NFL Free Agency 2011: Ranking the Offseason Acquisitions by Division

When looking over the NFL offseason landscape, it's quite easy to pick out which teams made the best upgrades to their squads.

The individual teams, like the "Dream Team" Philadelphia Eagles, seemingly broke headlines daily on their way to being crowned the "Offseason champions."

Individual teams are easy, but which division as a whole made the biggest strides in taking over the NFL?

Over the next eight slides, I will rank which divisions made the best free agent acquisitions this offseason.

8. NFC West

The NFC West became the first division in NFL history to have a team with a losing record make the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks finished the season 7-9, won the division, then went on to upset the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs.

The division as a whole seemed to take a step back because of their inabilites to resign key players as well as sign new quality talent.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals made strides this offseason on the offensive end after last season's debacle.

The signing of guard Daryn Colledge and re-signing of offensive tackle Brandon Keith will strengthen the effort to shore up the offensive line.

Tight end Todd Heap will bring a veteran presence to the position as well as becoming a safety blanket for first-year starter Kevin Kolb.

St. Louis Rams

 Don't be surprised if the Rams become a "running back by committee" type team with the additions of Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood to compliment the aging Steven Jackson.

The re-signing of left tackle Renardo Foster followed by the addition of right tackle Harvey Dahl, should bolster the Rams protection of Sam Bradford.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams signed both defensive tackle Justin Bannan and safety Quinton Mikell, which should make an already stout defense, even better.

Seattle Seahawks

 The Seahawks entered the offseason with multiple question marks, especially on the offensive end.

Unable to re-sign Matt Hasselbeck, Pete Carroll's unit went with Tavaris Jackson from Minnesota.

The Seahawks went on to re-sign their spark plug Leon Washington, followed by signing Sidney Rice and Zach Miller as targets for their new starting quarterback.

The offensive weapons are there, but I'm unsure if Jackson can utilize them.

San Francisco 49ers

 The Niners were able to re-sign Alex Smith, much to the chagrin of Niner Nation.

The acquisition of Braylon Edwards gives them another downfield threat, that has yet to solidify himself as a possession receiver.

Carlos Rogers and Donte Whitner will help in pass defense that ranked No. 23 in the league last year.  

7. AFC South

The 2010 regular season started with surprises as the Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts and looked ready to take over the AFC South, before faltering late in the season and allowing the Colts to take back their throne atop the division.

The Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars think they have done enough this offseason to take over the spot atop the AFC South.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts made solid conservative moves throughout the offseason, re-signing Anthony Costonzo as their starting left tackle and signing veteran Kerry Collins as a back-up in case Peyton Manning is not ready for the beginning of the season.

Indy snagged away Tommie Harris from the Bears to bolster an already strong defensive line as well as re-signing Melvin Bullitt to keep their safety duo together. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

The main goal of the Jaguars offseason was to re-sign Marcedes Lewis, which they succeeded in doing.

The Jags defense will look completely different from the 2010 squad.

The acquisition and transition of Matt Roth from linebacker to left defensive end will be an interesting move.

Paul Posluszny, from the Buffalo Bills, and Clint Session, signed away from the rival Colts, will step in as starting linebackers.

Former Baltimore Raven Dawan Landry will start at free safety as well.

Houston Texans

On the offensive end, Vonta Leach's departure was the biggest blow to the Texans.

They went right out and signed Lawrence Vickers, who should step in nicely as a solid replacement.

For a defense that ranked worst in the league in pass defense, the Texans made huge strides by signing cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning.

Tennessee Titans

 The Titans lost their head coach and franchise quarterback in the same offseason.

Free agency was the best they could have hoped for, winning out on signing Matt Hasselbeck.

They re-signed fullback Ahmard Hall, who led Chris Johnson to his 2,000-yard season, as well as offensive guard Leroy Harris to bring back their entire offensive line from the 2010 campaign.

Signing Barrett Ruud and Shaun Smith should make for a much more blistering run defense. 

6. AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will look to continue their dominance, as the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals will try to get off the floor of the AFC North through free agency.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens allowed Le'Ron McClain and Willis McGahee to walk in free agency, but seemed to have a back-up plan in mind.

Baltimore signed veterans Ricky Williams and Vonta Leach to strengthen their run game.

Bryant McKinnie was recently signed to step in at the left tackle position after two lackluster preseason games.

Without a doubt, keeping their defense together was the biggest priority as the Ravens were able to re-sign standout right end Haloti Ngata and cornerback Chris Carr.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' ability to keep Dennis Dixon now looks like a brilliant move after Byron Leftwich broke his arm in the third preseason game.

Re-signing cornerback Ike Taylor was vital to the brilliant Steelers defense.

Cincinnati Bengals

Keeping their running attack was important to the Cincinnati Bengals under a rookie quarterback and the Bengals were able to keep Cedric Benson.

Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski should be a solid veteran insurance piece in case Andy Dalton gets injured.

Manny Lawson and Thomas Howard will join Ray Maualuga as members of a solid linebacking core.

The addition of Nate Clements at cornerback should fill in where Johnathon Joseph left off.

Cleveland Browns

 The Browns didn't make much noise during the offseason, but did sign former Green Bay Packer Brandon Jackson.

The re-signing of Jayme Mitchell at left defensive end should continue to build upon their defensive line. 

5. AFC West

The AFC West could be up-for-grabs this year after the Kansas City Chiefs surprised everyone by knocking off the San Diego Chargers last season. 

Kansas City Chiefs

The additions of Le'Ron McClain and Steve Breaston will add another dimension to the already strong Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Center Casey Wiegmann and right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan were re-signed so they will continue to lead the way for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.

Adding McClain's teammate Kelly Gregg to the defensive line could move Kansas City into the driver's seat in the AFC West.

San Diego Chargers

San Diego re-signed running back Mike Tolbert as insurance behind the injury-prone Ryan Mathews.

Bringing back run-blocking specialist Randy McMichael and the pass-catching Malcolm Floyd will help Philip Rivers' offense flow once again.

The biggest additions were to the defense though, as the Chargers will move defensive lineman Travis LaBoy to right outside linebacker.

Former Indianapolis Colt standout Bob Sanders will join the newly re-signed safety Eric Weddle in the Chargers secondary.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders lost out on Zach Miller due to free agency, so they made a splash of their own, by upgrading to Kevin Boss at a much cheaper cost.

The Raiders went on to sign Kyle Boller and Trent Edwards as insurance behind starter Jason Campbell.

On defense, bringing back Richard Seymour and Michael Huff will once again make this a physical unit.

Denver Broncos

 Denver made serious strides to give depth to their offense by signing running back Willis McGahee to backup Knowshon Moreno as well as a new starting tight end in former St. Louis Ram, Daniel Fells. 

4. AFC East

The AFC East will continue to stay in the spotlight of the NFL with new characters such as Chad Ochocinco entering it.

Despite filling up the media guide with quotes from outlandish players and coaches, this division will be one of the most hotly contested.

New England Patriots

The Patriots made sure they kept key players from last season's venture, by re-signing running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk, and Sammy Morris as well as offensive linemen Matt Light and Logan Mankins. 

New York Jets

The Jets lost out on the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes, but won out on adding weapons for Mark Sanchez to throw to.

The Jets re-signed Santonio Holmes, but also added veterans Derrick Mason and Plaxico Burress to replace Brad Smith and Braylon Edwards.

They then focused their attention on keeping their defense intact, by re-signing linebacker David Harris, cornerback Antonio Cromartie, and free safety Eric Smith.

Miami Dolphins

As the Dolphins enter the 2011 season, their skill positions were set on offense and they were able to fill a need on the offensive line by signing right tackle Marc Colombo.

Buffalo Bills

 The Bills' ability to re-sign linebacker Shawne Merriman and sign linebacker Nick Barnett should make for an upgraded interior defense. 

3. NFC South

The NFC South was a from-worst-to-first division for years, until the Atlanta Falcons took over first for two years in a row. Now the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to take over that spot through free agent acquisitions.

