2026 AFC & NFC North Free Agency Grades

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1:20Welcome back to the PFF and a fellow show, Trevor Sikerman, Dalton Wasserman, here with you guys once again, still talking free agency, but taking guys back to school, we're doing grades for certain teams in free agency. Over the next week, week and a half-ish, we're taking this journey where we're going to go through all of the grades and view a lot of the major signings, resignings, and even potentially we'll talk about moves that maybe we thought teams were going to make, some positions that we thought they were going to upgrade that they didn't, which goes into overall grades courtesy of this man next to me here, Dalton Wasserman. Dalton, you wrote the article for this one, so you've already done a lot of the heavy lifting here, so this is mainly going to be me asking you to expound upon a lot of what you already put out over at pff.com, and I'm going to tell you whether I agree or disagree with it. So how are we feeling today, my friend? Pretty good, pretty good. I think this is going to be a fun exercise, especially when we have to probably tweak some things on the fly as new moves are being made, but free agency is definitely slowed down. And otherwise, Trevor, you know, I'm not usually one to complain about the cold and the weather and all that, but I'll be honest with you in the middle of March,

2:20it does not need to be a feels like of 17 degrees here in Cincinnati, not a huge fan of that. So just trying to stay warm here and stay loose, you know. Last two days when I've walked my dog in the morning, it has been right around 30 degrees here in lovely Charlotte, North Carolina. And yeah, I'm over it. I'm over it. I'm over the cold. We had a little bit, we had a little bit of spring, we got a little bit of a feel of what's to come here in the summer, and I agree with you. Let's get back to that weather. We need to get back to that weather. Humanity, society. We all need for it to officially be springtime. But I think it is at the end of the week. So we're not too far removed from that. You want to do the AFC North? We're doing the AFC North and the NFC North. You want to do the AFC North first? Is that sound good to you? Yeah, let's go AFC first. All right, so let's start with the Pittsburgh Steelers here, which you gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a B+. Here, okay? They resigned to San Jose, San Emil, Jr. They traded for Michael Pitt, and Junior, which goes into this, of course.

3:21Signed Jamel Dean, they lost James Pierre, but they signed Jamel Dean for that cornerback spot. Signed Rico Dowdell as well. Lost Kenneth Gainwell, but they signed Rico Dowdell. Signed Safe, did you coin Brisk or thoughts overall? Be plus, I mean, that's a pretty good gray that you gave the Pittsburgh Steelers here. Kind of overall your thoughts here and then maybe what holds this back from an A. I think when you look, the first thing to me is at the secondary. Jamel Dean is actually a great fit in Patrick Graham's defense first and foremost, even at the price that you got him at. And look, he's an experienced player. He's a consistent player. He's been really good for Tampa Bay for a long time. Maybe not one of the elite tier number one corners, like the Rams getting Trent McDuffy, let's say. But I think as his own coverage player, especially an off coverage, a lot of coverage three that Patrick Graham uses, he's a great fit. And then I think getting Jacquan Brisk are in on such a cheap contract to fill out that safety spot. I think is a really good move as well. Still a young player has had some injury issues, but there's still a lot of potential there. And I think he fits in this defense very, very well. And then some of the other moves. I mean, Michael Pittman, right?

4:22You get a number two receiver in there that's more reliable than anybody else that they've had in a wide receiving core that was really inconsistent last year, right? Especially outside of DK Metcalf. And then the Rico Doudel signing, I think, is a good one. If you're going to lose Kenneth Gainwell in free agency, yes, you lose something on the receiving front, but Doudel is a hard runner we saw in Carolina last year. He gets downhill, he creates yards after contact. So I think him and Jalen Warren is a really solid duo in the backfield. The quarterback question still needs to be answered. And I think they could have done more to address the left side possibly of their offensive line, which leaves me out of an A here. And to be honest with you, for me doing these grades, it was tough to get an A. I think there was only three or four teams that even got an A minus. But I think when you look at Pittsburgh, I like to work in the secondary. I like to work with some of the skill positions on offense. We'll see what their quarterback situation looks like. And then I'm looking towards the left side of that offensive line. Tough grader. I'm not shocked at all whatsoever that you would be stingy to give out these A grades. No, I agree with you on basically everything that you said about the Steelers, how you're assessing the things that they acquired,

