NFL Teams That Improved the Most in Free Agency

Jumping to conclusions. Over-dramatizing. Overreacting.

These are just a few ways to describe our thought processes while NFL free agency unfolds. There are often quoted tweets (I know this because I'm guilty of some of this) that read "Wow" or "Holy smokes." Another reaction I've seen involves emojis. Yes, emojis. My personal favorite: the skull emoji. Ah yes, the skull emoji shows that you're so overjoyed about your team signing a certain player that you've figuratively died.

Of course, trades play into this, too.

Prime example: The Seattle Seahawks acquired tight end Jimmy Graham last offseason from the New Orleans in exchange for a first-round draft pick and center Max Unger.

People. Went. Ballistic.

The Seahawks were already our Super Bowl 50 champions, ruled upon by the general public in March 2015.

However, as we all know, the trade didn't go exactly as planned. Graham got hurt, and the Seahawks fell to the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in the divisional round.

Sure, your team can spend a ton of cash on marquee free agents or create a big splash via trade, but that doesn't always translate to wins. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings won just five games after spending over $100 million on free agents on the first day of free agency in the offseason before the 2013 season.

Before this past season, the Eagles signed cornerback Byron Maxwell, traded for linebacker Kiko Alonso and enlisted running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, as well as safety Walter Thurmond. Lots of great players, right? Well, that didn't pan out—the Eagles won just seven games.

So, while it's always a good time to think to yourself, "Oh boy that team has weapons" or be in awe of a newly built secondary, just remember: There is a distinct difference between offseason champions and the actual Super Bowl champions (obviously).

Let's find out if these acquisitions equate to actual wins in 2016.

Chicago Bears

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After going 6-10 in 2015, the Chicago Bears upgraded their team on both sides of the ball and also got quite younger.

With many veterans departing including longtime Bear Matt Forte, the Bears now have just six players in their 30s: Jay Cutler, Robbie Gould, Antrel Rolle, Willie Young, Matt Slauson and Zach Miller.

This offseason, the Bears added linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks and offensive tackle Bobby Massie.

Playing in a 3-4 defense, the Bears linebacking corps now features Freeman, Trevathan, Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young (if he remains with the team)—that's an amazing group.

Adding Massie will assist in providing more protection for Jay Cutler. The Bears, according to Pro Football Focus, were the 23rd-ranked pass-blocking team last season. Not only did the Bears acquire another tackle, but this also allows the team the flexibility to put Kyle Long back at his rightful position—right guard, where he was an All-Pro previously. 

While Trevathan may be the biggest name the Bears added, signing Hicks markedly improves the defensive line.

In 2015, Hicks had trouble seeing the field with the New England Patriots, playing in less than 40 percent of the team's snaps. However, when he played, he was effective, grading out well across all facets of a defensive lineman's game, per PFF.

If Cutler can pick up where he left off last season and the Bears can protect him just a little bit more, Chicago should stick around in the NFC North.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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As we saw in 2015, the Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the best young offenses in the NFL. An offense that features quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.

However, the glaring concern when it comes to the Jaguars is their defense. While they have some pieces such as Dan Skuta, Johnathan Cyprien and Telvin Smith, the Jaguars made a valiant effort to improve a defense that ranked 20th in the league in sacks and had a mere nine interceptions as a team.

The additions? Defensive lineman Malik Jackson, safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Prince Amukamara.

Most of you are probably familiar with Jackson—he was a staple in the Denver Broncos defense that helped them secure Super Bowl 50. 

Including the postseason, Jackson ranked as the third-best 3-4 defensive end, leading the league in quarterback hurries with 56 while recording five sacks, per Pro Football Focus. Though his sack numbers weren't all that scintillating, they should improve based on his ability to get to the quarterback.

It wasn't all that long ago that Gipson had six interceptions and didn't allow a single touchdown pass. Yet, 2015 was a bit harder for Gipson as he battled lingering injuries that led to a rather unproductive 2015 campaign.

Joining a safety group that features Cyprien and and Sergio Brown, Gipson will likely be looked at as the team's best safety option. In just his mid-20s, if Gipson is able to rebound back to his 2014 form, the Jaguars would have quite the piece in one of their first steps to overhaul a putrid secondary.

While getting one piece to improve your secondary is always nice, getting a second impact player is something every team wouldn't mind doing. Though he has missed 25 games in his five-year career, Prince Amukamara has been productive when healthy. Signed to just a one-year deal, if he can stay healthy, you would have to think the Jaguars would love to retain him beyond this season. You can't blame them for giving him a one-year deal, though. A pairing of Amukamara and fellow cornerback Davon House will make for an interesting tandem in 2016.

What did the Jaguars do to help the offense, though? They added a running back and an offensive tackle.

Though it was a bit of a head-scratcher at first, the addition of running back Chris Ivory makes a little more sense as time goes on. In last year's draft, the Jaguars selected T.J. Yeldon. So, why add Ivory? Money aside (though it was for over $6 million per year—wow), the Jaguars did need another back to go with Yeldon. 

In 2015, Ivory led the league in rushing attempts inside the 5-yard line and also finished inside the top seven in both rushes inside the 20- and 10-yard line. Ivory also was among the top three running backs in pass-blocking efficiency, per Pro Football Focus.

Expect Ivory to be the goal-line guy as well as being used in passing downs to assist in pass blocking.

