As the kickoff for the NFL 2023 season fast approaches, teams are quickly building up their rosters to battle during the long season with the aim of being in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl in 2024. A key action in that is building out your roster through free agency, which is a time that can truly be make-or-break for your team.
The free agency period can be chaotic, with teams having multiple moving pieces and everyone trying to become one of the top 2023 NFL playoff picks. Each NFL franchise will be encountering their own vast holes that they need to fill, whether it is Tampa Bay trying to fill the hole left by the retirement of the Greatest of All-Time, quarterback Tom Brady. Other teams could be trying to upgrade their current roster and bolster areas of weakness.
The Value of Free Agency
Free agency is arguably the most important aspect of team building in the NFL. The NFL Draft can allow franchises to get in young talent and develop players to become stars and cornerstones of their teams, but free agency allows teams to immediately bring in experienced players who can help their success.
A huge aspect is finding value for money while also identifying areas of weakness on your team and making sure you are ready for your week 1 matchup. A good example can be found in the past Super Bowl winners addressing areas of concern and those pieces being critical to winning the championship.
In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady to join a talented yet young team that had not yet made the playoffs. He would be the key piece in a championship run that brought the second-ever Super Bowl to Tampa. In 2021, the LA Rams had a strong roster but lacked the defensive line talent to complement Aaron Donald. They signed Von Miller, a former Super Bowl-winning edge rusher who would go on to be a huge impact player in the playoffs as they won the title. (https://www.newslive.com) In 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs struggled with no wide receiver depth, so they brought in Juju Smith-Schuster, who would be an important offensive weapon throughout the season.
We have put together some of the best signings we have spotted so far, explaining why we think the match-up works and why the signing could be destined for success during the 2023 NFL season.
Mike Gesicki, TE, to the New England Patriots
Mac Jones is getting a new offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien and is now getting a reliable tight end to boot. After a season of borderline pathetic offensive production in New England, things are beginning to look a lot brighter. Bringing in Gesicki from their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, is a great find, especially at just $9m for one year. Gesicki has great size and wide receiver traits with the ball in his hands.
After years of watching Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski form the best quarterback/tight-end partnership, this could be something of a throwback for Pats fans. Gesicki could very easily become the focal point of this attack, forcing opponents to double-cover him and stop him at the line of scrimmage, opening the field up for other pieces.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, to the Las Vegas Raiders
After New England was not able to come to a deal with their star wideout, Meyers was left to look out onto a very saturated wide receiver market. The questions were there as to whether he would get star-caliber money, but he found that with a three-year, $33 million deal in Las Vegas. Meyers now joins his old offensive coordinator, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who is assembling an arsenal of wide receiver talent.
Joining Davante Adams, who is arguably the best wide receiver in the game at this point, and sneaky-good slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, Meyers might have not only found the best spot for him personally but also team-wise, as the trio can help complement each other and provide nightmares for cornerbacks on any NFL team.
Rashaad Penny, RB, to the Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles might have gotten the best value-free agent in Penny, who has only set them back $600,000 for a year. The running back has often been injured during his time in Seattle, but when healthy, he showed explosion and dynamism that would tear up backfields.
He actually has 5.7 yards per carry but is never healthy enough for them to notice. The Eagles fell just short in the previous Super Bowl, but Penny could be the missing puzzle piece to get them another Lombardi trophy.
Jarrett Stidham, QB, to the Denver Broncos
Despite showing up for a few performances in a Las Vegas Raiders uniform, Jarrett Stidham was not deemed the successor to Derek Carr and instead headed out to Denver to back up the under-pressure Russell Wilson. It feels like the Broncos view him as more than just a backup, as shown by a two-year, $10 million deal.
Wilson disappointed heavily last year, and if the same dreadful performances show themselves again, it would not be a huge shock to see Stidham showcase his arm talent and IQ and make a case for himself to be QB1 in Denver.