NFL Free Agency Grades: A Team-by-Team Breakdown of the AFC

With NFL Free Agency wrapping up, I thought it would be appropriate to grade how the teams have done. I did the NFC a few days ago, so here's the AFC.

Buffalo Bills: B+

The Bills did pretty well for themselves in free agency. They signed Brad Smith, who could be an intriguing fit in Chan Gailey's offense, and took a flier on ex-top Linebacker Nick Barnett. The Bills also did a good job of properly valuing their own players, wisely letting Jacksonville and San Francisco overpay for Paul Posluszny and Donte Whitner, although re-signing Drayton Florence for $15 million is questionable.

Miami Dolphins: A-

The Dolphins made some really solid pickups this offseason. Reggie Bush is a poor interior runner, but he can create plays outside the tackles and line up pretty much anywhere on the field. Keeping Paul Soliai was a must, and they also signed ex-Charger Kevin Burnett to strengthen their defense against the run. Having those two up the middle should make them a difficult team against which to run between the tackles.

New England Patriots: A

The Patriots continue to show why they are considered the shrewdest front office in the NFL. Acquiring Albert Haynesworth for next to nothing was a complete steal, and his contract is structured such that he has very few guarantees going forward. If he produces like he is capable of, the Patriots will have one of the best value to cost players in the NFL, and if doesn't, then they can cut him with no harm done. Chad Ochocinco clearly needed a change of scenery, and in New England he will get to work with Tom Brady and New England's high powered offense. Expect big things from him this season. Besides adding those guys, the Patriots kept nearly all of their players from last year's 14-2 campaign, and gave Logan Mankins a 6-year extension that will ensure he doesn't miss any games due to holdouts this year.

New York Jets: B

The Jets made an all-out run at Nnamdi Asomugha, but ultimately fell short, deciding to instead turn their attention to retaining their current players. Bringing back Santonio Holmes and David Harris, although expensive, was necessary to keep them as Super Bowl contenders, so I like both those signings, as well as the Derrick Mason acquisition. That being said, they overpaid for Antonio Cromartie, and bringing in Plaxico Burress does not make much sense; Plax has been out of football for two years, was visibly slowing down in his final year in the league, and (predictably) is already hurt.

Baltimore Ravens: B

The Ravens came into the offseason knowing they would have to let a lot of talent go to stay under the cap, and that's just what they did. Losing Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg, Willis McGahee, Dawan Landry, Josh Wilson, Le'Ron McClain, Jared Gaither, Chris Chester and Fabian Washington will really hurt, but they smartly allocated their assets to retaining Haloti Ngata, Chris Carr, Marshal Yanda and Sam Koch.  I expect all these losses to hurt the Ravens somewhat, but they did a good job of keeping the guys they needed the most.

Cincinnati Bengals: C+

The Bengals have had a lot of turnover this offseason, and the team will be vastly different from the Palmer/Ochocino one that characterized them for the past decade. I think Cinci is on the right direction overall, but they really should have sprung to keep Jonathan Joseph, and replacing him with an aging Nate Clements isn't going to help this year or in the long term. Cincinnati really should have traded Palmer. They might have felt mistreated by him holding the team hostage with the threat of retirement, but now they won't have Palmer playing and they won't have anything in return. Sometimes it's better to swallow your pride and do what's best for the organization.

Cleveland Browns: B+

Cleveland let a ton of their marginal/rotational players go, which was the smart move for a team still a few years from contention. They also wisely avoided giving out big money or long term contracts in free agency, which will put them in good position to make an impact signing when they need to do so a few years down the line.

Pittsburgh Steelers: B

The Steelers aren't usually major players in free agency, preferring instead to build through the draft and keep their own free agents when they think the money is right. This year was no different. The Steelers apparently thought very highly of their current crop of free agents, spending big money on keeping LaMarr Woodley, Willie Colon and Ike Taylor.  Woodley is an elite player, but I'm not sure the other two were worth giving such big money to, especially Colon, who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles.

Houston Texans: B+

Every year is seems like the Texans are on the verge of playoff contention, and every year they seem to fall short. Last year, their failure could be directly attributed to their abysmal secondary, so they smartly went out and upgraded, acquiring elite CB Jonathan Joseph and underrated Safety Danieal Manning. Losing FB Vonta Leach could hurt their running game, but his price tag was too high for a FB, and the money was better invested in the secondary.

