Now that the big names are off of the free agent market and players are starting to settle in with their new teams, Mike Sando from ESPN decided to create a chart detailing all of the players gained and lost through free agency for each NFC West team.
Hit the jump to see some of the key acquisitions and casualties and get my take on which team did the best during the free agency period.
Let's start with our very own Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals had probably the most aggressive free agency period they have ever had. They spent plenty of cash and if you lump in the Kevin Kolb trade with it, the team was certainly not shy about doing what they had to do in order to be competitive.
While Daryn Colledge, Richard Marshall, Todd Heap and Stewart Bradley were all great additions to the team, I certainly think it was great that Arizona was able to retain both Lyle Sendlein and Deuce Lutui. The only major loss the team had was wide receiver Steve Breaston, but I would not be surprised to see Andre Roberts fill his shoes in the near future.
Moving on to the San Francisco 49ers, they took somewhat of a hit during free agency. While signing Jonathan Goodwin to replace David Baas was a good strategic move, I think that the loss of players like Takeo Spikes and Aubrayo Franklin could hurt their organization. Braylon Edwards was a bargain signing if he can stay healthy and out of trouble.
The 49ers also re-signed DaShon Goldson and added Carlos Rogers to strengthen their secondary. This team will be looking for young guys to step up big time if they want to stay out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
The Seattle Seahawks signed a bunch of playmakers for their team, but the only problem is that they still have no quarterback. With Tarvaris Jackson as the starter and Clipboard Jesus (Charlie Whitehurst) still holding the playbook, this team isn't expected to do big things.
Sidney Rice, Zach Miller and Robert Gallery were all good signings, but with losses of guys like Matt Hasselbeck and Jordan Babineaux, I wouldn't expect the Seahawks to even go .500 this season. Once they get a steady quarterback in next year's draft (yep, I am calling it now), Seattle could be on the rise once again.
Last but not least: the St. Louis Rams. The Rams lost the least amount of players to other teams with only four people donning new jerseys (the Cardinals had five). Harvey Dahl, Mike Sims-Walker, Cadillac Williams, Quintin Mikell and Jerious Norwood were all great signings in my view.
They lost no impact players and I fully expect them to be the greatest challengers to the Cardinals for the division title. With the continued improvement of Sam Bradford and a front seven that looks to be very talented, Steve Spagnuolo could have this team headed for big things.
In terms of free agency, I like what the Rams did the most. They added impact players that can help Bradford and alleviate some pressure off of Steven Jackson. However, if we include the Kevin Kolb trade into this, I would give the edge to Arizona.
What do you think? Which NFC West team had the best free agency period this year?