Thumbs Up

-- To the Detroit Lions. The Lions had three primary free agency objectives: re-signing corner Chris Houston and luring safety Glover Quin and running back Reggie Bush. GM Martin Mayhew locked up all three, and all came in with lower-than-expected price tags. The Lions resisted the urge to overpay to keep Drayton Florence (signed by CAR), Justin Durant (applying at Chik-Fil-A) and Gosder Cherilus (see below), and that fiscal prudence afforded the Lions DE Jason Jones. The former Seahawk could start at end but does his best work as an interior rusher. He replaces Sammie Lee Hill on the depth chart for $2M less than what Hill got from Tennessee.

But the coup de foudre comes with Louis Delmas. The Lions smartly allowed their safety to test the open market, and he was rudely awakened to the fact that a player with his unreliable health and inconsistent play isn’t worth a lot. Delmas re-signed with the team on Friday for two years. Terms have yet to be disclosed but it’s a fair assumption that the Lions spent less on Delmas Friday than they would have on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if the team parlays the savings from the unexpected retirement of Jeff Backus into a budget-friendly wideout like Darrius Heyward-Bey soon as well. 

Other teams that have fared well:

- The Philadelphia Eagles for smart signings like Isaac Sopoaga and James Casey, though the Connor Barwin deal pushes them perilously close to twiddling status.                                                            
- The Denver Broncos for scoring Wes Welker.

- The San Francisco 49ers for signing special teams demon Dan Skuta and getting DE Glenn Dorsey.

- The Green Bay Packers for doing absolutely nothing. They have no free cash with impending extensions for Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews, and GM Ted Thompson is wisely waiting for the prices to go clearance rack status before shopping.

Thumbs Down

- To Andy Reid, for not learning from his own inglorious history. Reid was behind the “Dream Team” in Philly, an orgy of spending in 2010 that brought in all kinds of big names that wound up running that strong franchise into the cellar. Now in Kansas City, Reid still has incredibly loose purse strings and an overwhelming, unhealthy obsession with winning the immediate offseason.

The Alex Smith trade kicked things off. Reid gave up the 34th pick in the draft to get someone who was a below-average player in five of the last seven years. I understand the desperation to rid the franchise of the terrifying Matt Cassel/Brady Quinn era, but gambling on Smith is quite risky. Reid apparently knows this and hedged his bet by signing Saints backup QB Chase Daniel for three years and $10M. That’s more than one million dollars for every completion Daniel has thrown in the NFL, and it’s pretty expensive insurance against Smith reverting to his pre-Harbaugh days, which would make Chiefs fans long for Cassel once again.

Not content with devoting questionable resources to the QB position, Reid gave TE Anthony Fasano $16M over four years to be the competition/backup to Tony Moeaki. Corners Dunta Robinson (three-year/$13.8M) and Sean Smith (three-year/$16.5M) figure to be fighting for the same job opposite highly compensated Brandon Flowers, as they are already set in the slot with Javier Arenas. The Chiefs gave Donnie Avery just under $9M for three years. Avery has some talent but will now be on his fourth team in as many seasons, a red flag against anything more than a one-year, incentive-laden deal. Former Jets DE Mike DeVito is the best signing, but $12.6M over three years is pretty stiff for a player with two sacks in the last two years. Reid is going for broke to win right away with a team that went 2-14 last year despite having six Pro Bowlers. Reid is apparently a subscriber to the “if at first you don’t succeed” school of thought. 

- To the New England Patriots. In effect the Patriots swapped out Wes Welker for Danny Amendola. Welker signed for two years and $12M in Denver, while the Patriots gave Amendola 5 years and $28.5M. That money is pretty much a wash, but if the Patriots are expecting Amendola to be as prolific as Welker has been they are in for a shock. No player in NFL history has seen more targets over a five year period than what Welker has from Tom Brady in the last five seasons. Amendola has had one year out of four where he made it through 16 games. His 2011 season ended when his elbow snapped backwards. His 2009 season ended with a shattered ankle. He missed half of last season with a collarbone injury that was so extreme it was deemed life-threatening. Amendola might be a younger, quicker version of Welker, but he lacks two things that made Welker invaluable to New England: reliability and chemistry with Brady. Reports are that the quarterback is peeved at seeing his favorite target depart. Keep in mind that the Patriots passing game is now heavily reliant on two of the most fragile players in the league in Amendola and Rob Gronkwoski. With the money being equal, the win-now Patriots made a horrible choice. 

