Cody Schoeler’s 2023 Remaining NFL West Free-Agent Deals

Commentary and analysis on the the top deals for NFC West and AFC West teams

Posted on March 19, 2023


  By Cody Schoeler, SuperWest Sports

Here are the rest of the NFL West 2023 NFL free-agency deals.

Signings and trades began being finalized beginning March 15th, the official start of the League’s new year.

You can catch up on each day’s top signings and re-signings among NFL west conferences teams in these trackers.

(See Day One here, Day Two here, and Day Three here.)

Below you’ll find their new and former teams along with the length and value of their deals (when available) and my assessed grade.


49ers sign defensive end Clelin Ferrell (1 year, $2.5M)

Former Team:  Raiders

Ferrell
The 49ers have a track record of revitalizing the careers of defensive linemen.

They’re hoping that Ferrell will be the next player on that list which includes Charles Omenihu, Arden Key, and Maurice Hurst.

Ferrell came into the league with sky-high expectations as the fourth-overall pick but never lived up to that billing. A change of scenery is exactly what he needs to get his career back on track.

The 49ers aren’t making a huge commitment in terms of money or years of the deal, which means if this doesn’t work out they can move on relatively unscathed.

At the end of the season, this move could be one of the best of the offseason or one that didn’t really change much. That upside is what makes this signing a fairly good one.

Grade: B


49ers sign cornerback Isaiah Oliver (2 years)

Former Team: Falcons

Oliver
Oliver has shown flashes in his five-year career in Atlanta but hasn’t developed into a reliable starter.

He was always part of lackluster defenses as a Falcon, which didn’t help, but that won’t be the case anymore.

Oliver will not join one of the best defenses in the league, which may be what facilitates his development into a key starter. This is another low-risk move for the 49ers with an upside but it doesn’t address their need at corner.

The 49ers still need to find a guy that can take over that number-two corner spot.

Unless Oliver has a huge improvement in his play this year he won’t be that guy, which means the 49ers most likely haven’t adequately filled that need yet.

Grade: C+


Seahawks sign safety Julian Love (2 years, $12M)

Former Team: Giants

Love
Love has been a solid member of the Giants’ secondary recently, especially in 2022 when he made 16 starts.

It makes sense that Seattle would want to add a player of his caliber to help improve a defense that definitely needs some improvement.

The issue with the signing doesn’t come from the contract itself, it comes from how Love is going to fit on this team.

He played safety in New York, but the Seahawks have one of the highest-paid safety duos in the league already in Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs plus Ryan Neal who it appears they will re-sign.

The most logical assumption is that Love will primarily play nickel, which would make sense for both sides.

Love played corner in college so he has experience at the position, and that move would allow the Seahawks to move Coby Bryant to the outside.

This is certainly an interesting signing by Seattle that could work out very well, but the initial concerns about Love’s fit knocks the grade down a little.

Grade: B-


Seahawks re-sign quarterback Drew Lock (1 year, $4M)
Lock
When the Seahawks acquired Lock as part of the Russell Wilson trade last year, it was with the belief that he would compete for the starting job.

Now, when the Seahawks resign him, it’s strictly to be the backup. Bringing Lock back allows Seattle to have a backup in 2023 that already knows the system and is familiar with the players.

But the fact that the deal is just a one-year deal means the Seahawks are still able to draft a quarterback in the draft and bring him along as the backup if he outplays Lock in training camp.

Grade: C


Seahawks sign guard/center Evan Brown (1 year $2.25M)

Former Team: Lions

Brown
The main selling point of Brown is his versatility since he is able to play both guard and center. With Seattle currently in need of a starter at both those spots, the Brown addition is perfect.

He also comes over from Detroit, where he started a majority of the games the past two years.

Detroit has had one of the best lines in the league recently, meaning Brown is capable of contributing to a solid unit.

Brown will almost certainly start on the Seahawks’ o-line this year, and getting a starter at that price is a steal.

Grade: B+


Seahawks sign linebacker Devin Bush (1 year)

Former Team: Steelers

Bush
The Seahawks knew they had a need at linebacker.

With Jordyn Brooks suffering a torn ACL at the end of last season and Cody Barton leaving in free agency, Seattle was down both starters from last year.

Enter Bush, a former 10th overall pick of the Steelers that started 48 games over four seasons.

Now, the reason Bush was even available to the Seahawks was that he had struggled at times in Pittsburgh and didn’t develop into the star the Steelers wanted him to be.