Atlanta Falcons

Re-signing Justin Blalock and Tyson Clabo were vital for the Falcons keeping their offensive line intact.

The Falcons also brought back star cornerback Brent Grimes, but didn't stop there.

Their big move of the offseason was to increase the pass rush by adding left defensive end Ray Edwards.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints made key moves of their own, by re-signing David Thomas as their starting tight end.

While their pass attack was strong, the run game could use some work, so the Saints added fullback Korey Hall from the Green Bay Packers, re-signed running back Pierre Thomas, and signed away former San Diego Charger Darren Sproles.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs didn't feel the need to add any other veteran players to their young nucleus from last season, so they re-signed defensive end Michael Bennett, linebacker Quincy Black, and veteran cornerback Rhonde Barber.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers quietly had a great offseason after they re-signed star running back DeAngelo Williams.

They added a playmaking receiver in Legedu Naanee as well as a former starting quarterback in Derek Anderson to backup No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton.

2. NFC North

The NFC North made a huge impact through free agency this offseason.

The Green Bay Packers will do their best to defend the Lombardi Trophy and the Detroit Lions are doing their best at reviving their franchise. 

Green Bay Packers

The Packers did not make any huge moves this offseason, but they did something most defending champions are never able to do: Green Bay re-signed all of their starters from last season, bringing back their entire championship squad from last season.

Detroit Lions

While Matt Stafford has impressed during this preseason, the Lions defense is what all analysts are talking about.

An impeccable defensive line stands in front of a solid linebacking core.

The Lions brought in Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant, former rivals in the AFC South, to play the outside linebacker spots.

Detroit also re-signed cornerbacks Chris Houston and Nate Vasher to shore up the secondary.

Minnesota Vikings

 The left side of the Vikings defensive line will be taken over by Brian Robison and Remi Ayodele as they join Kevin Williams and Jared Allen.

Minnesota also took steps to keeping their secondary and linebacking core intact by re-signing safety Husain Abdullah and linebacker Erin Henderson.

Chicago Bears

 Last season, the Bears offense was explosive. This season, they lost none of the explosiveness, but gained more of the muscle.

Chicago inked running back Marion Barber to be the blistering back he was in Dallas behind Matt Forte.

The Bears then signed former teammate Roy Williams to become their physical possession receiver he never matriculated to in Dallas. 

1. NFC East

You can't make an offseason free agency list without having the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the list.

It didn't help the other divisions that the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys all followed suit though.

Philadelphia Eagles

 The Eagles might have assembled the closest thing to a "Dream Team" we will ever see.

They signed Vince Young to backup Mike Vick, Ronnie Brown to add depth at running back, and they brought back Brent Celek to be the playmaking tight end he has been in Philadelphia.

Not only is their offense stacked, but they signed Jason Babin to tear up the defensive line, as well as Nnamdi Asomugha to turn the right side of the field into a "no fly zone."

Washington Redskins

Mike Shanahan got rid of Donovan McNabb and re-signed Rex Grossman to fight for the job of starting quarterback.

He brought in Tim Hightower to be one of many running backs Shanahan will use, as well as re-signing receiver Santana Moss and right tackle Jammal Brown.

The Skins brought in safety Oshiomogho Atogwe and cornerback Josh Wilson to defend the secondary.

New York Giants

 The Giants did their best to keep key players on the offensive and defensive end.

They focused their efforts on keeping Ahmad Bradshaw in the New York backfield, which they did.

The G-Men then signed Mathias Kiwanuka to play strongside linebacker.

Dallas Cowboys

 The Cowboys kept their deep threat on offense by re-signing receiver Miles Austin.

Dallas was able to keep their defense intact by re-signing defensive end Marcus Spears and safety Gerald Sensabaugh, as well as signing safety Abram Elam from the Cleveland Browns. 

Conclusion

As the season draws near, one can only imagine how these free agent acquisitions will play out and who will be the ultimate best division by holding the Lombardi trophy.

Thanks for reading and please comment below.

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