Speaking of pass blocking, the offensive tackle they added—Kelvin Beachum—had his 2015 season cut short after suffering a torn ACL. But man oh man, if he is able to revert back to his 2014 form, this obscure one-year deal with a four-year option contract will be a win-and-a-half for the Jaguars. In 2014, Beachum was the fifth-best overall tackle and the second-best pass-blocking tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.

While a lot of the Jaguars' moves have some risk, the potential payoff could prove to be great.

The Jaguars are a legitimate threat in the AFC South.

Kansas City Chiefs

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Going into free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs had so many players set to hit the open market that there was speculation they would lose most of them.

But they didn't.

Actually they lost just one cog—cornerback Sean Smith.

While Smith is an obvious key piece, bringing back Jaye Howard, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali and Eric Berry made this team as solid as it could be when you keep in mind all the free agents it had to deal with. With the depth at cornerback this year in the NFL draft, the Chiefs can always find the heir to Smith.

I'll campaign for William Jackson III out of Houston.

However, the Chiefs did add perhaps one of the biggest under-the-radar players in this free-agent class: offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

Addressing the glaring weaknesses along the offensive line and adding the best right tackle in the league who has never missed a game and is just 26 years of age? Get out of here—that's a huge get.

While the Chiefs didn't participate in a spending spree on free agents away from their own team, Schwartz takes the cake for me. He's otherworldly.

New York Giants

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

OK—the New York Giants spent an insane amount of money. It was, like, "win-now mode" money being thrown around.

Look at this list of players: Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, Janoris Jenkins and re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul.

Whew.

While it may be only a few new players, the talent each of them possesses is unmatched.

We can debate that they overpaid, but the Giants got some special talent in this free-agent class.

First, Vernon. While he may have only had 7.5 sacks in 2015, Pro Football Focus graded him as the top overall 4-3 defensive end, and he dominated the pass-rushing category. And oh, he's just 25 years old. This defensive line is just going to be stacked with Vernon and Pierre-Paul on the edges.

Next, the man who will be right in the middle of the madness, Harrison.

Personally, this is the most impactful signing the Giants made. Harrison is irreplaceable, and the New York Jets have to be kicking themselves for letting him get away. He ranks right up there with the likes of Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Kawann Short and Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.

Of course, there are plenty of amazing defensive linemen.

Where Harrison excels, though, is stuffing the run. He posted the second-best grade, behind only Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, per PFF.

So let's recap: The Giants have a defensive line that consists of Harrison, Pierre-Paul, Vernon and Jonathan Hankins.

My gosh.

Now, the secondary also got quite a boost with the addition of Jenkins.

While there are plenty of critics of Jenkins—and rightfully so—since he's allowed at least five touchdowns each season of his career, per PFF—everyone can agree that his playmaking ability is unlike anyone else's.

The desire to make that big play has proved to be Jenkins' downfall at times, which leads to that daunting touchdown total.

While the Giants may have thrown around more money than some fans may have liked, their defensive line is going to frighten the NFC East.

Oakland Raiders

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

The league is always more fun when the Oakland Raiders are competitive, right?

We watched some evolution last year with the Raiders. The emergence of rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper, the re-emergence of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, quarterback Derek Carr's progression, the play the Raiders got from linebacker Aldon Smith before the suspension and the dominance of Khalil Mack made for a fun team that we watched rise closer and closer to stardom.

I'll make this clear: I'm not exactly a fan of how they spent the money, but the players the Raiders got will help them contend in an AFC West that is up for grabs right now.

On the defensive side of the ball, they added linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerback Sean Smith.

While Irvin never really developed into the pass-rusher we all thought he may have been outside of his rookie season, it is fair to say that if any team can help Irvin recapture that form, it's the Raiders.

Why?

The coaching staff.

Head coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. are the most likely duo to tap into the potential we've seen from Irvin.

A tandem of Irvin and Mack is just, well, unfair.

The secondary has been overhauled the past two seasons. First, it was catching lightning in bottle with cornerback David Amerson last season, and now the team has added Smith.

When you look at the overall money Smith and Jenkins got, coupled with the arguments that Smith is actually the better player, the Raiders got a deal similar to a hometown discount.

The Raiders needed to upgrade the secondary. Cornerback D.J. Hayden is just not cut out to be a starting cornerback and should probably not make it past the final roster cuts.

At the beginning of 2015, the Chiefs were without Smith the first three games due to suspension and allowed over 300 yards passing and three passing touchdowns per game during that stretch.

Yet, the Chiefs finished as the No. 4 overall pass-coverage team last season. That's the kind of impact Smith had.

Let's jump over to the offensive side of the ball.

The Raiders retained left tackle Donald Penn after inking offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele to a huge contract worth over $58 million.

This is what I'm referring to when it comes to the money aspect of the Raiders' signings.

If they planned on slotting Osemele at left tackle and letting Penn walk, I'd understand the money. But if he plays guard, that kind of money is by far the most at the position.

At the same time, this offensive line is by far a better group than last season.

After the Raiders acquired center Rodney Hudson last year, one of the best run-blocking centers in football, not only did he help protect Carr, but he assisted in helping the running game and running back Latavius Murray.

Yet, the Raiders will hope to get more from Murray in 2016, regardless of his 1,000-yard season.

An offensive line that consists of Penn, Hudson, Osemele and Gabe Jackson is one that any quarterback would love to play behind.

This offensive line could potentially compete with the likes of the Dallas Cowboys. 

Look out for the Raiders in 2016. Here they come.

Stats courtesy of ESPN, Pro Football Focus and Pro-Football-Reference. Contract details courtesy of Spotrac.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.