Heels, Sox & Steelers

How have Steeler opponents done this free agency? -- Part II
As the transactions slow this offseason, I'll take this opportunity to assess how Pittsburgh's opponents for 2004 have faired in free agency -- specifically, have these teams made themselves better than they were at the end of last season (with full knowledge that the draft in less than a month away). Technically, this could be called Part IIa because I'll first look at the Steelers home nondivisonal opponents and later in the week I'll look at the Steelers away nondivisional opponents (Part IIb).

This is part (2) in a series of (4). Part (1) looked at AFC North opponents improvements through free agency, Part (3) will look at AFC North opponents improvements through the draft, and part (4) will consider nondivisional opponents improvements through the draft.

Here's Part II -- The Nondivisional Home Opponents:

New England Patriots
Needs at the end of 2003:
Despite winning the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, the Pats have a very real need at RB. They have since released RB Antowain Smith, last season's leading rusher (even though he averaged only 3.5 yards per carry). New England re-signed third down back Kevin Faulk, but you can rest assured that they will take RB on the first day of the draft to fill that need for the next few years. C/G Damien Woody was a big loss upfront, but with four picks in the first two rounds, the Pats will fill that need as well. DT Ted Washington is now in Oakland and he was a big part of what made New England one of the best defenses in the league last season. Under the heading of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure': When the Steelers released P Josh Miller, it signaled the beginning of the end for Ken Walters. Miller is one of the best punters in the league and will bolster an otherwise pedestrian punting game. The Pats might also look to get more height on the outside. They've signed veteran WR J.J. Stokes, but this draft is very deep in talented receivers.

Needs addressed through Free Agency or Resigning:
OG Russ Hochstein (re-signed)
WR J.J. Stokes (re-signed)
RB Kevin Faulk (re-signed)
LB Don Davis (re-signed)
DE Rodney Bailey (Steelers)
P Josh Miller (Steelers)
RB Patrick Pass (re-signed)
S Je'Rod Cherry (re-signed)

Players lost through Free Agency:
DT Ted Washington (Raiders)
OL Damien Woody (Lions)
S Chris Akins (Dolphins)
OL Mike Compton (Jaguars)
RB Antowain Smith

Even though Ty Law can't quit complaining how he's getting screwed (he'll make over $6 million this season), the Patriots are in an enviable position. They have a young, very competent quarterback, a young (albeit undersized and not including Troy Brown) group of receivers, a strong offensive line and a defense that was the best in the AFC. That said, Coach Bill Belichick will use the glut of draft picks to fill the few remaining holes on this team.

Draft picks in April:
The Patriots have 10 draft picks this April.
1(21), 1(32), 2(56), 2(63), 3(95), 4(112), 4(127), 5(159), 6(191), 7(223)

Likely first round pick:
It's no secret that the Patriots would love to have either RB Steven Jackson or Kevin Jones fall to them with the 21st pick. If it looks like that might not happen they may trade up, or draft RB Chris Perry or RB Greg Jones. The Patriots will probably use their second first round pick on Virginia Tech C Jake Grove (the best center in the draft) to replace Woody, who signed with Detroit this offseason.

Grade (through free agency):
The Pats lost two big parts of their team: C/G Damien Woody and DT Ted Washington, but Belichick has strengthened the punting game -- one of the weakest areas for the Pats last season. It looks like most of the action will take place in the draft. Grade: C -.

New York Jets
Needs at the end of 2003:
After a 6-10 season, the Jets had a lot to address. They released underachieving WR Curtis Conway, CB Aaron Beasley, S Sam Garnes, LB Marvin Jones and LB Mo Lewis. They're defense was porous at best and they should address this on the first day of the draft. Offensively, Chad Pennington will need more dangerous targets on the outside to complement a running game led by Curtis Martin.

