Vikings’ Dalvin Tomlinson Ranks Among NFL’s Top Free-Agent Signings

Making key moves in free agency is clearly an important tool for any team that is looking to improve its team in the upcoming season. In addition to reaching out and bringing in free agents from other organizations, signing a team’s own free agents can turn out to be the most vital move of all.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have gone a long way towards making a run at a second consecutive Super Bowl title when they signed their own pass rusher supreme Shaq Barrett.

While Tom Brady was the driving factor behind Tampa Bay’s improvement in 2020 and their Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Barrett was their most important defensive player. He finished the season with 57 tackles and 8.0 sacks last year, and he followed that up 4.0 sacks in the postseason.

In addition to his impact in 2020, Barrett was even more productive in 2019 from his outside linebacker position when he recorded 19.5 sacks. He is the kind of game-changing pass rusher who can change any team’s fortunes.

If he had left the Bucs, it would have significantly weakened the Tampa Bay defense and put even more pressure on Brady as he prepares for his 22^nd season at the age of 44.

Signing Barrett is the No. 1 move of the offseason to this point.

Here’s our look at the top-five moves:

Rank, Player, Previous team, New team, Contract

1.      OLB Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay. Resigns with Tampa Bay, four years, $68 million.

2.      OT Joe Thuney, New England. Signs with Kansas City, five years, $80 million

3.      DT Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants. Signs with Minnesota, two years, $22 million

4.      S John Johnson, Los Angeles Rams. Signs with Cleveland, three years, $33.75 million

5.      TE Jonnu Smith, Tennessee. Signs with New England, four years, $50 million

Thuney is a powerful offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle, and that kind of versatility can help any team.

However, that’s just a small part of the reason the Chiefs signed Thuney. They have the game’s best and an most valuable quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, and he finished the season with a significant toe injury that required surgery.

Mahomes was not at his best in the Super Bowl and was constantly on the run. Adding a top-notch blocker will help the Chiefs keep their best asset healthy. It won’t be a guarantee, but it is s a step in the right direction.

Tomlinson is the kind of run stopper that the Vikings desperately need after their miserable defensive season in 2020.

The Vikings were exposed for their inability to stop the run in late-season games against the Bucs and the New Orleans Saints, and that cost them whatever opportunity they had to make the playoffs.

Since head coach Mike Zimmer was one of the top defensive gurus in the NFL, abiding a porous defense is not something he can do.  Tomlinson played four seasons with the Giants and he had 49 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. He is stout against the run, and he should be able to help the Vikings improve dramatically in that area in 2021.

Johnson is an outstanding safety and that’s just what the Browns have needed for years. Their defense was unable to come up with the key stops that would have allowed them to go deep into the playoffs, and a safety like Johnson could help them take the next step.

Johnson is a big hitter who finished the season with 105 tackles for the Rams. He should be able to give the Browns the kind of toughness and assertiveness that they have lacked to this point.

Johnson had multiple offers on the table, and at least one of them was larger than the one he signed with the Browns, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. However, he signed with the Browns because the team is on the upswing and he felt it would be a perfect fit.

The Patriots have made multiple moves throughout free agency, and they have upgraded quite a bit at the tight end position. In addition to signing Smith, they also signed Hunter Henry, who had been with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Smith caught 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns last season and he should fill an important void for the Patriots if quarterback Cam Newton is accurate enough to get the ball to him on a consistent basis.

That appears to be a significant question since Newton is coming off a mediocre year for the Patriots in which he threw for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If it’s an issue of upgrading the talent level at the skill positions, Smith can go a long way towards helping his quarterback.