5:25how they could have gotten better in certain spots. Doudel's interesting, right? He's not the same type of running back that Kenneth Cainwell is, so it's not necessarily like a one in one out, but he to me is a little bit more of that early downwork type of a back. So leaning more into that with Jalen Warren as well. I like to put Michael Pittman Jr. ad. They had to get better at wide receiver. And it makes you feel like you don't have to go with wide receiver at number 21, right? I mean, when we were looking at this Steelers roster, that's what it felt like they had to do whenever we did mock draft exercises. Like, yeah, there's a quarterback question. Yeah, we'd like to maybe upgrade the offense of line like you mentioned, but it felt like wide receiver outside of DK Mecca was so unreliable. You almost had to go with wide receiver there at number 21 if you weren't going with, you know, Ty Simpson as the common quarterback pick there for them in the first round. So I think they did a really good job giving themselves the flexibility to draft who they really want to at number 21. And a lot of times that's the free agency is all about.

6:25So I do think that the Pittsburgh Steelers did a really good job there. And now, yeah, I mean, I'm looking at that number 21 overall pick and I think that it could be a sweet spot there, Dalton, for offensive line. Like Blake Miller, Maxionature, Caleb Lomo, you know, are those guys available where you get to draft one of them and whether they played right tackle or left tackle in college, I don't think it specifically matters for the Steelers because Troy Faltonu played left tackle in college, plays right tackle for the Steelers. Like he's got that flexibility to him. So if you have one of those prospects that you feel isn't much better right tackle, I think that Faltonu can move to the left or obviously if it's a natural fit at left tackle, giving Braxton Jones that competition that to be honest is needed at this point with how disappointing he has been throughout his NFL career right now. So I do just think that the Steelers overall did a really nice job giving themselves more of a BPA flexibility when it comes to that number 21 overall pick in the draft.

7:27Let's move to the Baltimore Ravens next. So the Ravens, I don't know if they're full list here. Uh, let's see. Resign Tyler Hanley. Probably a quarter break. The big one is Tray Hendrickson, right? Obviously all the drama that happened with Max Crosby and now we've got Tray Hendrickson for year 112 million dollar deal. They signed John Simpson, which was big for them because they needed to get a lot better in the interior. That was a major issue for them last season. Cornerback to Adobe, Louisiana resigned on a one year, $5 million deal. I think that was a really nice team friendly deal there for them. And then Jalen Hawkins signed as a free agent. So they lose our diaries, Washington, but they're bringing in Jalen Hawkins. I like that addition for how well Hawkins played with the New England Patriots last year. I also signed Durham's, my the tight end as well. So thoughts on the Baltimore Ravens, which what did you give the Baltimore Ravens?

8:27Believe it was a B plus. B plus with the Baltimore Ravens again once again here. What did you think? To me, two, two moves is not a lot of moves here in total, but two moves carry a ton, a ton of weight. Number one, Tray Hendrickson, right? And even outside of the context of the failed cross-be-trade and everything that went down with that, I think when you look at the Ravens and their biggest problem last year on defense at least was their lack of a pass rush. They had the third worst pass rush grade as a team in the NFL. You're talking about a guy in Tray Hendrickson who's been a top six pass rusher in the league over the last five years. So when you look at Tray, if he's healthy and the potential impact that he could have on this defense, it is a game changer for this front seven. They were missing that elite edge presence that could get after the quarterback. Right now, you can let everybody else fall in line guys like Tavius Robinson might green trying to develop going into year two. Maybe you even add more help in this draft. That's a really deep edge defender class. But I think Tray Hendrickson, when you look at the need, yes, they pay to heavy price for him. It's 28 million, but if he's a 28 million a year, I should say, but if he's healthy,

9:27he is absolutely worth that with what he brings you on the pass rush side. And then Jalen Hawkins that's safety. You mentioned it, losing Washington, losing a low he Gilman who played more so for them in that free safety spot last year that allowed them to move Kyle Hamilton up into that box in that big nickel roll. They needed to sign a guy like Jalen Hawkins to keep the structure of their defense the way it is. And I would expect Jesse Mentor to use Hamilton in a similar manner that he used Derwin James and really keep that structure that he had with the chargers in that same, in that same way. But one of the themes for the Chargers defense was a really, really strong safety room. So when you look at now, those three guys, Kyle Hamilton, Malachi Starks, and now Jalen Hawkins coming in there, especially to get him at just two years and 10 million with the year he's coming off of, those are two great moves on defense right there. The John Simpson move, I like he's a starting guard, he's proven he can start 17 games, he's durable, brings a bit of nasty to the offensive line. See the best guard in the league, no, but they had to fill all three of those spots, and that's at least one of them. Yeah, and I like the Simpson signing specifically

