We’re looking at all NFL team’s free agent moves (in and out) and their NFL Draft to see who got better and by how much -- setting the tone for analyzing them for the upcoming season for FF purposes and for betting evaluations on team over/unders, etc.
We had Grok list all the moves and we show them first and then Ross and I (RC) weigh in on what we see with all the roster moves -- how they affect 2025 only. And ultimately we pick a winner.
We’ll do two matchups per day, within each division seeded from the 2024 final standings, for 16 days...then we’ll take the 16 winners and accelerate the matchups after that and advance the best ‘offseason’ moves teams through to the ‘Super Bowl’, declaring a final winner.
Arizona Cardinals 2025 Free Agency Losses:
DT Roy Lopez (Detroit Lions)
WR Zay Jones (Free Agent)
OLB Dennis Gardeck (Free Agent)
CB Antonio Hamilton Sr. (Free Agent)
LB Kyzir White (Free Agent)
OL Trystan Colon (Free Agent)
K Matt Prater (Free Agent)
Arizona Cardinals 2025 Free Agency Signings/Additions:
QB Jacoby Brissett (2 years, $14M, $7M guaranteed)
WR Zay Jones (1 year, $4.5M, $2M guaranteed)
G Will Brown (2 years, $10M, $5M guaranteed)
DL L.J. Collier (1 year, $3M, $1.5M guaranteed)
DL Justin Jones (3 years, $30M, $15M guaranteed)
DL Dalvin Tomlinson (2 years, $20M, $10M guaranteed)
DL Calais Campbell (1 year, $5M, $2M guaranteed)
DL Josh Sweat (3 years, $36M, $18M guaranteed)
Arizona Cardinals 2025 Rookie Draft Picks and Undrafted Free Agents:
DT Walter Nolen (1st Round, No. 16)
CB Will Johnson (2nd Round, No. 47)
DE Jordan Burch (3rd Round, No. 78)
LB Cody Simon (4th Round, No. 115)
CB Denzel Burke (5th Round, No. 174)
G Hayden Conner (6th Round, No. 211)
S Kitan Crawford (7th Round, No. 225)
OT Josh Fryar (UDFA)
OT Valentin Senn (UDFA)
TE Oscar Cardenas (UDFA)
WR Quincy Skinner Jr. (UDFA)
DL Simeon Barrow Jr. (UDFA)
DB Daryl Porter Jr. (UDFA)
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Los Angeles Rams 2025 Free Agency Losses:
G Jonah Jackson (Chicago Bears via trade)
ILB Christian Rozeboom (Carolina Panthers)
ILB Jake Hummel (Baltimore Ravens)
WR Demarcus Robinson (Free Agent)
OLB Michael Hoecht (Free Agent)
WR Cooper Kupp (Seattle)
Los Angeles Rams 2025 Free Agency Signings/Additions:
WR Davante Adams (2 years, $44M, $22M guaranteed)
NT Poona Ford (3 years, $29.6M, $14.8M guaranteed)
ILB Nate Landman (1 year, $1.5M, $0.5M guaranteed)
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (1 year, $1.5M, $0.5M guaranteed)
Los Angeles Rams 2025 Rookie Draft Picks and Undrafted Free Agents: TE Terrance Ferguson (2nd Round, No. 46)
OLB Josaiah Stewart (3rd Round, No. 90)
RB Jarquez Hunter (4th Round, No. 117)
DT Ty Hamilton (5th Round, No. 148)
ILB Chris Paul Jr. (5th Round, No. 172)
WR Konata Mumpfield (7th Round, No. 242)
LB Shaun Dolac (UDFA)
OL Trey Wedig (UDFA)
OLB Jamil Muhammad (UDFA)
OL Ben Dooley (UDFA)
OLB Josh Pearcy (UDFA)
IOL Willie Lampkin (UDFA)
WR Mario Williams (UDFA)
S Nate Valcarcel (UDFA)
WR Brennan Presley (UDFA)
WR Tru Edwards (UDFA)
Ross Jacobs’ analysis...
Arizona Cardinals Off-season Grade: B
Arizona lost a few decent players in free agency, but the additions of Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Baron Browning more than make up for that along with several other depth moves.