That means the Seahawks aren’t getting a guaranteed contributor out of this deal, which is what they needed.

Bush possesses an upside that most other linebackers on the market don’t have, but Seattle could have gotten a player with upside in the draft.

The signing of Bush likely means the Seahawks aren’t done at the position in free agency (Bobby Wagner anyone?) and because of that, it’s hard to give this a great grade.

Grade: C+


Chiefs sign linebacker Drue Tranquill (1 year, $3m)

Former Team: Chargers

Tranquill
The Chiefs did two things with this signing.

They added another young, talented linebacker to go with Nick Bolton and Willie Gay and they also took an important player away from a division rival at the same time.

It will be interesting to see how Tranquill fits into the Kansas City defense. His contract suggests he isn’t expected to be a huge part of it, at least not at the moment.

Plus, Bolton looked like he was developing into a superstar last year, so at best Tranquill is the second guy at the position.

But having too much talent is never a bad thing and the Chiefs grabbed a very talented player on a great deal, which makes this a very good signing.

Grade: A-


Chiefs sign safety Mike Edwards (1 year, $3M)

Former Team: Bucs

Edwards is not a one-for-one replacement for Juan Thornhill, that’s for sure, but that doesn’t make this a bad deal. He isn’t supposed to completely replace him, it’s why they’re paying him less money.

Edwards

Edwards is coming from Tampa Bay where he was kind of like a defensive back utility man. He didn’t make very many starts but he still found his way onto the field and made some plays.

How the Chiefs ultimately view him will decide his role. He could end up being the starter next to Bryan Cook and provide some veteran leadership and experience to the secondary.

Or the Chiefs could add another safety, either as a free agent or in the draft, and Edwards could play a similar role that he did in Tampa.

Either way, for just three million dollars, the Chiefs added a potentially impactful player on the defense.

Grade: C+


Raiders re-sign fullback Jakob Johnson (1 year)
Signing or re-signing a fullback is never the sexiest free agency move, but this was a solid move for the Raiders.

Johnson

Head coach Josh McDaniels stayed true to his New England ways by bringing over Johnson from the Patriots and making him a key part of the offense.

The Raiders rely relied on him to help in the run game, which he did to great success.

Again, it’s a fullback so it can’t get a very high grade but the Raiders rely on that position more than most teams and know they have a guy that can do what they want him to do.

Grade: B-


Raiders re-sign guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor
It’s hard to fully grade this deal without any of the specifics of it but that doesn’t make it impossible.

Eluemunor

Eluemunor was a 17-game starter for the Raiders last year so it can be expected for him to fulfill a similar role in 2023.

The Raiders have had a lot of inconsistency across the line in recent years, both in who was manning the positions and how they were performing in them.

Bringing back Eluemunor, who has proven he can be a solid starter for them, is a win for the Raiders, assuming the contract is reasonable which it likely will be.

Grade: B


Chargers re-sign defensive end Morgan Fox (2 years, $7.25M)
Fox was a new addition to the Chargers last year and he immediately made his impact felt.

Fox

He quickly became one of the more important players on the defense, despite not getting much attention. Fox had a career year while anchoring the defensive line, so it makes sense that he wanted to come back.

Fox won’t fix the Chargers’ issues against the run, but his loss certainly may have made it work. There is still more work to be done at that position but bringing back a very productive player from last year is a good place to start.

Grade: A


Chargers re-sign tight end Donald Parham (2 years, $2.65M)
Between injuries and time spent backing up veterans, Parham hasn’t necessarily gotten the opportunity to prove himself as anything more than a number two tight end.

Parham Jr.

But that doesn’t mean the Chargers are giving up on him. They brought him back on a two-year deal because they still think he can produce in the offense.

It’s a cheap deal so the Chargers don’t suffer too much if Parham doesn’t become the guy.

And if this ends up being a contract for a high-end backup tight end that can make some plays from time to time then it’s still a pretty good deal.

Grade: C+


Chargers re-sign punter JK Scott (2 years, $4M)
Scott becomes the first kicker or punter to sign with a west team in free agency with this two-year deal.

Scott

The most important thing when it comes to these specialist contracts for the teams is that they are cheap, it’s why teams tend to use the draft to fill these spots.

But at just two million a year, Scott is a very good value here. He was a productive player for the Chargers last year so locking him up for the next two years is a nice sense of security for them, making this a good signing.

Grade: B-




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