Needs addressed through Free Agency or Resigning:
OG Brent Smith (re-signed)
LB Eric Barton (Raiders)
CB David Barrett (Cardinals)
K Doug Brien (re-signed)
LB Quincy Stewart (re-signed)
SS Reggie Tongue (Seahawks)
LB Kenyatta Wright (re-signed)
WR Justin McCareins (traded 2nd round pick)

Players lost through Free Agency:
WR Curtis Conway (released)
OG Dave Szott (retired)
CB Aaron Beasley (released)
LB Mo Lewis (released)
S Sam Garnes (released)
S Tyrone Carter (Vikings)
WR Kevin Swayne (Redskins)
LB Marvin Jones (released)

The Jets gave up a second round pick to get WR Justin McCareins and that may sound steep, but McCareins is a solid receiver with height, speed and great hands. He will make Pennington's job a lot easier next season. There are still a lot of holes on the defensive side of the ball, especially after CB Antoine Winfield and S John Lynch spurned the Jets to go elsewhere (although in my opinion, Winfield going to the Vikings did the Jets a favor). These concerns should be addressed early in the draft, even though New York only has six picks.

Draft picks in April:
The Jets have 6 draft picks this April.
1(12), 3(76), 4(107), 5(138), 6(172), 7(203)

Likely first round pick:
There are some rumors that the Jets will take the best available CB with the 12th pick. Considering how volatile the player ranking have been, that could be DeAngelo Hall, Dunta Robinson, Chris Gamble, Will Poole, or whoever the flavor of the week is come draft day. They may also want to trade down and get more picks while still being able to get a topflight CB.

Grade (through free agency):
Getting McCareins is big for the Jets offensively, but after losing both Winfield and Lynch they still have a lot of work to do. Grade: B-.

Philadelphia Eagles
Needs at the end of 2003:
After watching the NFC Championship game it became painfully obvious that Donavan McNabb gets absolutely no help from his receivers. As a consequence, the Eagles made getting a high-profile receiver their number one priority. And they did just that when they acquired (although quite circuitously) Terrell Owens from the 49ers via the Ravens. That move alone would make for a great free agency, but Philadelphia addressed the defensive line situation when they signed Jevon Kearse. And while they may have paid too much for 'the freak,' he will certainly improve a defense that faired pretty well last season. RB Duce Staley is now with the Steelers, but Philadelphia is confident that Correll Buckhalter will have no problem picking up the slack.

Needs addressed through Free Agency or Resigning:
DE Jevon Kearse (Titans)
LB Dhani Jones (Giants)
WR Terrell Owens (49ers)

Players lost through Free Agency:
LB Carlos Emmons (Giants)
RB Duce Staley (Steelers)
DE Marco Coleman (Broncos)
CB Troy Vincent (Bills)
CB Bobby Taylor (Seahawks)
OG Bobbie Williams (Bengals)
QB A.J. Feeley
DL Brandon Whiting (49ers)

Draft picks in April:
The Eagles have 6 draft picks this April.
1(28), 2(58), 3(89), 6(179), 6(186), 7(217)

Likely first round pick:
LB Carlos Emmons is now with the Giants, and both CBs (Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent) are gone so look for the Eagles to address these needs on the first day of the draft. Some draft boards have Philly taking a LB in the first round and a CB in the second round. At some point in the draft they will also hope to fortify the offensive line.

Grade (through free agency):
At least on paper, acquiring Terrell Owens will make Donovan McNabb's job a lot easier. Whether that is actually case remains to be seen. And although the Eagles overpaid for Jevon Kearse, he will bolster an already good defense. Replacing the defensive backfield will in part determine how successful the Eagles will be next year. Grade: A.

Washington Redskins
Needs at the end of 2003:
There's not enough space on this weblog to address all the problems the Redskins had at the end of the 2003 season. That said, new/old head coach Joe Gibbs has come in with guns blazing. New faces include QB Mark Brunell, CB Shawn Springs, LB Marcus Washington and RB Clinton Portis. They got rid of LB Jessie Armstead and P Brian Barker and perhaps the most selfish player in the NFL, all-time sack leader Bruce Smith. They still have needs at safety, defensive end and on the offensive line (don't forget QB Patrick Ramsey took more shots last year than Lebron James in the rookie NBA all-star game). Whether bringing in Brunell for veteran leadership was the right thing to do may also be questioned if he falters early and Ramsey doesn't see the field (personally, I think it's a bad idea).

