11 NFL Free Agent Signings That Are Turning Heads Already

We are only a couple weeks into the 2011 preseason, however, there are a number of free agent signings already making an impact around the league.

Usually, players have organized team activities and mini-camps to get adjusted to, a new team and a new scheme. The lockout prevented this from happening this season and it is going to cause growing pains for certain teams. 

Many teams around the league avoided the free agency frenzy for precisely this reason. 

Some teams, however, spent tons of money and revamped their roster. Whether or not it pays off is a different story. 

That said, we did see certain teams improve their roster from the 2010 season: New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers come to mind first. 

Today, I am going to take a look at 11 free agents that have already made an impact on their new teams. Some of these moves can be considered "under the radar." And there isn't going to be a Nnamdi Asomugha or Chad Ochocinco on this list, we already know what impact they are going to have. 

11. Kerry Collins Signing Could Mean Doom for the Indianapolis Colts

“Turning heads” because the signing of Kerry Collins has wide-ranging implications on the landscape of the 2011 NFL football season.

Collins has yet to suit up and play for the Indianapolis Colts, yet his signing has to be considered one of the most important moves of the offseason to date.

It pretty much means that the Indianapolis Colts are not expecting Peyton Manning back from injury anytime soon. If the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback is not activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list by Week 1, he will not be eligible to return until after the Colts sixth regular season game.

What this could mean?

The Indianapolis Colts are expecting Manning to be out for an extended period of time and are attempting to find a stop-gap to replace him. Kerry Collins wouldn’t have come out of “retirement” to start one or two games and sit on the bench the rest of the season.

Collins also signed for $4 million, which isn't back-up quarterback type of money. 

So, you should expect Manning to miss the first month and half of the season.

This means that they are probably going to start slowly and could miss the playoffs in 2011.

Those are the ramifications that I am writing about.

10. Andre Carter Gives the New England Patriots a True Pass Rusher

You are going to see the impact of Andre Carter’s signing after the regular season starts. But if what has been reported in Patriots training camp is true, Carter is going to be a great addition.

He fits the Patriots defensive scheme to a tee, a player that can come in as a pass rush specialist and sack the quarterback from the outside.

He will be playing defensive end for the Patriots after struggling at outside linebacker for Washington last season (two sacks). Moving back to his old position is going to re-ignite Andre Carter’s career.

Andre Carter has racked up three double-digit sack seasons in his 10 year career—the most recent coming in 2009 (11 sacks).

It is not a coincidence that Andre Carter had his two worse seasons as a pro playing outside linebacker, he is much better suited playing defensive end.

It also must be noted that pass rush was one of the Patriots glaring weaknesses heading into the 2011 offseason. While Carter won’t solve all those issues, he is going to have a major impact for their defense.

All of a sudden, the Patriots front seven has to be considered one of the best in the league with Albert Haynesworth, Vince Wilfork, Andre Carter, Shaun Ellis, Jermaine Cunningham and Jared Mayo all above-average NFL starters. 

9. Tim Hightower Should Help Solve the Washington Redskins Running Back Issues

The Redskins traded for Hightower a couple weeks ago and right now, he looks to be the odds on favorite for the starting running back position. Washington needs veteran leadership in the backfield and the third-year veteran actually brings that type of seasoning considering the rest of the group.

The former Arizona Cardinal has gained 114 rushing yards on just 16 attempts through two preseason games.

Despite averaging less than four yards per carry (3.9), Hightower has the big-play ability the Redskins need on offense. He also has 118 receptions in his first three NFL seasons. 

Hightower is a really good all-around running back. He is extremely solid running, catching and above average in terms of blocking.

Whoever the Redskins starting quarterback is going to be, John Beck or Rex Grossman, they are going to love having Hightower in the backfield.

Hightower should also mix in well with what the Redskins have in the backfield. It should be a solid running back by committee situation.

You can also expect Hightower to improve on his statistics behind a much better offensive line then he had in Arizona with the Cardinals. 

8. Brad Smith Brings Electricity to a Buffalo Bills Offense Lacking Power

Quarterback, running back, wide receiver and special team extraordinaire. That is how I would define the many talents of Brad Smith.

Buffalo, who lost a few talented players, picked one up from a division rival, the Jets, in the form of Smith.

It isn’t certain where he is going to play, but I would conclude that Smith will see action at all the positions I listed above. He may even give CJ Spilller a run for his money in the kick-return game.

The former Missouri standout quarterback was never given a real opportunity to play at his natural position with the New York Jets. Scouts said his game didn’t translate well to the NFL, which still may be the case. But the Bills are allowing him to explore that opportunity this preseason.

Despite only scoring 13 points through their first two preseason games, the Bills have gotten a spark from Brad Smith.

He has completed five of seven passes and ran for 40 yards on seven rushes.

Smith doesn’t do one thing great, but he does everything good. This type of talent is going to help what promises to be a struggling Buffalo Bills offense in 2011.  

7. Donovan McNabb Isn't Your Normal Re-Tread Quarterback in Minnesota

Let me be clear, I was one of the people that mocked the Minnesota Vikings acquiring the services of Donovan McNabb. It seemed to me that they went from one re-tread (Brett Favre) to another.

But that hasn’t been the case thus far in the preseason and McNabb has impressed.

