As expected, day one of free agency opened with a bang, as some of the top available players were quickly snagged by teams willing to spend the money necessary to do so. Fan bases across the country are now analyzing their team's moves and trying to determine where their team will look next.
These free agency signings will have a huge impact on each team's draft plans as well. For the first time we're getting an idea of what each franchise's remaining needs will be when April rolls around. How was the 2013 NFL Draft impacted on Tuesday?
Miami Dolphins Make Biggest Splash in Day One
The Dolphins appear to have found their quarterback of the future with Ryan Tannehill, and with day one of free agency in the books, they've left no doubt that a top goal is to get Tannehill weapons to work with moving forward. Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline provide him with two good options, but don't expect Miami to pass up a talented wide receiver if they can snag one after the first couple of rounds in the draft as well.
The offensive moves were expected, but they also shook things up on the defensive side of the ball. They surprised many by signing linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler. All of these moves were quite costly (the contracts total somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 million) and because of that it's likely that their remainder of their needs, namely offensive tackle and cornerback, will have to be addressed via the draft.
Andy Levitre signs with the Tennessee Titans
Anyone who spent much time watching the Titans play in recent years would easily label the interior offensive line one of, if not the biggest hole on the team. Prior to free agency, this lead many to tab Chance Warmack or Jonathan Cooper as obvious choices with Tennessee's first round selection.
Signing Andy Levitre means that's likely no longer the case, and it also means that it's quite unlikely that an offensive guard will be drafted in the top ten this year. What it does mean, however, is that the Titans' first round selection is quickly becoming a wild card. It's now possible that the selection could be a defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, wide receiver, or even another offensive linemen.
Buffalo Parts Ways with Ryan Fitzpatrick
Thanks to an embarrassing episode involving a leaked phone conversation involving Buffalo GM Buddy Nix, it wasn't terribly surprising to hear that the Bills elected to release quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. It's a move that has some huge ramifications on how the top of this year's draft will fall. It's now almost a lock that Buffalo will be looking to draft a quarterback with the number eight pick, and with several QB needy teams ahead of them it's now looking more possible that two or more quarterbacks could be drafted in the top ten.
Denver Swipes Louis Vasquez from San Diego
The Broncos acquisition of OG Louis Vasquez was the best move of the day, and when it's all said and done it may prove to be the best move of free agency all together. Not only did they bolster the interior of their offensive line at a price far more reasonable than the deal that Levitre got, but that's not the only benefit to this move.
It also is a crushing blow to division rival San Diego. The Chargers' offensive line was a disaster to begin with, and losing the one solid contributor they had on the line means that now they be looking to the offensive line early and often during the draft. For Denver, they'll be able to focus on adding weapons for Peyton Manning now that they've addressed the offensive line.
Jared Cook signs with St. Louis
In the arms race that is the NFC West, St. Louis entered the offseason needing to find some explosive weapons to add to the offense. Many expected the Rams to look for an explosive wide receiver, but instead they elected to reunited tight end Jared Cook with coach Jeff Fisher. Cook isn't a traditional tight end and mostly played out of the slot with Tennessee in the past two seasons.
This means that Cook's impact has the potential to be more than an average tight end. With a contract rumored to be over $35 million, it's likely the Rams have plans to use him in that fashion. He's likely to be the biggest signing that St Louis will make, so look for the Rams to draft a wide receiver early, especially if they're unable to retain Danny Amendola.
Indianapolis Gives Themselves Options for April
In spite of their inspirational run to the playoffs last season, the Colts entered the offseason with a ton of needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Continuing the transition to a 3-4 defense is the main focus here, and to help move that process along the Colts made some solid moves during day one of free agency.
The goal wasn't to make flashy or expensive moves, but in adding LBs Eric Walden and Lawrence Sidbury, CB Greg Toler, re-signing CB Darius Butler and adding Gosder Cherilus and Donald Thomas to the offensive line they've been able to fill big holes without breaking the bank. Not only were these moves cost effective, but they also allow the Colts to enter the Draft with the freedom to draft based on talent and not pressing needs.
Baltimore Fails to Keep Key Contributors
Signing Joe Flacco to his big contract undoubtedly came with consequences, and that's something that the Ravens are now clearly dealing with just one day into free agency. Trading away Anquan Boldin was supposed to give the Ravens some flexibility under the cap, but it didn't keep them from losing key players on the defensive side of the ball like Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe.
Ed Reed also appears to be on the way out, and with the retirement of Ray Lewis this is a defense that is going to look drastically different in 2013. There's very little doubt at this point that Baltimore must focus on their defense early and often during the draft.
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