It was not until the eve of the 2018 NFL season that the move with arguably the greatest impact over the subsequent 17 weeks took place, as the Chicago Bears acquired star outside linebacker Khalil Mack in a massive trade with the Oakland Raiders that helped catalyze the Bears' terrific 12-4 season.
Keeping in mind that anything can happen at any time, the post-draft lull through which we are currently hovering is a reasonable time to take stock of the offseason. Typically, there will not be a move as impactful as the Mack trade from May through August.
But there have been a ton of moves -- free-agency signings, trades, draft picks, coaching hires, etc. -- and we wanted to give the floor to coaching and front-office evaluators to select their favorite moves of the offseason. Here are their selections.
Note: The much-discussed trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns was brought up in several conversations, as Cleveland added one of the game's elite playmakers. It was an obvious impact move. Because of that, the conversations pivoted to moves that received less acclaim.
Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock form a good tandem
Though there is no questioning who has the final authority for the Oakland Raiders -- a 10-year, $100 million contract speaks for itself -- Gruden tabbed Mayock as his general manager after the departure of Reggie McKenzie. Mayock is a first-time GM, but he has long been heralded in NFL circles for his evaluation skills and meticulous tape study, which are among the reasons one longtime personnel man thought his hiring stood out.
"They had tons of picks, and he's a voice of reason for Jon," he said, referring to how the two are able to balance each other out in what has been a busy offseason for Oakland. "[It's about] patience and systematic building," he continued, adding that Mayock is someone "who [Gruden] respects and has the same line of thinking."
Not only were the Raiders as active as any team in free agency (landing their most notable acquisition in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Antonio Brown), but the team had a specific plan of attack in the draft.
"Clearly a traits, character-with-talent-based draft from the first through the seventh," the personnel man noted about Oakland's approach.
Each of the Raiders' first-round picks is regarded as a terrific tone-setter or leader. They also selected three Clemson players, each of whom have pedigree from playing on college football's biggest stage.
So despite Gruden being the ultimate shot-caller for the Raiders, having harmony between the coaching and scouting staffs ultimately leads to a roster with a chance at sustained success. Oakland made strides in reaching that goal by adding Mayock.
Jets, Bills go on the offensive
After drafting a quarterback in 2018, both the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets surrounded their new QBs with offenses full of replacement parts. But each team worked hard this offseason to surround Josh Allen and Sam Darnold, respectively, with much better supporting casts.
"I feel like the Bills' and the Jets' offenses got a lot better," noted one defensive coach. "Both teams were active in free agency -- Buffalo building off of last year and the Jets building with a new coach in Adam Gase."
In Buffalo, the new pieces included wideouts John Brown and Cole Beasley, tight end Tyler Kroft and a plethora of offensive linemen led by center Mitch Morse. The Jets, who fired GM Mike Maccagnan on May 15, landed the most notable free agent of the offseason by signing running back Le'Veon Bell to a four-year deal while also adding Jamison Crowder to their receiving corps.
"I'm not sold on the Buffalo wide receiver signings yet, but at least they were active to get guys," the above coach added, as each should play a prominent role after Buffalo leaned on a thin group of pass-catchers in 2018. "The Jets in the same kind of way got a bunch of weapons for Gase and spent a lot of money in doing so ... There is a lot of hype around free agency, but I would say I've definitely taken note of those teams doing a lot this offseason."
After each team finished in the bottom five in total offense in 2018, there was certainly significant room for growth this offseason. We should see the benefits of the active free agency come September.
Greg Roman gets promoted in Baltimore
One of the parts of this exercise that I enjoy are the unexpected responses.
"I might surprise you with this one," one AFC defensive coach began, "I'm going to say Greg Roman as Baltimore's offensive coordinator."
Roman, who assumed his coordinator role in January, will spearhead an offense that is led by second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson, already the game's most electric running threat at the position.
"I think back to what [Roman] did at San Francisco with Colin Kaepernick and I think that offense will be dynamic in the run game with quarterback-designed runs, zone reads, motions and shifts," this coach continued, referencing that the apex of Kaepernick's tenure with the 49ers came in Roman's offense from 2012-2014.
