A number of teams made huge moves during the first two official days of free agency, and there is a feeling around the league that those signings have helped teams in the middle or bottom of the pack get quite a bit better.
While the Giants and Jets both made key acquisitions, the Minnesota Vikings made the best move by signing former Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins.
It was a bold move by the Vikings considering they authored one of the top stories of the year in reaching the conference championship game with third-stringer Case Keenum at quarterback.
However, they clearly felt they wouldn't return to the NFC title game – and certainly wouldn’t go any further – if the overachieving Keenum returned to Minnesota. So they let him go to the Denver Broncos and brought in Cousins.
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Cousins started all 16 games each of the past three years for the Redskins, and that had to appeal to the Vikings, who have seen Teddy Bridgewater (now with the Jets), Sam Bradford (now with the Cardinals) and Keenum handle their QB responsibilities. Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million deal and should be able to take advantage of wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph.
If running back Dalvin Cook can return to the form he showed as a rookie before tearing up his knee, the Vikings may be the favorite to win the NFC.
Cousins has a strong enough arm and is an accurate passer. He has thrown 81 TD passes over the past three seasons with 36 interceptions, along with completion percentages of 69.8, 67.0 and 64.3. Those numbers have coach Mike Zimmer feeling very good about his team’s chances for ultimate success in 2018.
The Giants, meanwhile, took a major step toward competitive respectability by signing left tackle Nate Solder away from the New England Patriots and making him a fixture on their offensive line.
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It’s difficult to tell whether that move hurt the Patriots more than it helped the Giants, but it’s clear that Solder’s decision to sign with Big Blue will impact both teams dramatically.
Solder, who turns 30 next month, signed a four-year, $62 million deal to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league. The Giants have more work to do by drafting an interior lineman next month, but Solder will solidify the edge and protect Eli Manning’s blindside.
The Giants had originally targeted guard Andrew Norwell of the Carolina Panthers, but when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, they had to change their strategy. Norwell is a tough, nasty, mauling interior lineman, and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette should be the main beneficiary. Norwell has become a very wealthy man, as he signed a five-year, $66.5 million deal.
The Kansas City Chiefs have undergone quite a few changes since the end of the season, and the biggest upgrade they've made is the signing of wideout Sammy Watkins to a three-year, $48 million deal. The ex-Bill and former Ram has shown flashes of his immense skill level during his first four years in the league, but he has not put it all together yet.
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However, if he can stay healthy and get off to a good start under coach Andy Reid, Watkins may join the NFL's list of elite receivers. It is somewhat troubling that the Bills and Rams have not come to the same conclusion, but Watkins knows he must come out and produce consistently in Kansas City.
The Tennessee Titans may have done more to help turn the AFC into a competitive conference than any other team by signing two ex-Patriots.
They have brought in running back Dion Lewis and cornerback Malcolm Butler from New Englad. Lewis is one of the NFL’s best pass-catching running backs, and he rescued Tom Brady consistently throughout the past two seasons. He is not a superstar, but if everything works according to plan, he can help turn quarterback Marcus Mariota into one. Lewis signed a four-year, $20 million deal.
Butler’s four seasons in New England ended on a sour note because of Bill Belichick's strange decision not to play him on defense in the Super Bowl. That signaled the end of his tenure in Foxboro, and the Titans were quick to jump on him.
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Butler signed a five-year, $61 million deal, and while his 2017 season was not his best, he has been validated by the Titans and represents a serious upgrade for the Tennessee secondary.
The loss of Lewis and Butler, along with the aforementioned departure of Solder, has brought the Patriots back to the pack in the AFC and could make the AFC East shockingly competitive.
It’s a stretch to say the Jets can push New England since they were unable to sign Cousins, but they have brought back quarterback Josh McCown for one more year and also signed Teddy Bridgewater for a season. The Jets still need to address this position in the draft -- perhaps with UCLA’s Josh Rosen -- but the Bridgewater signing demonstrates that the team was not paralyzed after failing to sign Cousins.