The off-season is a time to stop, rewind, review, and build a new path forward. For some teams this means hitting that big red reset button, while for others it means staying the course and making the small moves to keep things well oiled and chugging along. As we gear up for yet another regular season, I wanted to take some time to look back at the teams who improved their fortunes the most this off-season. Naturally, dramatic improvements are going to be emphasized over anything else as that is what is most readily recognized and quantified, but perhaps I'll throw in one of those more steady teams looking to run it back this year.
New York JetsIt's hard to start a list such as this one with any team other than the New York Jets. The Jets most evident move was to stock up on draft picks and position themselves with three picks in row in the late first round of the draft. That paid off pretty well with talents such as OG Davin Joseph and CB Jimmy Williams joining gang green, but it's not what has the Jets on this list. The Jets biggest and most important move was trading DE John Abarham, OLB Jamir Miller, and OT Kareem Mackenzie for the 3rd overall pick in the drat. While this had some scratching their heads as what the Jets were going to do with a top draft pick this year, we quickly got our answer when they flipped the pick to the Oakland Raiders in a deal for all-pro CB Charles Woodson. Woodson gives the Jets the true shutdown cornerrback that is so important in these leagues, and he's going to be playing at a very high level for another 4-5 seasons still. Meanwhile the jets still have a LE that can put up numbers in Kevin Carter. He's a bit unconventional, but I believe he can have success in either a 3-4 or a 4-3. The Jets also tapped in to their collection of draft picks to bring another elite player to their secondary in FS Darren Sharper - one of the most hardest hitting safeties in the whole league. While 31 years old and on the verge of regression, there's little doubt the 6'2" veteran will be another shutdown piece of this potentially league-best secondary. All in all, the Jets have built themselves to shut down the pass while still having an impressive front seven, even if it's not quite what it was. And the offense remains virtually unchanged other than some shuffling of the offensive line, which entailed the addition of two elite talents in LT Courtney Van Buren and RG Davin Joseph. While Kevin has perhaps rightfully expressed reason for concern with such a young offensive line, I have little doubt he will have his run game firing on all cylinders like he always does. The Jets have positioned themselves as the odds-on favorite to win the AFC East this year, and likely to reach the AFC title game as well.
Cleveland BrownsWhile it often times seems that Browns GM Tom Collins is wandering around aimless, only half sure of himself while trying to air-nail a tail on a donkey, I think he might have found the right blueprint for success this year. While I do still have some concerns about the tackle position, I see his offensive line as being vastly upgraded from last year with the additions of Bo Lacy, Alex Stepanovic, Brian Rimpf, and Wade Smith. Some were rightfully concerned that this came at the expense of his explosive passing offense due to the loss of Tyrone Calico and Ashley Lelie, but the additions of veterans Hines Ward and especially Terrell Owens should be plenty for Bledsoe to work with this season, especially since he won't be trying to carry the offensive burden all by himself with what should be a vastly improved run game. I'm not sure the Browns need two very good running backs on the roster, but both Foster and McGahee are huge upgrades over the players Cleveland rostered at that position last year. This team is now built to have a balanced offensive attack and they should have no problems moving the ball. The defense on the other hand remains largely unchanged, although there are a couple key differences. The loss of OLB Julian Peterson and DE Aaron Shobel could be felt a bit, but those are not high impact positions. I also see a big upgrade at FS with the addition of Lawyer Milloy, although the looming hole at SS could be cause for concern. Regardless the strength of this defense - cornerbacks Ronde Barber and Samari Rolle - are both returning. I see no reason for a major step backwards here. All in all I think the Browns have gone a long way towards fixing their biggest issues from last year - the offensive line and the run game - and it should have them ready to compete with the Bengals for the division title. The bigger issue for the Browns is that they are now a team built to win now with not much in the way of a succession plan. All the chips have been pushed to the middle of the table in an effort to save GM Collins job, but what comes after that?
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys surprised everyone in 2004 before turning in perhaps the most disappointing campaign of the 2005 league year, in no small part due to the injury of franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, although the wheels were already coming off a bit before then. Despite that fact, GM Will Cook didn't feel the need to panic and blow up his team, and instead made wise use of the substantial resources afforded by the first pick in the draft (that he was luckily able to recoup mid-season). The first overall pick was used as leverage to acquire an elite linebacker tandem in MLB Brian Urlacher and OLB Peter Boulware, which should prove to be a huge improvement over anything Dallas fans have seen at those positions to date. They then traded back in the 1st round to acquire star HB Edgerrin James, and then made wise use of that pick to pick up an elite offensive guard in Max Jean-Gilles. James + Jean-Gilles is a far superior return compared to any single player they could have drafted with the eighth pick. They also made the move the acquire veteran receiver Amari Toomer who will be an excellent blocker in the run game while providing a reliable target for Roethlisberger. Oh, and Tom Nalen. Enough said. I think the Cowboys have the line, the weapons, and the quarterback to put together a Top 10 offensive unit in the league this season, and the defense is must improved if still developing. With the Giants poised to take a step back and the Eagles and Redskins still building, I don't see any reason the Cowboys can't finally claim the division title this year while saving GM Cook's job.