10:27because I think it allows them to feel like they can be a between the tackles run team a little bit more. I talked about this more as a conversation point for Todd Munkin than anything else, but when Munkin was the offensive coordinator for the Ravens for the last three years, they ran outside zone 27th most in the NFL three years ago, 17th most two years ago, and 7th last year. So they've been gravitating more and more towards running mid and outside zone plays, and I think that the reason why is because Munkin was sort of understanding that Derek Henry could do it all, but he's trying to play to the strengths of his offensive line, and I think that the Ravens with the guys that they've signed and tried to start at the interior around Tyler Lindnerbaum, I should say, over the last couple of years, to me, it's been more of those power players, and I think they've wanted to be more of a power run team. Obviously, they're getting back on Doyle now,

11:27who I think is going to sort of lean back into a lot of that zone running scheme stuff, but I just don't feel as though they believed in the guys that they had on the interior to run power, maybe as much as they wanted to. So perhaps the Ravens will, once again, be near the 7th highest percentage of run plays, you know, going outside the tackles in those mid and outside zone runs. But I wonder if it's going to be a little bit more closer to even, and I wonder if they are going to be able to lean more in the power with John Simpson in there now, with Andrew Voorhees, as at least right now, schedule the start at one of those guard spots as well, in the draft, do they draft the center, you know, that is more of a power blocking center. I think that will tell us a lot about their run game. So I think the Ravens did a really nice job getting to the needs that they had, and then ultimately maybe changing and becoming a little bit more flexible in the run game as well, which I think is a really big deal for them. The Cincinnati Bengals, let's see, would you get the Cincinnati Bengals?

12:27You gave the Bengals a B, so you got the Brian Cook signing, it's safety, got Boy Mafe off the edge, signed Jonathan Allen, once he became available after getting released from the Minnesota Vikings, those were, I think there are three big moves, the ones that really go into this grade. So regular B here, Dalton, talking to me about what you felt like the Cincinnati Bengals did and maybe didn't do. Yeah, they got a lot better in the secondary with the signing of Cook, right? Because I think they look okay at corner, at least with DJ Turner and Dax Hill out there, but safety really needed a lot of help. This was one of the lowest-graded safety units in the league last year. So you let Geno Stone walk, he goes to Buffalo, I think you get a big upgrade here in Brian Cook, a young player, homecoming to Cincinnati, former Cincinnati Bearcat as well, but one of the highest-graded safeties in football last year in a tough defense for a young safety to adjust to under Steve Spagnolo out there in Kansas City. That was a terrific move, probably their best signing out of any of them. Boy, Mafia obviously helps off the edge. You get some depth. You're not going to replace the pass rush production of Trey Hendrickson, but he adds an element of run defense

13:28and even as a power rusher, he's going to bring an element to that on their defensive line. He and Shamar Stewart, I mean a pound for pound. I don't know if there's a stronger pair of edge defenders in the leagues. Stewart's obviously got to work on the pass rush, Arsenal and add more production on that side. And then getting Jonathan Allen on the inside, he's not quite what he used to be, but still a respectable interior pass rusher. And one guy that I really liked that they retained, we talked about this a little bit last week, Dalton Reisner at Guard. And you're walking into this season, it looks like with your offensive line set and an offensive line that played very well down the stretch of the last seven or eight games last year. If they give the Bengals the pass protection that they did down the stretch last season, this offense can be as good as they want to be. So I think they could still add more depth to it, but I really like the Reisner signing, especially at one year and $3 million. I do think that the Bengals did a lot of really nice things this free agency. I think John Allen is the kind of player that they need on the interior of their defensive line. They've got to raise the floor and what they're doing there. Boy, Mafe does raise the ceiling

