Photo Credit: Chris Pedota/ NorthJersey.com
Happy New NFL Year! The frenzy that is free agency has begun and some teams have already started spending to fix their problems. Two of the biggest teams to make a splash on Wednesday were the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams signed some big name free agents and helped solve problems that plagued each team last season.
The Houston Texans biggest free-agency signing is obviously former Denver Broncos quarterback, Brock Osweiler. We all thought that Osweiler would take his rightful place as the replacement for Peyton Manning in Denver, but to many people’s surprise, he decided to sign a 4-year, $72 million dollar contract with the Texans. The deal includes a guaranteed $21 million in 2016 and a guaranteed $16 million in 2017.
While that is a loaded contract, the Texans filled a major need with Osweiler. Their inability to find a good quarterback was evident last season and signing Osweiler has hopefully fixed that. When asked about the Broncos, Osweiler gave a simple yet sweet answer, “Those are four years I’ll always hold very close to my heart, but coming to Houston was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Clearly the signing of Osweiler really speaks volumes about the Texans and their organization. They are looking to win after going through four quarterback last season. Despite the instability, the team went to the playoffs and hope that Osweiler can lead them there once again this season.
The first day of free agency was exciting for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They lured many big names to their team and hope to reap the benefits. Defensively, they managed to end up with some of the best including DE Malik Jackson and S Tashaun Gipson. Jackson is coming off a great season that included winning the Super Bowl. Jackson’s ability to play all over the field will benefit the Jags defense greatly and hopefully with a healthy Dante Fowler Jr, the Jaguars defense will garner some respect. Gipson is a great addition to the defense, especially now that he actually has the motivation to. Departing from the Browns was exactly what Gipson needed as he felt he deserved more money. Gipson has fourteen interceptions since his career began in 2012 and the Jags have to be hoping that he can help produce turnovers.
The biggest offensive signing for the Jaguars is RB Chris Ivory. Ivory’s time with the New York Jets was full of him breaking franchise records. Now, Ivory looks to do the same in Jacksonville as he joins second-year player, TJ Yeldon in the backfield. With the age gap between Ivory and Yeldon, Ivory could be a good mentor for Yeldon. As the veteran back, it seems like Ivory will get a majority of the carries but Jacksonville could have different plans. The versatility that he brings, such as being able to catch passes and his ability to escape from defenders will help Jacksonville’s running game.
