Examining some NFL free agent moves this offseason

It has been a long time since we have seen an offseason with so many big name players change teams.

We have witnessed the largest contract ever signed by a defensive player, controversial trades and legendary players leave their long time home.

As exciting as this offseason is, there have been a lot of bad moves made that make you scratch your head. But there were a lot of moves that made sense and actually had some legitimacy. Here are the top five.

1. Washington Redskins sign Albert Haynesworth: As you all know I am very high on Haynesworth, I feel he is the best defensive player in the NFL and he has showed it the past two seasons. The Redskins landed the hottest name in free agency when they signed Haynesworth to a seven year $100 million deal. Did the Redskins pay a lot of money? Yes. Did they pay too much money? Maybe. But if anyone deserved a big contract as defensive player, Haynesworth is the guy.

The past two seasons Haynesworth has changed the way the defensive tackle position has been played. Teams put so much emphasis on him because he is such a play maker. Adding Haynesworth to the Redskins’ defensive line makes the future right defensive end a lot easier, which will result in a lot of sacks.

2. New York Jets sign Bart Scott: With the addition of Scott to the Jets linebacker core, the Jets finally have credibility as a competitive 3-4 defense. Are David Harris and Calvin Pace good players? Yes they are, but Scott brings that element of defense that the Jets never had before, leadership and a winning mentality.

I feel that the Baltimore Ravens made a mistake not signing Scott over Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. Scott will be an impact player for the Jets, and you will see what a difference he makes.

3. Buffalo Bills sign Terrell Owens: I am almost positive that people reading this article are disagreeing with this choice, but you have to look into it and put your biases aside. Owens is still a great player, the Bills need a serious playmaker on offense, and they are only signing him to a one year deal.

This seems like a great move by the Bills, if Owens gives them any trouble this season, they do not have to worry about him next season. This could honestly be Owens’ last productive season, and signing him to a one year deal may be worth the risk. With some tweaking done to the Buffalo defense and the addition of Owens, the Bills could make some noise next season.

4. St. Louis Rams sign Jason Brown: The Rams need to continue making moves like this one and keep adding young talent to both their offensive and defensive lines. We all know that football starts in the trenches, and the addition of Brown is a great move by St. Louis.

With the draft coming up soon on April 25, they could go offensive tackle with the second overall pick, but I am not convinced that they will pass on Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Nonetheless, Brown will be a great anchor for the Rams offensive line.

5. Houston Texans sign Antonio Smith: The Texans are slowly becoming a serious team to be reckoned with. With the addition of Smith, this gives that Texans defensive line the extra pass rusher they need to make their defense more efficient.

Texans defensive linemen Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye will be very happy to have Smith on the left end of the defensive line.