14:29of what they are as a pass rush group as their edge rusher. Reliability from the safety spot, getting Brian Cook, and I think that that was a big addition for them. And I don't think that it takes safety off the table, especially when it comes to guys like Caleb Downs or Dylan Theeneman, who might be available for them. At number 10, I think those can still be great choices, but the reliability, the dependability on the back end is very, very important and had to be something that got better from this team. I agree with you on the B grade, though, because you don't touch linebacker at all whatsoever. And that, to me, is a mistake. Obviously, I would have loved to see Devon Lloyd on this team. I think he would have been the perfect ad for them in free agency, but even if you want to take Devon Lloyd off the table, somebody, get me some sort of a veteran linebacker, because the big problem with this team last year is that they were playing two rookies when they moved on from Logan Wilson. They were playing, they were playing Dmitrius Knight in the Barrett Carter

15:32at the interior linebacker spots. So, to me, if you believe in those guys long term, which it looks like Cincinnati does, I guess that's just the game plan for them, but even if that was the case, how do you not add a veteran? Like, even just like a cheap veteran. Somebody, somebody's got some experience in the league to help these guys out. They must really think that Carter and Dmitrius Knight are going to really take a leap in the floor of their production, certainly, from what we saw last season, because I kind of hate the idea of them feeling like they now have to draft a linebacker because, to be honest with you, Dalton, and I've had this conversation with a lot of Bengals fans throughout draft season, is sure if Sonny Stiles gets to you at number 10, he's a great pick for you. Sonny Stiles isn't making it to number 10, so you can basically like cross that off that's not happening for them. I don't think the Bengals are going to get aggressive to trade up for Sonny Stiles.

16:33So then at that point, even for as much as I like CJ Allen in this class, as much as I think it's a deep linebacker class, if you're drafting another linebacker, it's still a rookie. They're still a rookie linebacker. You're basically going to have the same problems that you did this past season. So, that's the one where I agree with this B-grade because I like the moves the Bengals made. But I really don't like the fact that they didn't bring any sort of veteran linebacker and to help out this group. No, I agree. I think even if it wasn't going to be Devon Lloyd, like you mentioned, I mean, guys like what Devon Bush went for 10 million a year. Leo Chanel just got over, got just over 8 million here. I think Chanel would have been a perfect player to fit into this Bengals defense. He's experienced enough. Yes, we don't know that he's going to play 902,000 snaps yet at the level that he's been playing. But that's the type of gamble I would have taken if I'm Cincinnati. I think to walk, if they walk into 2026 with the same pair of starting linebackers, I'm very worried. I will call it the weakest part of their team. Honestly, the middle of their defense still needs to get a lot better.

17:35I like the Jonathan Allen signing too at defensive tackle to add some sort of respectable past rush. But I think detackle and linebacker are going to be two positions that we're watching heavily throughout the draft for Cincinnati. The Cleveland Browns, you gave them a B- here. Signed Zion Johnson to be a new starting guard for them. Also lost Wyatt Teller. I should mention that because he signed with the Houston Texans. So we knew that the offensive line was going to change, but that's one that has officially changed with him signing elsewhere. They traded for Titus Howard, which I think is important in this equation. They signed Elkton Jenkins when he became available after being released by the Green Mate Packers. Signed Quincy Williams at the linebacker level as well. B-Mimes talked to me about the Cleveland Browns in the moves they made. Yeah, I mean, obviously, as you can see from the signings, the focus is the offensive line. I do like the Titus Howard trade to get him to start at right tackle. No question. He's a solid right tackle. The two interior guys, I think they caught a break with the Packers cutting Elkton Jenkins and the versatility of both him and Zion Johnson that either of them could play guard or center.

18:37You can really go into this draft attacking the interior in a flexible manner. I do think Johnson is a bit of an overpay 16 and a half million a year for a guy who is durable. He's played a thousand snaps in each of his four NFL seasons, but he's graded under a 65 in each of those seasons. So you're getting a guy who you know can handle himself on the football field, but he's not going to make the biggest impact ever. So you're still looking for two more starters on the offensive line. Certainly left tackle is going to be in the spotlight in the first round, possibly as high as number six overall. And then you're looking for either a center or guard. You also have Kevin Jenkins in there who can play really any spot along the offensive line and he can serve as depth. He could start if you needed him to if he's healthy. That's really been the big question. So I like overall the moves on the offensive line. I won't say I love them, you know, enough to give them an A here. And then the rest of it was just quiet, right? You got Quincy Williams to replace Devon Bush at linebacker, but otherwise really not a whole lot here, right? They didn't attack wide receiver at all. They're losing David and Joku and free agency. They're not attacking tight end at all. And I don't know that I trust Harold Fenn and junior yet to be just that every down wide

