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2022 NFL Free Agency Grades: Analyzing Every Major Move

Breaking down the major signings as they happen. Mitch Trubisky, Alex Cappa, Chase Edmonds and more.Responsible free-agent spending is a pipeline to the Super Bowl, which is something that sounds obvious but may not always have been. The difference between teams’ merely splurging in free agency versus actually being good at it is the link between the pro scouting department and the coaching staff. I spoke with Bengals folks before the Super Bowl who were wondering why everyone (ahem, myself included) predicted they’d win so few games in 2021. They were thrilled with the idea of pairing Eli Apple and Chidobe Awuzie together. They did not believe Trey Hendrickson was a product of Dennis Allen’s defense.Why? Because their scouting staff and coaching staff were asked to do a hybrid job of bringing their evaluations together and voicing opinions. We’ll see what this year holds as we gather to instantaneously grade the individual transactions worth noting, but keep in mind that J.C. Jackson might be the cornerback who alters the market, but that does not mean he’ll significantly alter the 2022 season. The same can be said about any of the top players broken down on our best available list.We should also note the familiar refrain by this point that the contract terms we see bandied about when free agency opens are often not all they appear to be. Years vanish and nonguaranteed dollar figures drop before teams actually have to pay them. So we’ll analyze each move based on talent and fit, and take a look generally at the terms but won’t get hung up on exact dollar amounts before we know more. Jamie Germano/USA TODAY Network QB Mitch Trubisky to the SteelersTrubisky should be thanking his agents and any/all guiding spiritual deities for the way the past two years have worked out. After the way his Bears tenure ended, Trubisky sidled up next to Brian Daboll in Buffalo and sparked interest in his revival. Now, he lands in Pittsburgh, which will give him a chance to win the post–Ben Roethlisberger job outright with a great running game and solid receiver core. Trubisky goes from Daboll to Matt Canada, another talented coordinator who can divert backfield traffic with his inspired presnap game. Trubisky also falls into line behind a head coach who, unlike Matt Nagy in Chicago, is tenured enough not to have to worry about legitimizing Trubisky just to keep his job. The politics of the quarterback position in Chicago were a mess. In Pittsburgh, where the Steelers simply don’t post losing seasons, Trubisky can springboard himself into a future that looks far brighter than it might have a few seasons ago. Also, replacing Roethlisberger, as daunting as it seems, is not the same after the future Hall of Famer’s middling career finale. Had Roethlisberger been forced out, or left any lingering animus between himself and the organization, there’s a chance Trubisky could’ve gotten caught in the crossfire. This is less like Cam Newton succeeding Tom Brady on the Patriots, which should decrease any needless pressure.This is about the best Pittsburgh was going to do in free agency. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins are spoken for. Jimmy Garoppolo will likely drive the market out of the sensible range.GRADE: C+G Alex Cappa to the BengalsBengals general manager Duke Tobin boldly defended his maligned offensive line at the combine, reciting Joe Burrow’s statistics and mentioning that Burrow would not have had the season he did without their pieces up front. It was an admirable move but also foretold the team’s plunge into free agency. Burrow cannot sustain another season like the one he did in 2021, taking a league-high 51 regular-season sacks and then 19 more in the playoffs. Cincinnati’s offense will sometimes ask Burrow to hold on to the ball for a bit longer (even though he had one of the quickest snap-to-throw times in the NFL last year, about 0.02 seconds faster than Mac Jones), as it’s more reminiscent of a pre-2019 pro style system. That means offensive linemen need to hold their blocks for longer, at times. While Cappa made a name for himself in the Tom Brady Bucs era, and Brady is a notoriously quick-release player, the Bengals’ staff rarely misses in free agency and has built its team’s foundation in the veteran market over the past three years.The fact that they got Cappa for a reported four years and $40 million, about $6 million below the league high for the position, is a bit stunning and shows that Cincinnati has crawled from the team players avoid to the one for which they might take a little less to play.GRADE: AC Ryan Jensen re-signs with the BuccaneersJensen slots just under Frank Ragnow as the NFL’s second-highest-paid center, which is the kind of transaction the Buccaneers can make now that they are certain they’ve lured Brady out of his brief retirement. One could argue that the center position, which has a handle on in-game protection shifts and calls, is more valuable than ever given the increased propensity for teams to simulate pressure and force linemen to block ghosts. Former Tampa Bay guard Ali Marpet told me before Super Bowl LV that life was good blocking for Brady, but Jensen has earned the top coin and is not just a lineman riding the coattails of a quick-release quarterback. Jensen has incredible flexibility and speed, rarely leaving another blocker in the weeds if he’s uncovered at the snap. Yes, he’s 30 years old, but that position tends to age a little better than outside spots that deal with more consistent speed rushing.GRADE: BEdge Emmanuel Ogbah to the DolphinsOgbah is an agile defender who will fit well in the Dolphins’ Bill Belichick–inspired system, which is placing more of an emphasis on rushing as few defenders as possible and dropping more defenders into coverage. Ogbah, who is 28, cashes in on a deal reportedly worth $16.5 million per season, which is worth breaking out and discussing independently. There were general managers who planned to stay at an arm’s length from this year’s edge market, especially after last year when teams such as the Bengals and Patriots cleaned up on premium young talent for cheaper rates. The market was expected to overheat in 2022. But landing Ogbah is a win for stunt-happy DC Josh Boyer, and Miami doesn’t end up paying too much of a tax for the privilege.GRADE: B+RB Chase Edmonds to the DolphinsIf the Dolphins are indeed planning to build around Tua Tagovailoa, signing Edmunds to a reportedly two-year deal that isn’t breaking the bank is a good start. What Miami probably loves about Edmonds is his ability to complement the quarterback in the passing game, especially when the play breaks down. Kyler Murray struggled generally with checkdown throws a year ago and often found himself struggling to hit outlet passes quickly when the lanes were swarmed with bigger defenders. Edmonds could often be seen juking and weaving his way into vacant space for Murray to make life easier. He could be a similar, heady security blanket for Tagovailoa.GRADE: B-More NFL Coverage:Ranking the Top 221 Free AgentsGood Thing Bucs Left the Light on for BradyInside the Russell Wilson Trade Negotiations12 Teams That Will Define NFL Free Agency
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Written by: Conor Orr