Highlighting the Best Offseason Move at Every Position So Far

Hindsight may be 20/20, but we're still in the NFL's version of the fog of war.

One of my favorite offseason maxims is that each and every team enters the next season ostensibly better than it was the last—at least, that is, in the opinion of that team and its fans. No team will ever raise its hand and say it's worse off, nor will any team admit it was unable to keep pace with the Joneses in its division.

It's easy to take any team and highlight positive things it has done, but the question we're asking here is which teams have made moves with such a positive impact at each position that they've jumped head and shoulders above their competition around the league.

The list includes moves made via the draft, free agency and trade, and they're not all moves that might be the first to jump to mind. Some will have immediate impact, while others are longer cons by NFL standards. Some lucky teams even show up more than once, but it's important to weigh the overall impact of these moves against everything else the organization in question has done comparable to its opponents.

So, don't take this list to mean every franchise on it is jumping to the head of the pack, nor that the exclusion of teams on this list means they've had negative offseasons.

The picks on this list stood above the crowd based both on shrewdness and boldness. These moves took both unconventional and conventional wisdom to make, and they almost certainly came at some sort of risk. The team should be better off for it, though.

Still, even those who agree with every pick made here may look back in years to come and wonder how foolish we were. Hindsight truly is 20/20, but before the games are played, we're all just making our best-effort educated guesses.

That's the joy of the offseason—everyone is getting better until it's proved they're not.

Quarterback

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Drafting Jameis Winston

Take the delta between where the Buccaneers were at quarterback in 2014 and where they believe they will be with Winston under center, and it's clear no team has improved the position as much as they have this offseason.

Now, could the same have been said if they'd drafted Marcus Mariota? Almost certainly!

This may be more of a reflection of how bad things were for the Buccaneers last year, or even the lackluster nature of the available quarterback drop this offseason, but the Bucs are the clear-cut choice.

Moreover, I appreciate Tampa Bay's due diligence with one of the more polarizing prospects in recent draft history. The Buccaneers did the work and took their shot, so this selection is just as much about the process that went into the move as the move itself.

Running Back

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles Turning LeSean McCoy into DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Kiko Alonso, etc.

I anticipate taking some heat for this slide...

Does McCoy still have a lot of tread left on his tires? Absolutely, and he should have a fine season overall up in Buffalo, where Rex Ryan is in charge and has often shown willingness to rely on the running game (almost to a fault).

That said, McCoy's numbers on a pre-snap basis in Philadelphia have been declining even as his carries and totals have been among the best in the league. The law of diminishing returns told Chip Kelly he would get less and less out of McCoy the more he threw him at the defense.

His response last season was to take McCoy off the field in almost all short-yardage, goal-line and passing situations. Once the season ended, Kelly just shipped him out of town.

Murray, Matthews and Darren Sproles, together, are a greater overall weapon than McCoy for Kelly and the running game and should give the Eagles just as many carries with equal or greater returns and far more flexibility. Plus, the team was able to add talent at linebacker and free up some money/monetary flexibility for other pursuits.

Wide Receiver

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Dallas Cowboys Franchising Dez Bryant

This may be a bit outside of the box, but no team did more to solidify (or even upgrade) the receiver position this offseason than the Cowboys did by making sure Dez Bryant is with them into the future.

It wasn't an easy choice for Dallas.

The Cowboys were never going to keep both DeMarco Murray and Bryant, and any hemming and hawing about the decision could have kept them from retaining either player. So they made their choice decisively and made the correct one, as Bryant is quickly ascending to be the most physically dominant receiver in the NFL.

Now, sign him up long-term.

Tight End

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Seattle Seahawks Trading for Jimmy Graham

It might be one of the more perfect moves of the offseason.

Graham is the weapon quarterback Russell Wilson has never had, and he's a seam-busting threat that running back Marshawn Lynch has never had. While we can all want the Seahawks to upgrade at wide receiver, Graham gives them a more immediate upgrade in both the passing game and the running game in a way no rookie or free-agent receiver would have given them.

Moreover, Graham is used to playing with a quarterback for whom height is an issue and has expressed reluctance in the past to play for a quarterback other than Drew Brees. The Seahawks pair him with a similar QB whom Graham will love catching passes from.