19:41tight end for you, right? I'd really like him more so with a complimentary piece like they had with and Joku. And then I think they could continue to try to get better in the secondary out there at corner back as well. So I think attacking one need is great on the offensive line because that was their biggest need. They were replacing everybody up front. But there is still a lot more to fill out on this team. Yeah, I agree. I like the thought process of emphasizing the offensive line with most of the salary cap that they had. I like the Elken Jenkins signing. I do. The tightest hour trade. I don't hate it. You're taking a chance on a guy who's been able to start at guard and at tackle in the NFL. So those two moves, I don't mind. I do think that the Zion Johnson one was an overplay. You mentioned like he at least he is reliable. And I wonder if Todd Munkin really wants to lean into that power run game. It feels like that's what they want to do by acquiring tightest Howard and Zion Johnson. So perhaps it's just it's more of a scheme fit than anything else. I really don't mind the fact that they didn't hit wide receiver when it came to free agency.

20:43It's one where you got the sixth overall pick. You've got the 24th overall pick. I mean, you got the second rounders as well. Just go get some wide receivers there. I mean, you can get a high impact one if you're drafting one of them at number six overall. Maybe it's a Jordan Tyson, a car and I'll take somebody like that. 24, I mean shoot Tyson might be available with 24 with the injury history. Who knows? You know, a guy lemon could be on the board at that point. Omar Cooper Jr. So I like the fact that they're addressing the offensive line. Getting some new bodies in there. And then they'll have the opportunity to draft a wide receiver and also hit offensive line in the early parts of the 2026 NFL draft before we move on to the NFC North. Every week on draft risers, we're highlighting players that are climbing up draft boards as themes get deeper into the evaluation process. These are the players that are rising because decision makers, they're going deeper and they're more confident in the full profile, not just chasing certain traits. A guy that, man, you could have looked at and said, we're chasing the traits early on, but now we're getting the full scouting report form.

21:43We absolutely love him. The sunny style is the linebacker from Ohio State. We already talked about it here on this show. It was thought that, all right. Yeah, maybe a mid first round pick type of a player, really nice linebacker. And now I mentioned that not only do you think he's getting the number 10 overall for the Cincinnati Bengals to even think about. And the reason why you see the numbers on the screen, four, four, six, 40 yard dash, a 43 and a half inch vertical, 135 inch broad jump. First for his position all across the board. He was unbelievable at the combined. This tape is fantastic this past year. That Ohio State he plays with so much aggression. He has just simply put one of the best players in the draft. When you're trying to identify risers like that, it's not about guessing. It's about having better tools, better data, and a better process. That same approach applies when you are making decisions about your own money as well. If you want to make smarter picks with your portfolio, Tasty Trade gives you the advanced tools and data to be able to do so. You can trade stocks, options, futures, and so much more all in one platform. They've got low commissions, including $10 cat per leg on option trades. You guys can keep more of what you earn.

22:44They offer dozens of educational courses that you can access free with your account. Whether you're an active trader or long-term investor or planning for retirement, Tasty Trade accounts are able to fit your goals. Visit TastyTrade.com backslashpff today. Tasty Trade Incorporated is a registered broker dealer and member of FNFA and SIPC. First, FC North team. We'll go Packers. Packers works. Any of the four of them works. They all work the same. Let's go Green Bay Packers here for this first one. You gave the Packers a D, a D grade. I didn't yet. I knew we were tough craters talking, but a D. They talked to me about the Packers here because they trade away Kobe Wooden. They trade away Richon Gary. They sign Benjamin St. Juiced. They sign Javon Hardgrave. Talk to me about the Packers.

23:44Yeah, the Packers for me actually got the lowest grade out of any team. The Zaire Franklin for Kobe Wooden trade doesn't do a whole lot for me. Franklin's obviously experienced, but he just had his lowest graded season in the NFL. Extending Sean Ryan for $11 million a year. I mean, he's a consistent player who grades in the high 50s to low 60s. He's a guy who can start for you and he started a lot of games for them. I don't know that I love the mentality with Green Bay in this offensive line. They're content. It seems like just to roll with the pieces they have. And that might mean moving Jordan Morgan to left tackle. Which at this point going into his third NFL season might be a gamble. Sean Ryan, as it's currently constructed, would play center. And then Anthony Belton there at right guard. Really to me, Zach Thomas. The only consistently reliable piece on their offensive line. So bringing back Sean Ryan at real starters money. He's either going to start at center or at right guard for them. The Javon Hardgrave signing. I get it when you come when it comes to their defensive coordinator being Jonathan Ganon.