McNabb is completing 63 percent of his passes this preseason and has yet to commit a turnover in over 35 offensive plays. Not bad for one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in the league last season.

The Vikings offense has also looked relatively sharp with him in the game. McNabb also seems to have taken on a leadership role with the Vikings rookie first round pick, Christian Ponder.

Having the veteran quarterback should also help Adrian Peterson, who won't see eight in the box, which was a continuing theme of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings season. 

McNabb, who loves to utilize his offense, is going to have a big impact on Visanthe Shiancoe and 2011 draft pick, Kyle Rudolph. 

6. Kevin Boss Has Big Shoes to Fill in Replacing Zach Miller for the Raiders

When the Oakland Raiders lost their top receiver, Zach Miller, to the Seattle Seahawks, it was a bad sign for that up-and-coming offense. Jason Campbell no longer had his top target and the Raiders seemed destined to revert back to old form.

Then they signed Kevin Boss, who had been a reliable but unspectacular tight end for Eli Manning in New York. It wasn’t an upgrade over Zach Miller, but the addition of Boss limited the blow to Oakland’s offense.

Boss has had only one reception this preseason for Oakland but reports out of Napa suggest that he is looking real good in Al Saunders offense.

I fully expect Boss to have his best statistical season as a pro because he will be more of a focal point in Oakland’s offense than he was in New York with the Giants.  

5. Matt Hasselbeck Gives the Tennessee Titans That Veteran Presence

Jake Locker has really impressed thus far in the preseason but the Titans needed to get that veteran signal-caller to replace Kerry Collins. Considering the issues that Indianapolis is currently having at the quarterback position, the Titans could be primed to be the a major contender in the division.

If Locker starts to struggle, which is extremely possible, you could look for Tennessee to go with experience at quarterback. Hasselbeck has been there before, led his team to the Super Bowl and is the perfect stopgap player for this talented team.

Through two preseason games, Hasselbeck has looked comfortable with his new team going 12-for-15 for 129 yards.

If the Tennessee Titans are looking to contend for the division title in 2011, they are better off going with the veteran Matt Hasselbeck over Jake Locker. 

4. Harvey Dahl Brings Toughness to the St. Louis Rams Offensive Line

The St Louis Rams are building a nice little team in the NFC West and figure to challenge for the division title in 2011. 

This offseason, the Rams were intelligent in their free agent acquisitions. 

They signed players at need positions: Quintin Mikell and Mike Sims-Walker come to mind.

But their biggest additions, both figuratively and literally, is Harvey Dahl. 

The former Falcons guard is going to add a certain amount of "nasty" to the St. Louis Rams, who are already praising Dahl for his work ethic and leadership along the line. Dahl's impact isn't going to be "headline grabbing" but he will open up holes for Steven Jackson up the middle and help rotate over in pass protection. 

Look for Dahl to help super soph Sam Bradford elevate his game to a new level. 

3. Braylon Edwards Gives the 49ers Their First True No. 1 Since Terrell Owens

Don't be fooled by the picture. Braylon Edwards is not going to wear No. 81 for the 49ers this season. And he isn't looking to duplicate the off-field issues that one of the most infamous members of San Francisco's past, Terrell Owens, created.

Edwards, one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, was brought to San Francisco for one reason: to give them that receiver threat that the offense has been missing since the early 2000s. 

He immediately becomes the team's unquestioned No. 1 receiver and will provide Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick a huge down-field target.

Edwards, who signed a pedestrian one-year, $1 million contract, is looking to reinvent his shaken image as a troublemaker. And he will get his shot with the 49ers.

Edwards and Smith already look to be in tune as evidenced by his great down field reception against the Oakland Raiders last weekend. 

Once the former Pro Bowl receiver gets more comfortable with the offense, you can expect him to break out in a big way. 

The one issue that is hanging over this signing is the fact that Braylon Edwards faces a possible suspension for offseason issues.

We should hear about a possible suspension early next week. 

2. Reggie Bush Gives the Miami Dolphins a True Play Maker in the Back Field

Bush saw his first action as a member of the Dolphins against the Carolina Panthers last week and looked extremely solid in limited playing time.

The former Heisman Trophy award winner gained 81 yards on 10 touches (including 48 through the ground).

With Daniel Thomas and now Larry Johnson in the mix, there is going to be plenty of competition for rushing attempts in the backfield. But Bush brings that electricity that Miami hasn’t had at the running back position for a long time.

It has been noted that Miami is looking for Bush to be a true No. 1 running back. While I am not sure he has the build for that to become a reality, I do believe that his talents will come to light in South Beach.  

1. Plaxico Burress Is Already Making an Impact in the New York Jets Offense

Burress played his first NFL game since November of 2008 last weekend and he couldn’t have performed better. The former Pro Bowl receiver caught three passes for 66 yards in limited actions and proved why he can still play at a high level in the league.

I don’t expect Burress to match the production that recently departed Braylon Edwards gave them last season, but he won’t have to.

Santonio Holmes is going to be the Jets No. 1 receiver and they also brought in ultra-productive Derek Mason to be the No. 3 receiver.

You are going to see Burress, who immediately becomes, Sanchez’s biggest target, expose weaknesses in opponent’s secondaries by his ability to create separation and catch the ball downfield.

Burress signed for a rather small sum, but his impact on the Jets offense is going to be huge.