2011 NFL Free Agency – Free Agent Tracker | Part 2

Sean E. DouglasJul 29, 2011

Deeper into free agency we go, as free agents are ready to sign new deals throughout the weekend. In part, one of my free agent trackers, I covered the notable signings and trades from Tuesday through Thursday. As I write this, teams now have the ability to sign their agreed contracts, and it looks like they will be able to finalize trades starting Saturday.

While Nnamdi Asomugha was projected to be the top free agent in the 2011 class, he’s yet to select a new home as of Friday morning but that should change as the Jets are the favorites to land the prized corner.

Agree To Terms

Broncos – RB Willis McGahee - After all the talk about DeAngelo Williams going to the Broncos, and rumblings of displeasure of Knowshon Moreno, it looks like Willis McGahee is the only main competition that will come in to camp. It should be clear to all that the “talk” was clearly in an attempt to light a fire under Moreno’s butt to have a breakout season this year. Moreno is expected to be the starter and is a top twenty five running back for fantasy drafts.

Dolphins – QB Matt Moore – After the trade for Kyle Orton fell through it looks like the Dolphins are ready to give Chad Henne his starting job back, and go with Matt Moore as a viable option off the bench.

Texans – SS Daniel Manning - One of the underrated safeties in football, Daniel Manning is now set to replace Bernard Pollard as the Texans strong safety. Pollard was a beast for IDP fantasy leagues, and Manning now has nice value as he can play well in the running game and should be active on this team.

Seahawks – DT Alan Branch – Finally Branch moves away from the Cardinals 3-4 scheme and heads to a better situation in the Seahawks 4-3 scheme. Branch should help this defense, but he probably won’t be a full time starter. Only time will tell if Branch can develop into a productive player, but at least this defensive scheme should play better to his strength.

Lions – CB Eric Wright - Good but certainly not the No.1 type of corner that Asomugha or Johnathan Joseph could have provided in the free agent market. Wright will help the Lions but this team should continue to struggle in the passing game.

Bears – WR Roy Williams – Not in love with this addition but Roy Williams could be sneaky good for Chicago. Williams has ties to Mike Martz as they were together in Detroit when Williams had his last note worthy season back in 2007. The Bears have been desperate for a receiver of Williams size and ability, so his presence in the red zone should be a factor.

Chiefs – DT Shaun Smith – This is a big loss for the Chiefs as Shaun Smith was a valuable nose tackle for them and he will help the Titans against the run.

Seahawks – LB Leroy Hill - In the end, Leroy Hill stays with the Seahawks. He should help this team but won’t be an impact player of any kind.

Falcons – DE Ray Edwards – It was going to be interesting to see where Ray Edwards would end up as he was set to leave the Vikings for free agency. Now with the Falcons, this team has an imposing set of bookends for the pass rush as Edwards will now team up with John Abraham on the opposite side. The Falcons are doing a great job in free agency, thus far.

Bears – DT Anthony Adams - Keeping Anthony Adams around insures that the Bears have a reliable option in the middle.

Rams – G Harvey Dahl - Nice pickup for the Rams. The Falcons were able to keep fellow nasty offensive lineman Tyson Clabo but Dahl found his way to another team. This is a nice addition to the Rams offensive line that looks to be fixed after a good year in 2010, which is great for Sam Bradford, as this team had one of the worst lines for years.

Cardinals – LB Stewart Bradley – This addition could be a death blow to Paris Lenon’s IDP value as the talented linebacker is sure to cut into Lenon’s time as a starter. Bradley is clearly better suited as an inside linebacker in the Cardinals 3-4 scheme, but his health issues will keep him off the field in spots, during the season.

Jaguars – S Dawan Landry – While Dawan Landry is a solid addition to the Jaguars secondary, I’m not in love with this situation for IDP fantasy purposes. Landry is still worthy of drafting as a starter as a defensive back, but he was in a better situation with the Ravens. It’s possible Landry could move to free safety and that would hurt his value even more.

Eagles – CB Nnamdi Asomugha- Wow!!!! They already had Asante Samuel and made a trade for DRC in the Kevin Kolb trade and now they have Nnamdi Asomugha. Not to mention they signed defensive end Jason Babin to play opposite Trent Cole for the pass rush. This is the top fantasy defense to acquire this season and the Eagles are officially the team to beat for the Super Bowl. I’m sure the Packers won’t mind the Eagles stealing headlines, but this move takes the Eagles to another level. This is a huge upset to the Jets, as they were expected to be the favorites to land Asomugha. Look out for Philadelphia this season.

Seahawks – DT Brandon Mebane - The Seahawks added Alan Branch earlier in the day, and now they have Brandon Mebane back on the front line as well. Seattle should be respectable up the middle this season.

Chargers – LB Travis LaBoy - San Diego steals another linebacker away from the 49ers defense. LaBoy was a solid situation linebacker last season and should help the Chargers in pass rush.

Eagles – TE Donald Lee - Another solid addition for the Eagles as Donald Lee was a useful tight end for the Packers, and he now gives them nice depth at this position. If Super Bowls were won in free agency, Philadelphia would be running away with the title.

