NFL Free Agency Round Up: July 29th

With the end of the lockout came a rush of transactions across the league.

Here’s a quick roundup of the major transactions, featured with Kevin Kolb’s trade, Donovan McNabb’s trade, New England’s two well known additions, Matt Hasselback’s signing, and much more.

 
Arizona gives up a lot to get QB Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia
What it means: The Cardinals found themselves enamored by Kevin Kolb, as evidenced by giving up a 1st round draft pick along with Dominque Rodgers Cromartie. It was a steep price to pay for a quarterback that has only posted a 78.6 QB rating in nine career starts. Kolb will have much to do to prove his worth, but he finds himself in a great situation. He’ll have a star wide receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, and no pressure from the quarterbacks behind him. Check out his notes in last week’s Scouting Notebook. Dominique Rodgers-Cromatrie should fit in nicely with the Eagles defense.

Minnesota trades for QB Donovan McNabb
What it means: After drafting quarterback Christian Ponder in the first round it was thought that Vikings would go with him as the day one starter. That won’t be necessary now, as McNabb will come to Minnesota with the starting job all but locked up. He should be a great fit in the Vikings offense. The trade for McNabb greatly elevates the expectations for the 2011 season, and the Vikings now may be considered as a threat to the Bears and Packers for the NFC North title.

New England trades for DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco
What it means: The Albert Haynesworth saga mercifully ended on Thursday as the Redskins traded him to New England. The up and down defensive tackle will still have to play in a 3-4 defense (a large cause of his unhappiness in Washington), but it’s thought that he will play a 5 technique instead of playing inside as he did for the Redskins. Pairing Haynesworth with defensive tackle Vince Wilfork will make getting yards on the ground difficult for their opponents if both of them can stay healthy.
Chad OchoCinco will help fill the void that was left upon Randy Moss’ departure last season. He isn’t quite the deep threat that Moss was, but his outstanding route running and hands will quickly make him a favorite target of Tom Brady. The move does raise some questions on the Bengals’ side, however. If OchoCinco can get out for pennies on the dollar, why can’t Carson Palmer escape?

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck signs with Tennnessee
What it means: The departure in the last couple of seasons of guys such as Kyle Vanden Bosch, Kevin Mawae, and Keith Bulluck had left the Titans without any true leadership in the locker room. The addition of Hasselbeck will go a long way in fixing that. He isn’t going to make any Pro Bowls at this stage of his career, but he can lead the team and be a consistent game manager in an offense that will revolve around running back Chris Johnson. The Titans’ top draft pick, quarterback Jake Locker, will benefit from learning under Hasselbeck, who he already worked with prior to the draft. One down side to Hasselbeck playing in Tennessee will be his less than desirable arm strength, which could hamper wide reciever Kenny Britt’s production.

Reggie Bush becomes a Miami Dolphin
What it means: As evidenced by New Orleans drafting Mark Ingram in the draft, Reggie Bush’s time in New Orleans has been up for awhile, and it was just a matter of finding out where he would play in 2011. We found out the answer this week, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. He’ll be a great fit in Miami. They need depth at running back and will be able to get him the 15 touches a game he needs to perform at his best. Miami also has shown they can use unique talents in creative ways, which provides a great fit for Bush, who is certainly not a typical running back.

New York re-signs WR Santonio Holmes
What it means: Heading into the free agency period, the Jets were faced with a choice between WRs Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards. Cap wise they could realistically keep them both, but they would be unable to make any big splashes else where. By going with Holmes, they lock up one of their top playmakers, and are allowing themselves to make a strong push for top free agent cornerback Nndami Asomugha.

Baltimore releases two franchise cornerstones in Todd Heap and Derrick Mason
What it means: Ozzie Newsome had no real alternative but to release tight end Todd Heap and wide reciever Derrick Mason in order to get under the salary cap, but that doesn’t make the moves any less painful for Ravens fans. Both players could re-sign with Baltimore, but each have attracted attention from other teams already. Tennessee, New England, and San Diego are likely landing spots for Mason, and Oakland and Arizona are among a number of teams rumored to have interest in Heap.

Houston attempts to bolster their defense by signing CB Joe Joseph
What it means: The Texans’ pass defense was historically bad in 2010, and improving upon that was their number one priority going into the offseason. They went a long way in doing that by signing Joe Joseph. Joseph is widely regarded to be the 2nd best defensive back on the market and he still has room to get better. Houston still needs to address the safety position, but the addition of Joseph figures to improve their defense in 2011.

Other Notable Transactions
Baltimore Ravens release RB Willis McGahee
Buffalo Bills sign WR Brad Smith
Carolina Panthers re-sign RB Deangelo Williams
Houston Texans re-sign QB Matt Leinart
Jacksonville Jaguars sign LBs Justin Durant & Paul Pozlunsny
Minnesota Vikings sign WR Devin Aromashadu
New Orleans Saints re-sign WR Lance Moore
Philadelphia Eagles sign DE Jason Babin
Pittsburg Steelers re-sign CB Ike Taylor
San Diego Chargers re-sign S Eric Weddle
Seattle Seahawks sign QB Tavaris Jackson & WR Sidney Rice
St Louis Rams sign S Quintin Mikel
Tennessee Titans release QB Vince Young & DT Tony Brown
Washington Redskins sign CB Josh Wilson