Indianapolis Colts: B

The Colts, like most years, essentially did nothing in free agency. They signed notable Falcons bust Jamaal Anderson, ex-Bears standout Tommie Harris and former Lion and Eagle Earnie Sims, but none of the three will be expected to contribute much. The Colts' main priority was wrapping up Peyton Manning to a new deal, which they did to the tune of 5yr/$90mil. I'm not a huge fan of ever paying a 35 year-old coming off surgery $90 million dollars, and I truly doubt that Manning will be completely worth the money when the contract is said and done, but the Colts obviously were not going to let Manning get away and no one really even considered the possibility of him leaving.

Jacksonville Jaguars: F

Finally, an AFC team that didn't do well in free agency. The Jaguars, in classic Gene Smith fashion, were a complete mess in free agency and in the draft. The Jags started free agency by foolishly throwing $42 million at Paul Posluszny, who is a decent player but nowhere near deserving of that money. In fact, no MLB in the NFL today outside of Patrick Willis is worth that kind of money, there are just too many above-average MLBs available for much less cost. Believing that nabbing Posluszny was not enough for their linebacking corps, they added former Colt Clint Session. Session had an elbow injury last year that forced him to miss all but a handful of games and when healthy is a slightly above average player, which apparently is worth $30 million over 5 years to Gene Smith. The Jags stupidity didn't extend solely to free agents of other teams, they also spent $35 million to bring back Marcedes Lewis. Lewis had a grand total of 7 touchdowns before exploding for 10 last year, a number he is exceedingly unlikely to replicate.  The track record of TEs producing multiple 10+ TD seasons is dreadful, and Jacksonville will heavily regret this signing when Lewis consistently posts 60 rec/800yd/6TD seasons.

Tennessee Titans: C+

The Titans had a pretty mediocre offseason; bringing in Matt Hasselbeck should give them an extra win or two this year, but in the long run all it does is slow Jake Locker's development. The Titans got Barrett Rudd at a discount, as he was coming off a sub-par 2010 season, but Stephen Tulloch ended up leaving Tennessee at a significantly larger discount, so it's a wonder to me why they didn't just go with their own guy.

Denver Broncos: B-

The Broncos didn't really do much of note in free agency.  They signed Ty Warren, Willis McGahee and Derrick Harvey, the first two of which will contribute on a rotational basis, the last of which will be lucky to make the final roster. The Broncos decided to bring back Champ Bailey on a 4yr/$43mil contract with $22 million guaranteed. Bailey is still a top corner, but at 33 I have to wonder how long he can keep this up, and a move to safety is probably in the cards in the next couple of years.

Kansas City Chiefs: C

The Chiefs had a surprising run to the 2010 playoffs, made even more surprising considering they have the most clueless head coach in the NFL. But their moves this offseason indicate they aren't in the playoffs to stay. The Chiefs spent most of their resources locking up Tamba Hali to a huge deal, which was a very reasonable contract considering Hali's talent. Bringing up washed up ex-Ravens, and acquiring one of the worst players in the NFL in Sabby Piscitelli, however, are not strong moves for a team looking to solidify itself as a perennial contender.  

Oakland Raiders: B-

The NFL offseason is usually fun if for no other reason than to see what marginal player Al Davis splurges on this year. Sadly, Al decided not to give $30 million to an all-flash player (although he did give $31 million to Stanford Routt). After losing Zach Miller and Nnamdi Asomugha, I figured the Raiders would guarantee $15M+ to Braylon Edwards, but they smartly avoided most of the big names and instead gave Kevin Boss a reasonable 4yr/$16mil deal. It wasn't a perfect offseason, they still overpaid to keep Kameron Wimbley and Richard Seymour, but it was a step in the right direction for the Raiders.

San Diego Chargers: B

The Chargers are a team constantly on the verge of Super Bowl contention, and, as such, their main priority was to keep their nucleus in place, which they did by resigning Eric Weddle and keeping Vincent Jackson for at least another year. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the money to retain Kevin Burnett, but replacing him with Takeo Spikes isn't a serious downgrade.