Needs addressed through Free Agency or Resigning:
DT Cornelius Griffin (Giants)
DE Phillip Daniels (Bears)
OL Lennie Friedman (re-signed)
LS Ethan Albright (re-signed)
LB Keith Mitchell (re-signed)
LB Marcus Washington (Colts)
TE Walter Rasby (Saints)
P Tom Tupa (Bucs)
C Cory Raymer (Chargers)
S Todd Franz (re-signed)
LB Lemar Marshall (re-signed)
CB Ralph Brown (Giants)
CB Walt Harris (Colts)
DT Joe Salave'a (Chargers)
WR Kevin Swayne (Jets)
QB Mark Brunell (Jaguars)
RB Clinton Portis (Broncos)

Players lost through Free Agency:
DE Bruce Smith (released)
LB Jessie Armstead (Panthers)
DT Lional Dalton (released)
P Bryan Barker (released)
DT Martin Chase (Giants)
WR Patrick Johnson (Bengals)

Draft picks in April:
The Redskins have 2 draft picks this April.
1(5), 5(134)

Likely first round pick:
Pro Football Weekly reports that rumors out of Washington suggest that the team has its sights set on two Miami (Fla.) players -- TE Kellen Winslow and FS Sean Taylor -- with its first-round pick if it chooses not to trade down to gather more picks. At first it appeared that the team would rather keep the pick, seeing as how owner Daniel Snyder likes star power, but the need for a defensive end is great enough that the team would consider trading down, since it doesn't view any DE prospect as being worthy of the No. 5 pick. Despite signing veteran Phillip Daniels, defensive end remains a bigger need than either free safety or tight end, but it will be tough to pass on two players who potentially could redefine the position.

Grade through (free agency):
The Redskins have outdone every other team in free agency, but not without a price. They only have two picks in April and they will feel the full force of their salary cap decisions in 2006. Until then, they will be competitive, but unless they win it all, I'm not sure it will be worth it.
Grade: A +.

Oakland Raiders
Needs at the end of 2003:
Where to start. The Raiders had more problems in 2003 than anyone would care to remember. The players basically gave up halfway through the season on a coach who gave up well before that. Norv Turner is now running the show and he's got a lot of work to do to get this team back to anything close their 2002 form. Gone are three LBs, including steroid-user and all-around nutcase, Bill Romanowski (was it any surprise that he was named in the whole BALCO thing?), DE Trace Armstrong and RB Charlie Garner.

Newcomers include DT Warren Sapp, DT Ted Washington and LBs Dwayne Rudd and Danny Clark. The Raiders still have huge questions at WR and QB if for no other reason than the average age at those positions is 56. RB is also a question after Charlie Garner moved to the Bucs. There has been speculation that malcontent Corey Dillion may end up in Oakland, but I'm not convinced that's a good thing. Unless Sapp can play QB (we know he can play RB), the Raiders might be in for another long season.

Needs addressed through Free Agency or Resigning:
CB Charles Woodson (franchise)
OG Brad Badger (re-signed)
DT Ted Washington (Patriots)
OG Ron Stone (49ers)
CB Ike Charlton (Giants)
LB Danny Clark (Jaguars)
LB Dwayne Rudd (Bucs)
DT Warren Sapp (Bucs)

Players lost through Free Agency:
LB Bill Romanowski (released)
DE Trace Armstrong (released)
OL Matt Stinchcomb (Bucs)
DT Rod Coleman (Falcons)
LB Eric Barton (Jets)
RB Charlie Garner (Bucs)
LB Eric Johnson (Falcons)

Draft picks in April:
The Raiders have 8 draft picks this April.
1(2), 2(45), 3(67), 4(98), 5(129), 6(160), 7(195), 7(213)

Likely first round pick:
Barring any trades, the Raiders will probably take one of two WRs (Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Williams) or maybe a QB for the future (if available, Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger). And if they wanted to address a below average offensive line they could also take Robert Gallery. Basically because they have so many holes, whoever they take will certainly help this team -- if not next year, then in the near future.

Grade through (free agency):
Other than Charlie Garner, the other Raider departees were over the hill. The acquisition of DTs Washington and Sapp will immediately improve a poor defense, but both players have lost a step in the last few years. That said, the Raiders are moving in the right direction, but they still have a very long way to go to be competitive again. Grade: B.

Up next: Free Agent grades for the Steelers 2004 nondivisional away opponents.
*In case you missed Part I, find it here.