They clearly had their sights set on improving the front seven and continued to add to it in the draft with Walter Nolen and Jordan Burch. Nolen certainly wasn't my favorite player in this class, but I do see the potential. He's athletic and was very productive in the SEC. That's usually a good formula. It wouldn't surprise me though if Burch ended up the better player. He's a freak athlete at 6'4"/280 with the ability to bend and play any spot up and down the line. They also nabbed Will Johnson in the 2nd round and if he gets a clean bill of health he'll be an absolute steal.
No one addition really stands out as amazing, but all together Arizona has really added some good players to their defense. They are one to keep an eye on in 2025.
Los Angeles Rams Off-season Grade: D
The Rams shuffled around a few pieces, but I don't see that much changed in free agency. The biggest moves were moving on from Cooper Kupp and replacing him with Davante Adams. Is that as big a deal as the media is making it? Was Kupp really washed? Does Davante still have "it"? I'm not convinced. I don't get their draft either. I was hoping for another really nice class to push them over the edge to obvious favorite in the NFC West, but they didn't do it...coincidently right after James Gladstone left to run the Jaguars and knocked their draft out of the park...The only pick I really like is Josaiah Stewart. He's undersized but smart, strong, tough, and productive.
Winner: Arizona Cardinals
Clear win for the Cardinals here even if I don't love most of the moves. They overpaid for a bunch of midrange front seven defenders, and then drafted a bunch of "hopefuls," but at least a handful of their moves should have positive results.
The Rams meanwhile did nothing to significantly improve that I can see. I was prepared for a great off-season to catapult them to the clear NFC favorite, but this was a massive letdown. James Gladstone (ex-Rams personnel now JAX GM) might really be the next Wunderkind.
RC’s analysis...
Arizona offseason comments:
Minor losses in free agency...nothing too impactful lost. But they did add defensive talent in free agency -- they had money, and they spent it. Maybe not spent well, but spent...and some talent brought in. They overpaid for Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson and Akeem Davis-Gaither and Baron Browning and Justin Jones -- but those guys help 2025, which is what we’re here to judge. Head coaches who were former defensive coordinators...this is what happens...money thrown out the window on pass rushers and others.
And then what did they do in the draft, after spending all their money of defense in free agency? Why...they drafted almost all defense! Of course!! If Walter Nolen flops and Will Johnson can’t ‘get right’ then this current Cardinals regime is in danger of getting on the hot seat by midseason. But if those two prospects hit their potential+ and if Jordan Burch comes through, then Arizona has a top defensive group about to pop in 2025.
About $150M in contracts to ‘name’ defensive players and then used six of 7 draft picks on defense.
LA Rams offseason comments:
The runway was totally clear for the Rams to have a killer offseason and put this division away before it even started, but the ‘James Gladstone is gone’ affect hit hard here. For the first time in a few years, the Rams whiffed in free agency and the draft.
The good news is...they didn’t really lose a ton in free agency, not like SF (but no team lost in FA like SF). Losing Jonah Jackson stings a bit. Michael Hoecht was nice but not critical. Riff-raff lost otherwise. Landing Davante Adams is fine, and snagging Poona Ford was a sleeper crafty move -- but overall the Rams were neutral or maybe slid a tad backwards via free agency/trade.
Did they make it up in the draft? No, not really. This draft looks kinda empty. A huge opportunity blown. Nothing like last year’s killer draft.
RC’s WINNER: Arizona Cardinals
The Rams upgraded at WR (Davante over Kupp). Poona Ford is a possible bump over Bobby Brown lost. The draft was ‘meh’ to dull...nothing like the Rams 2024 draft. It just feels like the Rams missed it on things this season...and it really may be that James Gladstone was the one responsible for the better drafts of late, and now that he is gone the 2025 draft kinda-dud happened. The Rams got a bit better in the offseason but not radically so.
Arizona bought and drafted a-half-a defense. They bought four DL starters that will play/start/rotate right away and drafted two other DLs who should also start/rotate and possibly stole CB Will Johnson to add to the secondary. Seven legit defensive players added/at their disposal, losing only one kinda-sorta DL to free agency (Lopez).
It’s a no contest TKO by the Cardinals here. If Will Johnson doesn’t have lingering injury issues...this offseason will make them playoff contenders.
*Officially Moving on in the Tournament* Arizona moves on to the NFC Playoffs/Final 8.
Offseason 25 Playoff matchups in Round 3:
NYG v. CHI
CLE v. NE
JAX v. DEN
TB v. ARI
