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With so much happening over the past few days in the NFL free agency it is easy to be blinded by the big name acquisitions and not notice the small moves that will pay off big.
With so many big name players changing teams and being paid massive contracts it can be hard to look past the money and fanfare to see the subtle moves.
Often it is not the teams doing the big spending that win in free agency, as we learnt in 2011 when the Eagles assembled their ‘dream team’.
Looking retrospectively, it sometimes is the small pieces that bring the puzzle together for a team and lead to a successful season.
Malcolm Jenkins signs with the Eagles
With all the noise made about the Saints getting arguably the best safety in free agency in Jarius Byrd, not much attention was paid when Jenkins signed with the Eagles.
Jenkins has been a starter at free safety since entering the league in 2009 and has been a stable force on the Saints defence.
He moves to the Eagles who are looking to bolster their defence to be able to handle the demands of playing opposite a unique and fast-paced offense.
With the higher chance of the Eagles offense going three and out on drives, the defence must be prepared to play a high number of snaps.
Jenkins is an instinctive safety with great range, in his career he has 38 passes defended with 4.5 sacks and six interceptions.
He also has the playmaking ability to take an interception to the house which he has done twice with one going for 96 yards.
Last season the Eagles secondary gave up a league high 4636 passing yards during the regular season, as teams torched them for big chunks of yardage at will.
While Jenkins is only one piece of the puzzle, his skill set and football acumen will go a long way to improving the Eagles’ pass defence this season.
Rashad Jennings signs with the Giants
The Giants struck gold with the 28-year-old running back from Oakland. Jennings, who has bounced around as a backup, showed last season he has what it takes to shoulder the load.
Starting eight games last season due to an injury to Darren McFadden, Jennings ripped off 733 yards, with six touchdowns and another 292 yards on 36 receptions. He finished the season with a 4.5 yards per rush average and was the driving force behind a banged up Raider offense.
At 6’1 and 231 pounds, Jennings is a big back who can get to the second level and break out in the open field.
The Giants already have a stable fold of running backs in David Wilson and Peyton Hillis, which they use as complementary pieces as Wilson is the speedster and Hillis is the short yardage back.
With Jennings in the fold they now have an all-purpose back who can not only gain the hard yards in tight spaces and run away from defenders in the open field but is also a solid pass catcher out of the backfield.
Jennings will make an immediate impact in big blue and may find himself getting the lion’s share of carries throughout the season.
Jared Veldheer and Ted Ginn Jr sign with Arizona
The Cardinals brought in two players that will have a huge effect on the entire team and all sides of the football.
The Cardinals boast an extremely talented receiver corps in Larry Fitzgerald and Malcolm Floyd but they have been underutilised the past two seasons due to the inability of Cardinals quarterbacks to stay upright.
The addition of Veldheer is a crucial move in stabilising the offense and giving Carson Palmer some time to find his big time wide receivers down the field.
Head coach Bruce Arians likes to utilise a vertical passing game and with a solid left tackle in place now the offense will be better equipped to execute the offense and make big plays down field.
Playing in one of the toughest divisions in football, which boast elite pass rushers and defensive backs, signing Veldheer brings them a step closer to competing in the division.
Ted Ginn Jr is lightning in a bottle and has made his major contributions on special teams. Ginn’s presence on special teams will affect the Cardinals defence as all-pro cornerback Patrick Peterson will likely relinquish the returning role.
This will give Peterson more rest between snaps and also limit the amount of unnecessary impacts the star player receives during a game.
This can only work out positively as the Cardinals best defensive player can simply focus on his role and making defensive plays.
Ginn will not just be a role player on special teams though, he provides legitimate speed to take the top off of a defence and open up the field for Fitzgerald and Floyd.
While these moves may not have garnered much attention during the frenzy of the first few days of free agency, they will pay big dividends for those teams in the long run.
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