2017 NFL Free Agents: Grades for Day 4 Signings

On the fourth day of NFL free agency, another big name came off a shrinking list of top-tier players on the open market. 

Aside from that, cricket chirps were heard on almost every other front. Maybe teams were just out of printer paper after pumping out so many contracts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Still, we've got some thoughts on the developments that did take place on Sunday. 

T.J. Lang to the Detroit Lions

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Three years, $28.5 million with $19 million guaranteed [Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

The Detroit Lions completed the process of revamping the right side of their offensive line by adding a Pro Bowl right guard to crouch next to blockbuster Day 1 addition Ricky Wagner. Making things a little sweeter is the fact they took T.J. Lang from the division rival Green Bay Packers.

Lang has to be considered at least a small upgrade over 2016 starter Larry Warford, who jumped to the New Orleans Saints earlier in the week. Pro Football Focus has graded the 29-year-old as one of the four best pass-blockers at the guard position in each of the last three years, and he earned his first Pro Bowl nod after surrendering zero sacks on 791 snaps in 2016. 

Only five other guards didn't give up a single sack on 750 or more snaps. 

In fact, the man has been responsible for just five sacks in 44 starts the last three years. 

And he's been at his best when it matters most. PFF graded Lang as Green Bay's second-best offensive player in two of the team's three 2016 playoff games, and he was the highest-rated offensive player on the team in last year's Wild Card Round victory over the Washington Redskins. 

Warford is younger, but he's never been to a Pro Bowl, he's an inferior pass-blocker and he graded out as the team's third-worst offensive player in this year's playoffs. 

So yeah, this could help quarterback Matthew Stafford and the passing game quite a lot, especially if Detroit makes another playoff run in 2017. 

There's no guarantee Lang will hold up physically. He's already got 94 starts under his belt dating back to 2009, he injured the same foot twice last year and he underwent hip surgery at the end of the season. It's possible he's peaked and will begin to run out of gas on the other side of 30, and $19 million guaranteed is quite hefty.

Still, it's only a three-year commitment and it certainly makes the Lions a better team for 2017. 

Grade: A-

Philly Brown to the Buffalo Bills

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Terms unavailable [Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News]

The Buffalo Bills' signing of wide receiver Philly Brown is something that in hindsight makes too much sense.

Brown contributed as a solid depth receiver the last three years for the Carolina Panthers, where Sean McDermott served as the defensive coordinator. McDermott is now head coach of the Bills, a team in desperate need of talent and depth at receiver after losing Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin in the early stages of free agency. 

That left Buffalo with several relative unknowns behind top wideout Sammy Watkins. And while Brown shouldn't be expected to become a star or even a regular starter—he lacks size (5'11", 190 lbs) and he doesn't stretch the field—he's only 25 and he does have 22 career starts under his belt. 

This is a guy who had a four-catch, 80-yard performance in the Super Bowl two years ago, and he's presumably coming pretty cheap after a bit of a down year. So long as that's the case, this is a nice little move. 

Grade: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars Release Roy Miller

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It was such a slow day that the league lost only one more free agent than it gained. That's because the Jaguars released defensive tackle Roy Miller, who has started 83 games over the last eight years with Jacksonville and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

This isn't a surprise. Miller started all but five games for the Jags between 2013 and 2015, earning the league's 18th-best PFF grade in run defense among 69 qualified defensive tackles in 2015. But he suffered a torn right Achilles in Week 7 last season, and replacement Abry Jones performed well. 

The team also brought in outside free agents Calais Campbell and Stefan Charles up front. So there was little need for Miller, and cutting him cost next to nothing.

This isn't rocket science. 

Grade: A