Thumbs Twiddling

- To the Tennessee Titans. Andy Levitre is a very good guard and the team was downright futile at running the ball to the right side a year ago, but six years and $46.8M is outrageous for a guard who has never even been a Pro Bowler or sniffed an All Pro team. The money they paid him is close to what Carl Nicks and Logan Mankins are getting, and Levite is not to that level of accomplishment. 

The Titans redeemed themselves somewhat by signing former 49ers TE Delanie Walker and Lions DT Sammie Lee Hill to very reasonable deals. Both players will start and almost certainly represent upgrades, and Hill is a player who can blossom with more reps and a starting opportunity. They signed Walker for almost exactly half the cost that Jared Cook, the more talented but more enigmatic player he’s replacing, got from the Rams. I also like re-signing WR/RS Darius Reynaud for one year and $1M, but GM Ruston Webster rained on that parade by grossly overpaying former Jets RB Shonn Greene. Three years and $10M is way too much for a player that is fairly redundant with current 3rd stringer Jamie Harper. The impending release/trade of WR Nate Washington is not a positive development either.

- To the Indianapolis Colts. Like their AFC South brethren Titans, the Colts brought in some players that definitely make them better, but the price tag was a lot higher than expected. Gosder Cherilus represents a big upgrade at right tackle, but five years and $34.5M is $10M more than anyone projected the former Lion would get on the open market. They similarly went way over projection on Packers discard Erik Walden, who has eight sacks in three years. He’s replacing Dwight Freeney, who got five sacks last year despite playing out of position. New safety LaRon Landry is a massive upgrade over freshly cut Tom Zbikowski, provided he can stay healthy. He missed 15 games in two years prior to last year, which makes the four-year/$24M deal fraught with risk. That’s a little more money than they paid Ricky Jean Francois, who moves from a reserve role in San Francisco to the starting RDE spot in Indy. He is an ascending talent and he clearly makes the defense better, though to what extent remains to be seen. Corner Greg Toler is a real injury risk at three-year/$15M but if he’s fully healthy he is worth every penny; the Colts had to outbid other suitors for his services and Toler should prove worth the price tag. The Colts got better but they’re paying for it.

Thumb Sucking

-- To Cliff Avril. The former Lions defensive end signed a two-year, $15M deal with the Seahawks. That’s not bad money, but the context of that money is what makes Avril one of the big losers in free agency. Last offseason he rejected a 3 yr./$30M deal from the Lions, which forced Detroit to use the franchise tag on Avril. He signed for half of what he turned down a year ago after a somewhat disappointing season. It’s a great value signing for the Seahawks, who get someone accomplished to replace the injured Chris Clemons at a rate well below his perceived market. I often encourage players to embrace the franchise tag designation and bet on themselves, thus collecting the full value of the franchise tag and getting a big contract and associated signing bonus the next year. Avril did that but lost. Some of that loss is out of his control, and that’s unfortunate for both Avril and for teams that try to ameliorate players upset with the franchise tag.

- To the Baltimore Ravens. They have now lost seven starters form the Super Bowl team: Cary Williams, Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbee, Anquan Boldin, Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, and Bernard Pollard. They might lose Dennis Pitta as well. Joe Flacco’s massive deal deserves a lot of the blame, but there are deeper machinations at work here. It’s tough to swallow for Ravens fans, who have seen their Ravens go from hoisting a Super Bowl trophy to being the worst team on paper in the AFC North in the span of six weeks.

In the spirit of ending on something positive, we are less than 42 days away from the NFL Draft!