NFL offseason grades 

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Philly made some big moves but chemistry may be the downfall

Arizona: The Cardinals made several offseason acquisitions to improve an offense that suffered from poor quarterback play a year ago. They acquired quarterback Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia via a trade and added tight end Todd Heap from Baltimore as a free agent. Arizona also drafted Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams to compete with Beanie Wells for the starting tailback spot. Patrick Peterson, a first-round cornerback from LSU, will help fill the void left by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who was traded to the Eagles in the Kolb deal. Grade: A-

Atlanta: The Falcons traded away five draft picks, including next year’s first-round pick, to move up and select Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones as the sixth overall pick. It was certainly a costly move but it could pay dividends for Atlanta if the Falcons are able to win the Super Bowl. The Falcons also added elusive running back Jacquizz Rodgers from Oregon State in the draft and selected Georgia linebacker Akeem Dent. In addition, the Falcons landed prized defensive end Ray Edwards from Minnesota through free agency. Grade: B

Baltimore: The Ravens added bruising fullback Vonta Leach from Houston to help pave the way for running back Ray Rice. Baltimore also helped improve its secondary by drafting cornerback Jimmy Smith from Colorado in the first round and acquiring safety Bernard Pollard via free agency. Grade: B-

Buffalo: The Bills made several key transactions on the defensive side of the ball. They drafted Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus with the third overall pick and selected Texas cornerback Aaron Williams in the second round. In addition, Buffalo added linebacker Nick Barnett from Green Bay via free agency and resigned linebacker Shawne Merriman. On offense, Buffalo acquired all-purpose player Brad Smith to add an extra element of versatility to the unit. Grade: B

Carolina: Carolina made several changes on offense to boost an anemic offense from a year ago. With the first overall pick, the Panthers selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. In addition, they resigned running back Deangelo Williams to a five-year, $43 million contract. Furthermore, they added former Charger wide receiver Legedu Naanee and former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey via free agency. On defense, Carolina signed defensive end Charles Johnson to a six-year, $76 million contract. Grade: B+

Chicago: The Bears acquired three former Cowboys via free agency in running back Marion Barber III and wide receivers Sam Hurd and Roy Williams. Additionally, the Bears signed former Pittsburgh tight end Matt Spaeth to take the place of the departed Greg Olsen, who was traded to Carolina. Furthermore, Chicago took a chance on two former first-round busts in defensive linemen Vernon Gholston and Amobi Okoye. Grade: B-

Cincinnati: A new era has begun in Cincinnati. The Bengals drafted Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green with the fourth overall pick of this year’s draft. Green will help fill the void left by Chad Ochocinco, who was traded to New England. In the second round, Cincinnati selected TCU quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton will have a chance to start if current quarterback Carson Palmer elects to retire, which he has threatened to do if his trade demands are not met. The Bengals resigned running back Cedric Benson and acquired former Titan tight end Bo Scaife in free agency. Grade: B

Miami- The Dolphins have had a busy offseason thus far. They acquired quarterbacks Matt Moore and Kevin O’Connell to compete with incumbent starter Chad Henne. Henne has really struggled in training camp so far, so either O’Connell or Moore will have a legitimate chance to win the starting quarterback position. The Dolphins helped bolster their offensive line by signing former Cowboy tackle Marc Colombo. Colombo will help pave the way for newly acquired running back Reggie Bush who was traded to Miami from New Orleans. Miami helped improve its linebacker core by signing former Charger Kevin Burnett. They also brought back a familiar face in former Dolphin great Jason Taylor. Taylor will help provide veteran leadership for an improving defense. Grade- B+

Minnesota- Minnesota made several changes on the offensive side of the ball over the offseason. The Vikings lost Sidney Rice to free agency, but hope to make up for his contributions with the additions of wide receivers Devin Aromashodu and Michael Jenkins. Former Bear Aromashodu and former Falcon Jenkins each underachieved on their former squads, but each look for a fresh start in Minnesota. The Vikings will have a new quarterback under center replacing the finally retired (maybe) Brett Favre. Taking Favre’s place will be either newly acquired Donovan McNabb or first round draft pick Christian Ponder. Grade- C-

New England- The Patriots have made several big splashes through trades and free agent acquisitions. To add to an already potent passing attack featuring reigning MVP Tom Brady, the Patriots traded for disgruntled Bengal receiver Chad Ochocinco. With receivers Ochocinco, Wes Welker, and Deion Branch to go along with tight ends Rob Gronkowksi and Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots should once again have one of the dominant aerial assaults in the league. The Patriots also should have an improved running game featuring rookies Shane Vereen from California and Stevan Ridley from Louisiana State. On defense, the Patriots have retooled their defensive line. The Patriots traded for disgruntled Redskin defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. In addition, the Patriots added productive defensive ends Shaun Ellis and Andre Carter. Head coach Bill Belichick had another terrific offseason. Grade- A

New Orleans- The Saints had one of the best drafts of any team in the NFL. They initially drafted California star defensive end Cameron Jordan, and then they traded up into the first round to select former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Drafting Ingram allowed the Saints to part ways with former second overall pick Reggie Bush and his enormous salary. To help replace Bush’s versatility, New Orleans acquired former Charger change of place back Darren Sproles. To help lead the way for Ingram and Sproles, the Saints acquired former Bear center Olin Kreutz. Kreutz should help add a lot of stability to New Orleans’ offensive line. On defense, the Saints added a much needed boost to their secondary by acquiring former Raven cornerback Fabian Washington. Grade- A-