24:44And he played under Ganon in Philadelphia. Still a decent pass rusher, but not quite what he used to be coming off the injuries he's had in recent years. And then St. Jews. I think just kind of fits in with the rest of their cornerbacks. You talk about Keeshawn Nixon. You talk about Carrington. Valentine. I don't see any real impact moves here that changed things, right? And this is a team without a first round pick this year. To me, they need to get better in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They lose Kingsley and Eggbury. Colby Wooden is out swapped out for Zaire Franklin. If Franklin doesn't play well, you're really just going to get the same thing you had with Edger and Cooper next to Quay Walker the last couple of years. And Walker was struggling with them as well. So I just don't see anything Green Bay did that makes their team or Sean Garry is out of there as well. I don't see anything they did that makes their team really any better than they were last year. Yeah, and I think to your point, like I think you have more questions along the offensive line than you did last year with this team. So, you know, no Romeo dobs, obviously, as well with him going to the Patriots. Yeah, I've got major questions with this offense.

25:46Yeah, I've got major questions with this offensive line. It's got to all come together really well in training camp. And they've got to be able to hit the ground running because they play in one of the hardest divisions in the NFL. There's no time for a tune up here. I think they need to get a lot stronger on the interior as well. And it's kind of tough for a team that doesn't have a first round pick. You'll have options to get some nose tackle types, some runstuffers on the interior. But I think that's really what this team needs. I think that's really what this team needs. And I think that's really important. I think that's really what this team needs. I think Juvon Hardgrave can, like you said, be put in there in obvious passing situations. But he's not a runstuffer. I mean, they got to get a lot stronger on the interior, that defensive line. And I'm not so worried about linebacker. I don't love the Zaire Franklin trade. But I actually kind of really love Tyron Hopper from what I saw in the preseason last year. So, I wonder if he's a lot more in the mix this year. And if he could continue to build off. Or a really good preseason last year. Because I do think that he's a good football player. So obviously, Green Bay is still one of the better teams in the NFL. But in terms of getting better, I would agree with you. I do not think that the Packers did that.

26:48Let's take a look at the Chicago Bears next. You gave the Chicago Bears a B. They signed Neville, Gallimor, defensive tackle. They signed safety Kobe Bryant. I think that's really important. They signed safety Kobe Bryant from the Seattle Seahawks as well. Brought in Devin Bush. Tremaine Evans no longer on the team. So Tremaine Evans out Devin Bush now. In Resign Brax and Jones, which I know was a big one. Also signed Khalif Raymond as well as they traded away. DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. You gave this a B. So talk to me about what the Chicago Bears did. Yeah, I think some good moves especially on the defensive side. You'll talk about coming into free agency without a single safety on their roster. Kobe Bryant's a young player and a guy who recently moved to safety over the last couple of years. That I think is really going to play out the duration of this contract and be a good football player. A little surprise that they didn't attack this more. And honestly, with the one year and nine million dollars that he got from New England. I'm surprised that Kevin Byrd's not back with this team. Obviously he's got the connection out there with Mike Freibull in New England from all their years in Tennessee.

27:52But I really thought Byrd was the likely guy among that group that they would bring back. And right now they've got a hole next to Bryant. But Kobe Bryant's a good place to start in your safety room. Devin Bush is probably my favorite signing for this team. This guy has been one of the best linebackers in football very quietly for the Cleveland Browns over the last two years. One of the best players in football defending the run between the tackles. That's where the Bears were really hurt in last year. So we'll see if they attack the defensive line more. That's one of the things that makes that prevents me from giving them an A- or an A-ness. I wish it would have attacked the defensive line more than just the Neville Gala Moore signing. But I like the Bryant signing. I like the Devin Bush signing. And I like two of the guys that they brought back to Marco Jackson for more depth at linebacker. And then to me getting Braxton Jones at one year and a base of five million. And you know, and especially I remember hearing at the combine that there's no way they're bringing him back. They don't want him openly. They don't want him back. And then you bring him back because you need a one year stopgap. And Braxton Jones is not as bad as people think he is. He's not the best tackle in football. But when he's starting and he's healthy. He's been just about a league average tackle. You add that in right now with the fact that Aussie Trapilo is going to be out for most.

