A significant portion of high-profile free agent decisions have been made. As teams sort through the rubble of what happened, some will be disappointed with what they were unable to achieve while others will be satisfied with the haul. Today's focus is on five teams that were able to cross a position of need off the checklist ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chiefs: Offensive guard
One way or another, the Chiefs are done at offensive guard, at least early in the draft. Veterans Kyle Long and Joe Thuney were added to to the roster with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif returning post-2020 opt out. Will one of those players be relinquished to the bench? Could Long move to offensive tackle; a position that he played sparingly in his career? What will the team do at center as Austin Reiter remains a free agent? Questions remain along the unit tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes but it seems as though the offensive guard riddle has been solved.
Patriots: Tight end
New England drafted two tight ends in the third round last year. A year later, the team spent heavily on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in free agency. It shows how significant Bill Belichick values the position that brought the team so much success in the days of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Skill talent has been a shortcoming for the AFC East franchise in recent years, so bringing in two tight ends and, presumably, running more 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) is a way to combat that deficiency. Tight end is now a position of strength in New England's bid to make the playoffs for the first time in the post-Tom Brady era.
Browns: Safety
It is possible that Cleveland could still go safety in the draft, but it would have to be a value too good to ignore. After drafting Grant Delpit, trading for Ronnie Harrison and signing John Johnson III, it appears that the Browns are finally in a position to deploy defensive coordinator Joe Woods' scheme to its full potential. The addition of Johnson allows them to focus resources on other positions of need, such as edge rusher, cornerback, linebacker, defensive tackle and potentially wide receiver with four picks on the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Raiders: Edge rusher
Las Vegas is likely done searching for edge rushers, although an argument could be made that is the wrong approach based on the roster. The Raiders invested the No. 4 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft on Clemson's Clelin Ferrell only to find a more productive, Maxx Crosby, in the fourth round. The team still finished with the fourth fewest sacks recorded in 2020 behind only the Titans, Jaguars and Bengals. To bolster their efforts, general manager Mike Mayock was aggressive in pursuit of Yannick Ngakoue in free agency. The team was able to land him and still has residual hope that Arden Key might tap into his potential. It is difficult to find room for another edge rusher on the roster.
Vikings: Interior defensive line
Minnesota made the splash signing of interior defensive lineman Michael Pierce last offseason. Pierce opted out of the 2020 season but is expected to return to the team in 2021. The Vikings doubled down in 2021 by signing Dalvin Tomlinson from the Giants. The NFC East franchise may not have enough edge rushers to utilize a NASCAR package but they certainly have enough interior defensive linemen for a monster truck rally.
Bonus: Where will Kenny Golladay land?
When exploring the free agent class, it can be easy to lose track of the truly elite options available. There is a case to be made that offensive tackle Trent Williams, offensive guard Joe Thuney and edge rusher Shaq Barrett were the only players at the top of their class. Golladay is more like a No. 1.5. His skill set suggests that he could be the top receiving option for a team but he has yet to dominate competition the way DeAndre Hopkins and Davante Adams do consistently.
With that being said, Golladay might be enough for one team to call off its search for additional help at the position. The Giants, Bengals and Bears have been most closely linked to the free agent, with the Ravens joining the mix on Friday. If Chicago were to sign him, they could be done at the position depending on their evaluation of second year player Darnell Mooney. Cincinnati would be in good shape with Tyler Boyd, Higgins and Golladay. New York is interesting. On the surface, they should be satisfied with Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Darius Slayton and Golladay. Shepard and Tate have had trouble with injuries and Golladay's signing could be a precursor for additional moves at the position by general manager Dave Gettleman.