New York Giants- The Giants have had a low-key offseason thus far. They signed former first overall pick David Carr to serve as a backup to Eli Manning. The Giants added to their passing game by acquiring former Cardinal tight end Ben Patrick. On defense, the Giants added to their secondary by signing former Bill cornerback Cary Harris, and drafting Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara in the first round. Amukamara should provide a much needed presence in a Giants secondary that has struggled in recent years. Grade- C-

New York Jets- The Jets may have lost the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes, but they still managed to have a productive offseason. The Jets lost Braylon Edwards to the 49ers, but they resigned Santonio Holmes and added receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason as free agents to make up for Edwards’ departure. On defense, the Jets resigned cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Resigning Cromartie was pivotal for New York after it was unable to land Asomugha. Grade- B

Oakland- The Raiders have had a difficult offseason so far. Not only did they lose their best player in shutdown cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, but they also were unable to retain one of their best threats in the passing game in tight end Zach Miller. On a positive note for the Raiders, they were able to resign dominant defensive end Richard Seymour and hard-hitting safety Michael Huff. In addition, they were able to sign former Giant tight end Kevin Boss to help alleviate the loss of Miller. In my opinion, Boss is a downgrade from Miller, but Boss still has the capabilities of being a productive tight end for quarterback Jason Campbell. Grade- C-

Philadelphia-The Eagles offseason has by far received the most attention of any team in the NFL. At quarterback, the Eagles not only resigned the resurgent Michael Vick, but they also signed former Longhorns star Vince Young to serve as Vick’s backup. At running back, they added depth behind LeSean McCoy by adding former Dolphin Ronnie Brown. At receiver, they added depth behind DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin by signing Johnnie Lee Higgins, formerly of the Raiders, and Sinorice Moss, formerly of the Giants. At tight end, they added depth behind Brent Celek by signing former Packer Donald Lee. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles made key acquisitions by signing prized cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. It remains to be seen if all this talent will gel into a Super Bowl title, but Philadelphia definitely has had an outstanding offseason. Grade-A

Pittsburgh- The defending AFC Champion Steelers may not have had as notable of an offseason as the Eagles did, but Pittsburgh made a few key acquisitions to improve upon an already championship caliber team. They added strength to their defensive line by selecting Ohio State’s Cam Heyward in the first round. Pittsburgh also kept its secondary in order by resigning cornerbacks William Gay and Ike Taylor. The Steelers didn’t make any drastic moves to improve their roster, but neither did they lose any key parts to a title contender. Grade-B
San Diego- Compared to a lot of NFL teams, the Chargers have had a quiet offseason. They improved their linebacker core by signing Takeo Spikes. They also bolstered their secondary by drafting speedy Clemson cornerback Marcus Gilchrist, and signing former Indianapolis all-pro safety Bob Sanders. They also resigned free safety Eric Weddle to pair up with Sanders. Grade- B-

Seattle- The Seahawks made several notable additions to their offense. They signed the former Minnesota connection featuring quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and receiver Sidney Rice. They also dramatically improved their tight end position by signing Zach Miller. Furthermore, they enhanced their offensive line by signing another former Raider in Robert Gallery. On defense, the Seahawks added former Cardinal nose tackle Alan Branch. They also resigned linebacker LeRoy Hill and cornerback Kelly Jennings. Grade- B+

St. Louis- The Rams added tailbacks Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood to help diminish the workload of star running back Steven Jackson. With the additions of Williams and Norwood, Jackson should be able to remain fresh in late-game situations, which is key for the Rams’ division title aspirations. St. Louis gave quarterback Sam Bradford a tall and lengthy passing target in former Jaguar receiver Mike Sims-Walker. On defense, the Rams added Brady Poppinga to their linebacker core. They also improved their secondary by adding cornerback Al Harris and strong safety Quintin Mikell. Grade- B

Tampa Bay- The Buccaneers strengthened their defensive line through the draft as they selected Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn in the first round and Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers in the second round. Bowers was great value in the second round as many scouts had him projected as a top 10 overall pick early in the scouting process. In the secondary, the Buccaneers resigned long-time veteran cornerback Ronde Barber. Grade-B-

Tennessee- The Titans added two new quarterbacks to the team in veteran Matt Hasselbeck and rookie Jake Locker. Hasselbeck will likely mentor Locker while the former Huskie learns the nuances of the NFL game. The Titans picked up tight end Daniel Graham to take the place of the departed Bo Scaife, who moved on to Cincinnati. On defense, the Titans improved their defensive line by drafting UCLA defensive end Akeem Ayers. Ayers is a quick and physical presence that should immediately help the Titans defensive front. The Titans signed former Buccaneers linebacker Barrett Ruud to fill the void left by Stephen Tulloch, who moved on to the Lions. Grade- C+

Washington- The Redskins added three notable players at the offensive skill positions. They signed quarterback Kellen Clemens, running back Tim Hightower and wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth. On defense, the Redskins signed former Rams free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. Atogwe should provide a much needed boost to a Redskins secondary that has struggled mightily in recent years. Grade- C-