Breaking down the major free-agent signings as they happen. Joe Thuney, Matt Judon, Shaq Barrett, Jonnu Smith, Kevin Zeitler and more on the first day of legal tampering.

This will be an unusual NFL offseason, given

the declining salary cap and fewer opportunities to scout draft prospects. The full ramifications of these changes are not quite known just yet, but here's our early guess with the legal tampering window now open: This will be the free agency of dream teams. Whether it be a team aspiring to become the Buccaneers, the Buccaneers trying to remain the Buccaneers or a dormant superpower rising from a long slumber to reclaim its role as a championship mainstay.

Not all of this will be accomplished via free agency. Unlike other major professional sports leagues, you cannot build a team that way, but you can punctuate your excitement surrounding the roster with free agent acquisitions. And we’ve already seen quite a splash.

Here is what we’ve seen so far, as well as our grades on each signing.

Joe Thuney to the Chiefs

The Chiefs are reportedly in the mix for Trent Williams as well, which would be one heck of an offseason if they managed to secure two top-flight offensive linemen to bolster their front. Everyone saw the Super Bowl and understands the limitations that Patrick Mahomes will have if he’s not allowed the time to be Superman. Thuney cost a lot of money, but when you find yourself in a similar window as the Chiefs are in now, it’s worth the premium price tag. One encouraging sign: Thuney allowed just two sacks this past season, despite blocking for a recovering Cam Newton and a nonexistent wide receiver corps that sometimes forced plays to elongate unnecessarily.

Grade: B+

Matt Judon to the Patriots

This felt like a series of wins for Bill Belichick. Not only does he pay well below market value for a great pass rusher who helped a similarly amoebic defense in Baltimore, but he also takes a key piece away from a conference rival, which may have loved to have Judon back at that price tag (or around that price tag). Belichick was able to shop in the top tier at an upper-middle-tier price, which could quickly help rebuild his defense.

GRADE: A

Jalen Mills to the Patriots

Mills is an ideal player for Belichick, who comes from the Eagles, a team that played a very similar man/zone coverage split in 2020. Mills works in this defense because of his versatility. Last year alone, he played a high percentage of snaps as a box safety, but was also a slot corner, wide corner and free safety on a formidable number of downs.

GRADE: B

Shaq Barrett re-signs with the Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are in that glorious, post–Super Bowl YOLO stage where an untouchable GM can tap his cash reserves and a horde of talented players all want to come play there. Keeping Barrett, though, was always going to be more complicated. Coming off a franchise tag, negotiations could have gotten contentious, especially after the pass rush handed Tampa Bay a Super Bowl. But instead, the Buccaneers get him at a relative steal—$18 million per season. That alone makes the signing a good one for Tampa.

GRADE: A

The Weak-Side Podcast now has its own feed! Subscribe to listen to Conor Orr and Jenny every week. 

Jonnu Smith to the Patriots

The Cam Newton re-sign was a tepid start to free agency, which is why the Jonnu Smith signing was so fascinating. New England spends big money ($12.5 million) on a pass-catching tight end who is demonic in space. Smith’s market was always going to be surprisingly high to the layperson (the Titans are working to re-sign Anthony Firkser), which is why Tennessee had to let him go. The Patriots’ pronounced arrival onto the free-agent market signals no time for a rebuild in New England. Smith will be a gift to Newton, or whomever is throwing passes.

GRADE: A-

Jason Verrett re-signs with the 49ers

Unfortunately for Verrett, a series of injuries has forced him to accept these short-term prove-it deals. Fortunately for the 49ers, he’s a great cornerback who comes back and helps them repair a secondary that will lose a lot of heart and soul this offseason. Verrett can be that crafty veteran presence, especially after a season in which he played more than three-quarters of the team’s defensive snaps with an opposing QB rating of 76.2

GRADE: B+

Aaron Jones re-signs with the Packers

Green Bay is a smart team that understands the importance of layering a position like running back, especially in this particular offense. Maybe Jones isn’t around forever and maybe he affects AJ Dillon’s development, but they ensure that the position is well-stocked and that they are as versatile in the red zone as possible.

GRADE: A

Kevin Zeitler to the Ravens

Zeitler is one of the more prolific inside blockers in football, which makes complete sense that he’d roll down 95 to Baltimore and help anchor the spot once held by the great Marshall Yanda. Zeitler has missed one game since 2015 and, despite a collective offensive line struggle in 2020 with the Giants, should be in a place to maximize Baltimore’s downhill running game. A bonus for Baltimore: Zeitler does not ding their compensatory pick formula because the Giants let him go. So they salvage a major cap casualty and don’t lose much in return.

GRADE: A-

Tyrell Williams to the Lions

The Lions are soft-tanking, which is an absolute necessity after Matt Patricia came in and covered a brick house in dilapidated vinyl siding. They let Kenny Golladay go and essentially inherited a bare cupboard at wide receiver. Williams comes in as Jared Goff’s only dependable receiving target aside from tight end T.J. Hockenson, after missing the entire 2020 season with a labrum tear.

GRADE: D+

Mark Ingram to the Texans

The Texans are showing the kind of market they’ll be operating in. At best, they’ll be a lifeline for several veterans with soft markets elsewhere. At worst … well … Houston might be living its worst-case scenario right now. The bonus here? Ingram is a valuable veteran and cornerstone player who could help develop other talent at the position.

GRADE: C

Cam Newton re-signs with the Patriots

I think most everyone realizes how valuable it is to have Newton on a paltry contract, loaded with incentives, like this one. It’s an interesting pairing in Foxboro; he seems to be legitimately in love with the idea of playing for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, which, as we all know, can be an acquired taste for some. Having Newton on a backup QB salary gives New England the flexibility to go upgrade the rest of the offense while also ensuring that they have a good-enough QB should other options (via draft or via trade for someone like Jimmy Garoppolo) fall through.

GRADE: B

J.J. Watt to the Cardinals

I wrote at length about Watt’s signing on the day he first announced it, but in short: It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals do with the rest of their free agency. For example, I think re-signing Haason Reddick would make the Watt signing even better, but did signing Watt automatically mean Reddick isn’t coming back? Arizona’s aggressiveness on Watt shows that they have something in the works for this offseason. If the long and short of it is allowing the future Hall of Famer to crash the opposite side of Chandler Jones, then the Cardinals still have it pretty good.

GRADE: B