The NFL free agency and draft period could be described with one word: insane. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to land both Tom Brady in free agency and Rob Gronkowski via a trade from the Patriots, becoming a new powerhouse in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers added some new offensive weapons, signing Teddy Bridgewater and Robby Anderson, but losing Luke Keuchly, one of, if not the best, middle linebackers in the game to retirement, and the release of Cam Newton. They also cut ties with longtime head coach Ron Rivera, who is now the Redskins coach. The Panthers are clearly trying out a new regime, and it will be hard to win in a newly stacked division. The Atlanta Falcons lost many key pieces in free agency, including tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman. They did, however, replace Freeman with former Rams running back Todd Gurley. Gurley has led the league in rushing before, but with injuries to his knees, he may not perform as good as he used to.
Aside from these major trades, the NFL has not changed much. The Rams did let go of Gurley, almost assuring that they will not be able to compete with the bigger franchises in the division. The Cardinals made a few splashes, but maybe the biggest move of the whole off-season is the trade for Deandre Hopkins, where the Cardinals only gave up a few picks and seemingly washed up running back David Johnson. Having one of the best receivers in the league, re-signing Kenyan Drake, and setting up Kyler Murray for a breakout sophomore year, may allow the Cardinals to give the Seahawks and 49ers a run for their money.
The Dallas Cowboys lost corner Byron Jones to the Dolphins in free agency and have yet to re-sign QB Dak Prescott, who is seeking a contract extension. The Dolphins may be able to improve from worst in their division to first, with the Pats dynasty slowly coming towards a close, and with the Jets and Bills not making any key moves in free agency. With the AFC East not getting any better and the Dolphins adding fifth overall pick Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama via the draft, there is no reason the Dolphins shouldn’t contend for their Division title. The Broncos, one of my favorite sleeper teams heading into next season, were able to land Melvin Gordon in free agency with the Chargers getting Chris Harris Jr. in an almost sort of trade between the two AFC West teams. The Broncos have all they need to be a top contender next year, with Drew Lock in his sophomore year, and the young receiving corps of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Juedy, K.J. Hamler, and Noah Fant heading into next season. The Chargers decided to go with drafting Oregon QB Justin Herbert over Tyrod Taylor as the player at the helm for them for the 2020-2021 season, letting go of longtime player Philip Rivers to the Colts. There are still many big name free agents available in the NFl, including Jadeveon Clowney, Cam Newton, Everson Griffen, Logan Ryan, Larry Warford, Delanie Walker, Demar Dotson, Devonta Freeman, Jason Peters and the list goes on and on.
When taking a look at recent controversies, Drew Brees was recently criticized due to comments he made about the Black Lives Matter protest by saying “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag”. Newly signed players like Malcolm Jenkins and Emanuel Sanders, along with many other athletes including Saints players and NBA players, have responded, commenting on how “uneducated” Drew Brees is about the situation. Lebron James even alluded to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem on Twitter to argue that his demonstration wasn’t intended to disrespect those serving in the military. Brees has since issued an apology, but hasn’t specified whether he had a change of heart in his stance.
Due to the pandemic and our current political climate, we have yet to see how the NFL season’s games and stadium attendance will look like next season. The 2020-21 season will certainly be unique. Maybe it will live up to the hype. No matter what happens, I can’t wait to see what unfolds.