Offensive Line

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals Doubling Up with Top Offensive Linemen in the Draft

This is one of those "long con" moves I referenced earlier.

Although neither Cedric Ogbuehi nor Jake Fisher may start immediately in Year 1, the addition of two of the most competent and athletic linemen in the entire draft equates to a big win for a Bengals team that has already had a solid unit up front for the past few years.

First (and most obviously), this is going to allow the Bengals to make sure they're not overpaying on the offensive line for years to come. This move will provide them consistent depth and allow them to protect their investment in quarterback Andy Dalton for years into the future.

More importantly, it will also allow the Bengals to shuffle some players around and find a better "best five" than they've ever had. Maybe that doesn't happen right away as Ogbuehi regains his strength post-injury and Fisher acclimates to the NFL, but this move will pay big dividends in the long run.

Interior Defensive Linemen

Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

Miami Dolphins Breaking the Bank for Ndamukong Suh

It only made sense, right?

Suh was the top free agent on the market, and the Miami Dolphins not only went out of their way to make him a competitive offer but could do so in Florida, which doesn't have state income tax and actually makes any offer even more competitive than face value.

The deal meant Suh could go not only to the team that would pay him the most but where he could have the biggest impact.

Suh is a one-man Tom Brady beater (insert Ted Wells joke here). His ability to rush from the 3-technique position means the Dolphins don't have to blitz to rush the passer, and that's been Step 1 in the anti-Brady scouting report since he's been in the league.

Exterior Pass-Rushers

LM Otero/Associated Press

Dallas Cowboys Finding the Perfect Fit in Randy Gregory

Risk vs. reward...that's all any of this is.

Gregory does not come without risk—hardly any player or prospect does. Yet the potential reward for Gregory in Dallas far outweighs what they are risking after selecting him in the second round. Yes, he's a little light for a rush end (235 lbs), and there's concern about his failing of the combine drug test, but he had top-10 talent in a packed class of pass-rushers.

Even better, the Cowboys are going to pair Gregory with defensive line guru Rod Marinelli and heralded strength and conditioning coordinator Mike Woicik. These two coaches have as much ability as any in the NFL to squeeze every bit of talent out of the athletic Gregory.

Linebackers

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

New York Jets Finding a Way to Keep David Harris

For me, this is less of an impactful move for the Jets and more of a function of what could have happened if Harris had left—namely, Harris ending up with the Buffalo Bills with former head coach Rex Ryan or in New England, where the need for a linebacker of his quality was very real.

Harris is one of those players who have been on so many "underrated" lists for so long that he's now overrated in the underrated crowd. Yet, at 31, he still has plenty left as a downhill, two-down linebacker, which the Jets would have sorely lacked in his absence.

Cornerbacks

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

New York Jets Getting the Band Back Together

No position or positional group has been upgraded as much this offseason as the Jets have done at cornerback. In fact, it might not even be that close. The Jets have been terrible at cornerback since Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis left town, and the big reason Rex Ryan's defense started to falter was his need to have an elite cover corner to lock down the field and allow him to generate more of a pass rush.

So, with Cromartie and Revis back, one has to imagine Ryan is throwing his hands up wondering where those kinds of moves were with him at the helm!

Of course, new head coach Todd Bowles needs good corners as well, and he had those in Arizona with guys like Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu and Cromartie. He'll know just what to do with these guys, and the Jets defense will be much better off for it.

Safeties

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

New York Giants Striking to Get Landon Collins

Collins fell out of favor a little bit during the draft process because his range, athleticism and ball skills aren't where they should be for an elite free safety. Also, he might actually be better off losing weight, as he's so jacked up that he might always be weighing the balance between the fluidity that can help him run with the NFL's best tight ends and the bulk he needs to continue to be a hard hitter and thumper against the run.

For the Giants, though, it will be important for them to focus on what he can do rather than what he can't.

Collins was a perfect fit at the top of the second round, where the Giants pounced to get him, as a great in-the-box safety. Last season, New York had some of the worst run defense in the league, and Collins is an immediate improvement there.

Michael Schottey is an award-winning NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a writer for Football Insiders. Follow him on Twitter.