Broncos – K Matt Prater - This was expected as Matt Prater has been a reliable kicker for Denver over the past few seasons.

Eagles – WR Johnnie Lee Higgins - With DeSean Jackson set for a holdout, acquiring Johnnie Lee Higgins makes sense as Higgins can be explosive on special teams in the return game.

Cardinals – WR Chansi Stuckey - After losing Steve Breaston to free agency (Chiefs) the Cardinals need to bring in some veterans to find a productive option, to fill the void. Stuckey has had his moments in the past, but likely won’t do much.

Panthers – LB Omar Gaither – Carolina needs help against the run and Omar Gaither provides them depth in the linebacker core to help in that area.

Dolphins – LB Kevin Burnett – Look for Burnett to lineup opposite Karlos Dansby on the inside in the Dolphins 3-4 defensive scheme. Burnett should be a viable veteran to help this defense overall.

Rams – WR Mike Sims-Walker – First their was a song about walking a million miles, and now theirs a football team with a million receivers. It’s going to be hard for any of these pass catchers to be consistent producers for your fantasy squad, so look to Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson as the players to target on this offense.

Saints – SS Roman Harper – As expected the Saints re-signed Roman Harper to patrol the secondary. Harper should remain a top twenty defensive back for IDP fantasy leagues.

Rams – CB Al Harris – I thought this guy was retired, so it will be interesting to see how he holds up throughout the preseason.

Cardinals – CB Richard Marshall -With DRC gone to the Eagles and Patrick Peterson only a rookie, the Cardinals needed another veteran corner. Richard Marshall is a talented player but can be a liability in pass coverage.

Patriots – G Logan Mankins – It looks like Logan Mankins will be back with the Patriots for one more season. Next year, Mankins is expected to hit the free agent market and land a huge contract.

Rams – LB Zac Diles - It looks like the Rams are set going with Zac Diles as their starting weak-side linebacker. While Diles is an average starting linebacker at best in the NFL, he may have some usefulness in IDP fantasy leagues, off the waiver wire.

Chiefs – NT Kelly Gregg - It looks like the Chiefs are set to go with former Raven Kelly Gregg as the teams starting nose tackle. While I have concerns about Gregg holding up for an entire season, he should be a useful option for them in the first half, and a sneaky value pick in IDP leagues.

Ravens – CB Chris Carr – While Baltimore has tried to find an upgrade over Chris Carr in free agency, it looks like they’ve settled on the idea of having Carr play opposite rookie Jimmy Smith.

Eagles – DT Cullen Jenkins – While it looks like the Eagles may trade cornerback Asante Samuel, they are going to be crazy good this season. Adding Collin Jenkins, just adds more insurance that the Eagles will have one of the more imposing front line pass rush’s in football. Now that Jenkins is moving to a 4-3 scheme he has a more value in IDP fantasy football leagues.

Rams – DL Justin Bannan - The Rams have quietly added a few respectable piece on defense over the weekend, and have done a good job in free agency, thus far. While St. Louis isn’t making headlines like the Cardinals and Seahawks, they will be in the fight for this division, once again.

Colts – RB Joseph Addai – Noooooooooooooooooo!!!! I was crazy for Delone Carter this off-season and now he’s doomed to be a backup. Reports seem to have Peyton Manning as the one who pushed for Joseph Addai’s return, and maybe that makes sense as he didn’t want another young running back like Donald Brown who might miss blocks in pass protection. Whatever the reasons, Carter is going to be a waiver wire pickup, when Addai find misses time with injury.

Vikings – WR Michael Jenkins - Clearly not the answer to the loss of Sidney Rice that Vikings fans were hoping for. Talks have recently cooled down with Braylon Edwards, but lets hope they can bring in someone better than Jenkins in the coming days.

Bears – RB Marion Barber - This move is an interesting one as the Bears have Matt Forte and Chester Taylor already. From this signing we must assume that Chicago is planning on releasing Taylor as he had a bad year in his first season with the team. Barber may pose a threat to Forte when the offense gets around the goal line, so beware of a possible volcher situation if you draft Forte.

Cardinals – G Floyd Womack - It looks like the Cardinals are going with Pork Chop as a replacement for Deuce Lutui at guard. Lutui played like junk last season, so Womack can’t to worse.

Titans – LB Barrett Ruud - Not one of the more aggressive middle linebackers, Barrett Ruud wasn’t a priority for the Buccaneers to bring back. It looks like Ruud will likely start in the middle for Tennessee as he signed a one year deal to post a bounce back season. This could be a good situation for him to do that as Stephen Tulluch has a monster year for the Titans in this position, last year.

Bengals – CB Nate Clements – As a 49ers fan, I’m happy Nate Clements is gone and I hope the Bengals enjoy it when he bits on pump fakes and makes dumb plays. Overrated corner, enough said.

Trades

To Browns – DT Brodrick Bunkley – The Browns needed to add more depth on the front line and GM Tom Hackert, went after a former draft pick he selected when he was with the Eagles. Bunkley will be a rotational option on the front line, with occasional starting opportunities, if and when starters go down.