but the Jaguars walk away from free agency with the most improved secondary due to their additions of Shaquill Griffin and Rayshawn Jenkins to the secondary. Griffin was up-and-down as the Seahawks’ number-one cornerback in 2020, but previously showed a lot of promise as the best defensive back for Seattle post-Legion of Boom. Griffin and second-year standout C.J. Henderson could turn into the best CB duo in the NFL as long as the Florida product continues to develop as well. Rayshawn Jenkins is a lesser-known talent throughout the league, but has filled in great for Derwin James over the past two seasons. A manageable four-year deal allows for Jacksonville to possess a solid hybrid safety that provides relief wherever Jacksonville decides to deploy the former Charger. Overall, this pass defense is prepared to be largely-improved in 2021.
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