NFL Players Thriving in New Situations Early in 2021 Preseason

Now that the first week of the NFL preseason is in the books, it's the perfect time to evaluate how some marquee free-agent pickups are faring with their new teams.

Players who signed this offseason have now had ample opportunity to learn the playbooks and get practice reps under their belts, helping them get accustomed to unfamiliar systems and schemes.

Some veterans are making smoother transitions than others, however, and these are the players that this list will focus on. Read on to see which free-agent acquisitions seem to be thriving the most following a change of scenery.   

Edge Carl Lawson, New York Jets

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

The New York Jets boosted their pass-rushing capabilities in a big way when they acquired Carl Lawson in free agency this offseason. The former Cincinnati Bengal scored a three-year, $45 million deal from Gang Green and appears to be well on his way to providing a major return on the team's investment.

Lawson has reportedly been dominating at camp, picking up three sacks in a single scrimmage earlier this month. His quarterback takedowns have become a regular occurrence, but the coaching staff seems to be even more impressed by the intangibles Lawson brings to the table.

According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, head coach Robert Saleh described Lawson as "relentless" while doling out high praise to the 26-year-old for his work ethic:

"If you watch the [game] tape, he beats everybody, so it's not foreign to him to win. What's cool though is his work ethic and the way he goes about his day-to-day process: He is relentless with his body. There's an old saying that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard, but, this dude, not only is he talented, but he works his absolute butt off. And because of it, you see results."

Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton noted that his head-to-head matchups with the edge-rusher have helped him improve as a player.    

It's obvious that this is a fantastic situation for Lawson, who will be seeking his first Pro Bowl appearance this year after compiling 20 career sacks over four seasons. The Jets will be hoping to improve upon their meager 31-sack total from 2020, a goal that will be much easier to accomplish with Lawson is leading the way.

WR A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

After spending the first decade of his illustrious career with the Bengals, star receiver A.J. Green signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason.

There were obvious reasons to doubt how much of an impact he would have on the upstart Cardinals, given the nagging injuries and declining play that marred much of his final three years in Cincinnati. So far, it seems like the veteran wideout still has plenty left in the tank and will be a factor in 2021.

The MMQB's Albert Breer tweeted that Green has been proving his doubters wrong, noting that the Cardinals "love him" and that the receiver has already established a connection with quarterback Kyler Murray. Peter Schrager of NFL Network said that Green looked "incredible" in seven-on-seven drills early in camp.

The biggest concern is Green's health, as the 33-year-old has missed 23 games—including the entire 2019 season—since the start of 2018. He hasn't had a 1,000-yard campaign since 2017, the last year before ankle problems began hindering his performances and availability.

The seven-time Pro Bowler was sidelined for a stretch of practices with a "minor" ailment earlier in the month, but he has begun participating in individual drills again this week. Paul Calvisi of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM tweeted a clip of the receiver working through a drill in which he looked quick and sure-handed, a promising development.

While Green was held out of the team's preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys last Friday, he could suit up for this Friday's contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.

If he can stay on the field, he'll be a major boon to an Arizona team that narrowly missed the playoffs in 2020. The team would boast one of the best receiving corps in the league, featuring Green, DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk as its top three weapons.       

S John Johnson III, Cleveland Browns

Nick Cammett/Getty Images

The Cleveland Browns scored one of the true bargain pickups of the offseason when they signed standout safety John Johnson III to a three-year, $33.8 million contract. By acquiring Johnson, the Browns added an impact veteran who still has plenty left in the tank at age 25.

Pro Football Focus metrics show Johnson has never graded below an 80 in any of his seasons and is coming off a campaign in which he scored an impressive 85.6, the third-best mark at his position.

When asked who has impressed the most among the team's new defensive additions, Dan Labbe of cleveland.com replied:

"It's a really obvious one: It's John Johnson. He's really lived up to his billing. ... [He's] really flying around, he seems to get himself around the football a lot. And that just tells you he's really smart. He puts in the work. He knows what he's seeing. And when all those things come together, you end up around the football, and he's lived up to it."

One reason Johnson has been such a positive addition is that he wants to play for the franchise, which made its first postseason appearance since 2002 last year. He turned down "significantly more money" from a competing club to join the Browns, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. 

Head coach Kevin Stefanski also said that Johnson has been a major asset in the defensive backs room, per Eddie McDonald of Dawg Pound Daily: "John has been great for the young DBs, seeing a guy do it the right way, who studies at his craft. I think he's going to be a really, really nice addition to the back end."

While Johnson hasn't had a chance to showcase his talents during the preseason—only Jovante Moffatt, Elijah Benton and Richard LeCounte lined up at safety in Week 1—he should be a fixture on this defense for years to come.        

Edge Matt Judon, New England Patriots

Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

Matt Judon is already standing out as arguably the top free-agency addition for a New England Patriots organization that made a myriad of veteran pickups during the offseason.

While Judon only saw the field for 12 snaps in New England’s preseason opener, ESPN's Mike Reiss said that the linebacker was "physical, fast and disruptive," picking up a tackle and a QB hit in the process.

Head coach Bill Belichick believes Judon is a perfect fit with the Patriots, per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald:  

"I'm glad we have him. He has a great work ethic. Shows up to work every day. Competes hard. I think that's a good thing for all of us to build off of and try to emulate the attitude and the toughness and the effort that he comes in with on a consistent basis, whether it be game day like we saw (Thursday) night, meetings, practices, walkthroughs, whatever it is. He's been a good addition, and glad we have him on the team."

New England's defense was in desperate need of a player like Judon last year. The 29-year-old defensive end has amassed 34.5 sacks over his first five seasons. The Pats tied for the sixth-fewest sacks in the league in 2020 with 24.

If Judon continues to perform at the level he showed during Week 1 of the preseason, the Patriots defense will take a big leap forward in 2021.     

WR Marvin Jones Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Going into the offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to add a veteran wideout who could help bring along their promising young prospects. After signing Marvin Jones Jr. in free agency, the team appears to have found the ideal leader for its receiving corps.

Jones has been drawing rave reviews.

SI.com's Kassidy Hill caught up with Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who explained why Jones has been such an important addition:

"Our receiver room is a young room, just guys that have been in the league for a couple years. To have that veteran to come in — one to kind of show them how he has lasted 10 years. That's not the norm and he has done it at a high-level so how does he take care of his body? What does he do in the offseason? For me it’s like another coach over there in the receiver room because he has been with me for two years and we have coached up a lot of these things."

Not only has Jones offered valuable veteran mentorship to a corps that includes fourth-year veteran DJ Chark Jr. and second-year player Laviska Shenault Jr., but he's also been making plays.

The 31-year-old synced with rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence for a beautiful 35-yard completion in Jacksonville's first preseason game against the Browns. Jones finished the contest with three catches for 52 yards while playing just 13 snaps.

Hill believes that Jones has already established himself as the wideout Lawrence is "most comfortable targeting." If he continues to build rapport with the No. 1 overall pick, Jones—who's coming off a 76-catch, 978-yard, nine-touchdown campaign with the Detroit Lions—should be in line for a big year.