28:54If not all of this season. They need Braxton Jones in there to start. He's going to be a crucial part of their team. And I like that they got him back on a one year deal so cheap. Yeah, I agree. I think the offensive line moves were sort of my favorite outside of the obvious. You need to start our linebacker. Devin Bush is a good one coming off of a really good year. You knew there was going to be a lot of trouble. You knew there was going to be a lot of change in the safety room. So going to get a guy like Kobe Bryant to be able to play free safety for you. I like that move obviously. But I do. I like bringing back Braxton Jones. I like the signing of Gedrick Will's as well. Hey, take a flyer on this guy. Just make sure that you are as deep as you possibly can be to where you've got a training camp battle with Theo Benedict. And Braxton Jones and Gedrick Will's playing on the opposite side of where Darnell right is. Because we know he's got that right tackle spot locked down. And you know, Trapilo, you just don't know what the long term future of him is. That knee injury. So to me, that was the really nice move for them. I also really liked them acquiring Garrett Bradbury because it was. This is again, like sort of what I was talking about with the Cincinnati Bengals. The little linebacker spot.

29:55The bears are doing this with center the way that I wish the Bengals did it with linebacker. They acquired the veteran and now they're going to draft a young guy. The Bengals already had the young guys. I wish they would have acquired the veteran. That's the mix that I wish they would have had going into this. I like what Ryan Paul's has done here. I like some of the stacking of different positions. The offensive line is still good enough to continue to be a really good team next season to compete for a division title. And who knows maybe even go all the way to the NSC championship game and do a Super Bowl. We'll see what these additions can be able to do for them. But I think that outside of not getting like a nose tackle run stuffer on the interior defensive line, which to be honest, I think they'll easily be able to get at multiple points throughout the 2026 draft. I think Chicago did a really good job here. So relative to especially, honestly, I would throw in getting a second round pick for DJ Moore into the mix here as well. My gray would be a little bit higher for the Chicago Bears. I'd give them a B plus and a minus given the expectations of what they had on their roster and the guys that they added.

30:58And especially because I feel like, okay, the needs that they still have on their roster, you can easily picture them addressing in an impactful way in the 2026 NFL draft. So I give Chicago even a little bit higher of a grade than this. Let's talk about the Minnesota Vikings next who you gave an equal B grade here too. They signed James Pierre from the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is a signing that I do like. Obviously they signed Kyla Murray who we assume is going to be the QB1 for them this upcoming season. Moved on from Jawan Hargrave, moved on from John Allen, they did re-sign Aaron Jones as well. No news on Harrison Smith yet, but we assume that Harrison Smith is going to retire. Unless I missed an official retirement there for him, I don't believe that we have news on him officially yet. But thoughts on the Vikings, you gave him a B, what do you think? I mean, the heaviest part of this is you got a starting quarterback for $1.3 million. I mean, that's really that's the biggest hole on this team. Now they still have to figure out some things at center with Ryan Kelly retiring.

31:59You mentioned that safety now they don't necessarily have to go first round safety. They've got Theo Jackson, they've got Josh Mattelis and Brian Flores is always playing around with personnel. I don't mind the Eric Wilson re-sign as well as a solid versatile player for them, especially in the run game. They got to get better in coverage at linebacker. I think that's something they could also attack in the mid rounds of the draft. But the heaviest part of this is the fact that they got Kyla Murray in there. There's going to be a competition. It's going to be posed obviously as an open competition. And if JJ McCarthy were to still win it for any reason, then so be it. But to take a flyer on, I would argue the best quarterback on the market at the veterans minimum and get him into an offense that we know Kevin O'Connell makes life for quarterbacks easier all the time. I think that's just a great move. I think when you look at that in the context of them having the lowest passing grade in the league last year. And yet still finding a way to go nine and eight and being in playoff contention, you know, with a hot stretch late in the season. I think when you look at this Minnesota team, we have to even with the few moves they've made, I think they've gotten a lot better, especially with Murray at the helm.

