Now that the buzz has died down and the last of the big names are being taken off the streets, it is about the time or teams to sit back and take a look at their rosters and point out holes that still need to be filled.
Some teams are ready to go and have their eyes on the draft, while other have a lot of work to do between now and the end of April, or they will be forced to "reach" for needs, which is just a recipe for disaster.
Winners
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa came into the market with expectations of making a splash, and they certainly did. Clearly, their focus was on surrounding their team with weapons for Josh Freeman with the additions of Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks, the two best available players at their position.
Buffalo Bills: For a team that has fought a stigma of being an unattractive free agent destination for years, being able to land the premier defensive player on the market is a huge boost to the organization and the community. Plus, it fills a huge need and give the Bills one of the best defensive lines in football.
Seattle Seahawks: They didn't get Manning, but they were able to accomplish a lot to keep intact what they had going for them last year by keeping Red Bryant and adding Jason Jones. Most importantly, they were able to land Matt Flynn for a reasonable price.
Philadelphia Eagles: They were able to keep Evan Mathis and locked up DeSean Jackson long-term. In addition, they made a huge upgrade at linebacker by trading away an undisclosed draft pick for DeMeco Ryans, which gives them just a few holes heading into the draft.
Losers
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore's attention was placed squarely on keeping guard Ben Grubbs, while they let several key defensive players like Jarrett Johnson, Tom Zbikowski, and Corey Redding. For all of their efforts, Grubbs left for New Orleans, and they missed out on signing Evan Mathis from the Eagles. The Ravens are a lot worse in a lot of areas than they were a few months ago.
Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins seemed to enter rebuilding mode after getting rid of Brandon Marshall for a couple of picks, but they then turned around and gave Paul Soliai a bunch of money to play a new position. They were unable to get either Manning or Flynn, and appear to have no direction as a franchise.
Tennessee Titans: After abandoning their plans to pursue Mario Williams to go after Manning, they were unable to land either guy. Meanwhile, they lost their best defensive back in Cortland Finnegan and watched a quality interior pass rusher go in Jason Jones.
Houston Texans: The Texans are a victim of their own questionable decisions. They cut the best right tackle in football for no good reason, lost Mario Williams to the Bills, and have just traded linebacker DeMeco Ryans for an undisclosed draft pick. I have a tough time believing this team is going to be as good as they were last year.
