Money Spent Wisely? NFL Teams with More Work To Do After Big Free-Agent Signings

The free agent market has been open for business for over a week, and a lot of NFL teams have spent a fortune in hopes that their latest acquisition will change the fortunes of their respective organizations.

It's not a foreign concept to anyone. Players are signed to exorbitant contracts, most are grossly overpaid, and when it's all said and done, most teams fail to realize that the job of improving a team is never quite finished.

There's always a hole; there's always an upgrade to be made somewhere. Some are more obvious than others.

But when they're not properly addressed, most teams will find themselves in the same position a year later.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh Is One Solid Addition to a Desperate Team

The Seahawks pursuit for a primary receiver has been going strong since their Super Bowl run. The media circus surrounding Deion Branch's departure from New England did not result in the game-breaking production they expected.

Bobby Engram and Koren Robinson are gone to free agency, leaving Branch and Nate Burleson.

Enter Houshmandzadeh and his phenomenal reception totals over the last three seasons. Housh has caught an average of 98 passes with a 10.6-yard average per reception since 2006.

He's a great possession receiver who enters a Seattle organization with huge question marks on the offensive side of the ball. It is a parallel move for Houshmandzadeh, and an expensive venture for Seattle. 

Matt Hasselbeck's back injury is not the kind that goes away after not playing. He's suffering from a bulging disc, and his legs are hurting from it too.

At 34 years of age, how much of a pounding can he reasonably take behind Seattle's offensive line?

The 30th-ranked defense in 2008 should also garner significant attention.

Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall Break The Redskins' Bank

Haynesworth wanted to be the first $100 million man on defense, and Daniel Snyder complied.

DeAngelo Hall knows hypnosis and has used it to effectively command monster contracts the last two offseasons.

The hope is that Haynesworth's pass-rushing ability will have a positive impact on the pass defense. Unfortunately for the Redskins, Kyle Vanden Bosch does not come as part of the Haynesworth deal.

All that money for someone who is a great player but not an absolute game-changer, who doesn't create points, and will only be as effective as the defensive linemen around him? Not a good business move.

The Redskins already owned one of the top defenses in the NFL without adding Haynesworth.

Washington will eventually be in a situation where they will have to replace players with less-expensive substitutes when the cost of those contracts cripples them.

And don't let any offseason workout issues fool you. Jason Taylor was released for breathing room with Haynesworth's salary. And that's what the Skins will continue to do until they realize he wasn't a worthy investment.

With an aging Clinton Portis and an eventual need for a primary receiver to supplement Santana Moss, expect one of those under-performing acquisitions to be released and back on the market by 2012. 

The Dallas Cowboys and Their $9 Million Aspirin

It's a classic case of addition by subtraction. The Cowboys have added $9 million in dead money to their cap and subtracted Terrell Owens.

Or did they add to their team chemistry by subtracting a $9 million headache?

Even without Owens' production, his contract is still there, preventing the Cowboys from acquiring the defensive secondary help they desperately need.

However way you look at it, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys believed it was time to move on from the headline grabbers in 2009. And they may have sacrificed their season to prove it.

No more experiments and no more olive branches are going to be extended to players whose names extend off the football field.

All of the Cowboys transactions this month have been made in an effort to bring in good football players who avoid headlines.

The Keith Brooking and Igor Olshansky signings will only help make the defense stronger. Losing Canty to the Giants and the admission of the failed Zach Thomas experiment left the Cowboys with significant holes to upgrade.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys practically traded away their draft to pick up Williams, so any hopes for a youth movement have to be put on hold.

The New York Jets Become The Ravens East

On paper, the Jets are building one of the NFL's strongest defenses.

Bringing his playbook and some toys from Baltimore, Rex Ryan is putting the tools in place for New York to become a dominant defensive force.

With Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard inked in and Ryan's system proven to be effective, the things the Jets need to succeed are the intangibles. Physical tools and ability are one thing, but building confidence, tenacity, and ferociousness are a complete other.

Assuming the defense does fall into place appropriately, the question marks on the offensive side of the field are most puzzling.

In pre-Flacco Ravens' fashion, there is not a definitive, trustworthy quarterback in New York.

The wide receivers are tough, but are not game-breakers. And even worse, Thomas Jones is on the wrong side of 30, despite being fresh off his best season in the NFL.

While the quarterback dilemma is all the rage, finding a new runningback to take the reins with Leon Washington for the future is essential. And a WR who can command double-teams and split the field is a necessary addition.

Without those players, the Jets are banking too much hope on becoming a mirror image of the 2000 Ravens.

Angel Navedo is a contributing writer to SNY.Tv's partner at TheJetsBlog.com. He is also the Examiner for the New York Jets and the Head Writer at NYJetsFan.com. 

He can be reached here.