33:00And they can compete for a playoff spot again this season. They didn't have a ton of money to spend, right? I mean, I look at interior defensive tackle. I think it's still an area where they could address in the draft. Although there's some some promising guys who are even on the roster like Tierney or Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jaylen Redmond had a great year last year. But there's some players that you could feel good about there in the depth parts of your roster. Safety, right? Josh Mattellis, Jay Ward, those are the guys that are there now. This team didn't have a lot to spend though. So to be able to get a quarterback like Kyla Murray knowing that you didn't have a lot to spend, I think that that's the biggest win for this Vikings team. I would agree with you. So we know that they're going to be competitive. They won 14 games the year before. It was a terrible quarterback situation for them. And you mentioned they went about 500 last year. So I'm excited to see the Vikings just kind of bounce back here as one of the better coach teams in the NFL

34:00and see how they can round out that roster before they go into training camp. The Detroit Lions. Take a look at the Lions next. That's the last scene that we're talking about here today. What grade did you give the Lions? I think we got a C in there for the Lions. Pretty sure. A C in here for the Lions. All right. So the Lions. They. Well. My webpage just for some reason went to something different. That's what it was like. Cade Maes. Cade Maes. They signed Cade Maes to play center. Signed as a patchaco. Lost David Montgomery. Re-signed Rocky Sin at the quarterback spot. You gave it a seat here. What do you think? Yeah. I think the one move that I really liked was obviously Cade Maes at center. I think you're getting a reliable center in there. You obviously released Graham Glass. Now you're trying to figure out the interior that really struggled both with injuries and effectiveness down the stretch last season. But I think Maes brings you a reliable piece. You can keep Tate Ratledge there at right guard. Christian Mahogany at left guard. I really get solidified by that signing.

35:02I do like the return they got on the David Montgomery trade. But otherwise this was a lot of depth signings. Right. You talk about getting juice grugs back in the Montgomery trade. That's really a solid backup to have. And I think that's a good role for him behind those starting three. I mentioned before Roger McCreary. I think it's him and Christian Isian and maybe a host of other guys are going to be in an open competition for that nickel corner back spot. Rocky Sin. Solid depth player for them as well. Behind their outside corners. DJ Reed and presumably Terry Arnold. Isaiah Pacheco to replace Montgomery. I think there's a lot of good depth here. But the only move. The only move to me that really makes an impact in their starting lineup is Kade Maes. So you know, this is another team that they're trying to figure out how to build it. How to build the sustainable winner and figure out how to plug all of the holes that they discovered they had last year. I think they need more depth. I was surprised they didn't attack the pass rush at all because they lost Alcadine, Muhammad, two Tampa Bay and free agency. Aiden Hutchinson right now is the only player on their roster who had more than 25 pressures last year. That's an issue. And to me, losing Alex Anzaloni, they're going to need depth at linebacker in this draft next to Jack Campbell as well.

36:05It's a really good linebacker class. I think they're going to be able to find that. But there's still some holes on this team. They got to figure out most of these signings or trades were for depth pieces and Kade Maes will be the starting center. I think it's interesting that they signed DJ Wannum on the defensive line. That was a recent signing from them. But I wonder how much of a factor he plays into it. Because if not, then the Lions are going into the 2026 NFL draft with a massive needed edge rusher and potentially a massive needed offensive tackle. Depending on what you think of Giovanni Manu, who is a developmental offensive tackle when they drafted him on day three, I mean, you got Larry Borum, Colby Soresdall. I mean, one of those guys is you're starting left tackle. So you better have a lot of faith that Manu has developed the way that you have wanted him to over the last couple of seasons. Because if not, then the Lions are going to be looking really hard at offensive tackle at number 17.

37:09So some of the names I talked about earlier in the show, Caleb Lomu, Blake Miller, guys like that, where I think Penae Sule has the flexibility to play left tackle. So I'm not too worried about that. If there's a worthwhile offensive tackle who is there for them, I think they're going to pull the trigger on it, especially with signing Wannum, feeling like they could start him and be okay there, and get more of like a designated developmental pass rusher type on day two and even day three on the draft. But yeah, for the Lions, it's a team that has major needs at really important positions at pass rusher and pass protector. There we go, two divisions down, eight teams, grades from Dalton. If you want to, hey, if you want to spoil the shows, fine, go over to pff.com. You can see all of the team grades or the article that Dalton already, already wrote. But over the next couple of shows here next week specifically, we're going to be continuing to dive deeper into these teams. The free agency moves that they made and they didn't make all lining up towards the 2026 NFL draft. For everybody behind the glass, producing the show for Dalton Washington.

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