Philadelphia EaglesSticking with the NFC East here, I would be remiss to not include the Eagles on this list. GM Darryl Breckheimer left a solid foundation in Carolina to join a more "spirited" division, and immediately started cleaning up the broken dreams in the city of brotherly love. The most noteworthy and perhaps best move the Eagles made was to pay a small price to swap QB Donovan McNabb for budding star QB Eli Manning. McNabb is a great talent, but is already entering the twilight of his career. Meanwhile Eli Manning had a breakout season in 2005 and will be a star player for the next decade. While shipping out star HB Steven Jackson may have been a controversial move, the Eagles were able to pick up a reliable runner as well as a playmaker at wide receiver in Jon Olinger. The Eagles were then able to replace Jackson in free agency - the ideal way to find a half back if you ask me (for free) - in Ahman Green. Journeyman HB Tim Biakabatuka also rejoins Breck in Philadelphia after being a favorite in Carolina. The offensive line will need some work still, but I'm assuming OT Mckenzie is going to slide over to the right tackle spot and fill that important role. I didn't love the value they got or 1.3 in the trade with the New York Jets, but there's no doubt DE John Abraham is a force rushing the passer and should be a lights out player in Philly. Jamir Miller and Mike Peterson are great additions at OLB, and the Eagles return a strong pair of safeties in Keion Carpenter and Michael Lewis. Perhaps the biggest weakness for this Eagles team will be the cornerback position - but that is a tough spot to improve overnight. They made a wise move to take the New York Giants 1st round pick considering the contract they offered Sheldon Brown, but that is going to take some time to pay off for them. Sticking with that thought process I don't see these moves paying off for Breck immediately, but there's no doubt in my mind this team is in much better shape moving forward then they were at the start of this off-season. I think there's a better chance of the Eagles finishing last in the division than first, but they have set themselves up well to compete with the Redskins Cowboys, and Giants long-term.
Tampa Bay BuccaneersIt's a new era in Tampa Bay, and for that matter for GM Bill Ryan as well. Ryan overtook a Buccaneers team in much need of some re-tooling, and re-tool he did. Kurt Warner was traded for a pair of 2nd round draft picks and the Buccs positioned themselves well in the draft with a pair of 1st round picks as well. They wisely used the first of those picks to draft the new face of their franchise in QB Matt Leinart, and then made a great value pick in landing future cornerstone RT Marcus McNeil with the 15th overall selection. DE Tamba Hali was also a nice find in the 3rd round for them, although I believe they would be wise to shift Simeon Rice over to the LE spot where he can truly dominate. The loss of Warren Sapp for cap reasons will hurt, but he was never a player that was going to help them when they truly had a chance to compete. Like the Eagles, the Buccaneers are not a team that will see these moves pay off immediately. In fact they are playing the longest game of any team on this list. But patience is often rewarded when team building and the Buccs have done well setting themselves on the right track to be competitive in the future.
Cincinnati BengalsI mentioned in the intro that we may touch on a team that mainly stayed the course while still making excellent moves - the Bengals are that team. Coming off of an AFC Championship appearance GM Brady Tinnin took a mostly hands-off approach to this off-season, only doing what he had to for this team to gear up for another shot at a championship. He was starting to feel the pressure of the cap situation loom large, and ultimately had to part with star defensive players OLB Takeo Spikes and RE Justin Smith. But he got good value for both, while using his 2nd round picks to trade up into the 1st round, giving the Bengals two selections there. With those two picks they got two of the biggest steals of the entire draft, landing OLB Thomas Howard at pick #12 and DE Darryl Tapp with the 19th pick. Both players are absolute freaks on the defensive side on the ball, and both are better talents than the players they are replacing as well. While it could take some time to acclimate to the league for these youngsters, there's no doubt the Bengals found themselves to playmakers to build this stingy defense around for the next decade plus. I like the Bengals to have every bit a good of a season as last year, and they should be ready to deal with the new and improved Browns in 2006. Give me the Bengals to take this division once again.