Kaepernick threw 50 touchdowns in 45 games played in that time, but the offense created massive headaches for opposing defenses with its ability to stress a defense in a variety of ways.
"[Baltimore] will just be multiple and a pain in the ass to defend," the defensive coach continued. "Not going to scare you throwing, but will run the ball well, limiting opponent possessions, and play great defense and special teams."
That was the formula Baltimore leaned on last season when Jackson started. Though the Ravens scored 30 points only once in seven games, they held opponents to 17 points or fewer on four occasions, finishing 6-1.
With Roman aiding Jackson's development, the Ravens are aiming to stay atop the AFC North.
Dolphins poach Josh Rosen
It became apparent that the Arizona Cardinals were infatuated with Kyler Murray long before taking him first overall in April's draft. That made Josh Rosen available in the eyes of teams around the league, with Arizona needing to offload him to streamline its quarterback room and put Murray in the best spot to succeed.
The Miami Dolphins, whose focus this offseason has been building toward the future, saw the opportunity to strike.
"The one move that comes to mind is Miami trading for Rosen," one defensive coach said. "This is a first-round pick a year ago you got for a second [round pick]." The Dolphins shipped the No. 62 pick in this year's draft and a 2020 fifth-round pick for Rosen, the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
"We played him last year and I think he has some potential," this coach continued. "He's a huge upgrade over who they had at quarterback last year."
Given the current state of Miami's quarterback depth chart, Rosen has an excellent shot to move to the top spot sooner than later. Though Ryan Fitzpatrick could hold starting duties out of the gate, Rosen's ascension to being the starter figures to be a matter of when, not if.
Moreover, Rosen, just 22 years old, has one of the most advantageous quarterback contracts in the NFL. For the next three seasons, Rosen will count a total of $6.24 million against Miami's salary cap. In quarterback contract terms, that is pennies (for reference, 26 quarterbacks have a cap hit north of $6.24 million for 2019 alone).
The Dolphins gave themselves a chance to evaluate a potential cornerstone player at a massive discount, a coup for GM Chris Grier and new coach Brian Flores.
Jets add a defensive on-field coach
It was a robust free-agency period for the Jets, and the move that generated the most attention was landing Bell on a four-year deal. But that was not the deal that caught the attention of one personnel man.
"Signing C.J. Mosley is enormous," he started. "[The] guy is a Pro Bowl player, the Ravens did not want to lose him, but the big thing is -- [defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams needs a QB for his defense, and C.J. filled that need."
Mosley, who signed a five-year deal with New York after five seasons in Baltimore, is not only one of the league's most productive linebackers, averaging 116 tackles and seven pass breakups per season, but also one of its smartest and most dependable (just three games missed in five seasons).
"They put a ton on their Mike LB to make calls, adjust fronts, check coverages and everything runs through the Mike," this personnel man continued. "That's like another coach on the field. He has all the power to do that stuff."
Mosley's impact won't simply be the tackles he piles up and turnovers he creates, but also the aid he provides to the rest of the defense. We saw the impact of a stud middle linebacker in Williams' two seasons as the Browns' defensive coordinator.
"He had Joe Schobert in Cleveland," the personnel man said. "Gregg is a great coach but he needs a Mike LB and not only did he get one -- he got a Pro Bowler, too."
Expect Mosley to make a major mark with Gang Green.
Seattle gets resourceful in the Frank Clark trade
Roster-building in the NFL is not without difficult decisions, like the one that the Seattle Seahawks faced this offseason after applying the franchise tag to standout defensive end Frank Clark.
"They were really going to struggle to sign their core players back, because the Russell Wilson deal," one personnel man said, referencing the likes of Clark, linebacker Bobby Wagner (entering the final year of his deal), defensive tackle Jarran Reed (entering the final year of his deal) and others.
Though having to pay players is not an issue unique to Seattle, there was a compounding factor.
"They did not have any draft-day capital to reload," this personnel man noted, alluding to the fact that Seattle began the draft week with a league-low four selections. Clark was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-rounder and a swap of third-round picks.
"With the trade, they were then able to trade back, pick up a lot more capital to move around, and got what looks like three potential starters, a lot more depth, and still enough room to still sign Ziggy Ansah," this personnel man noted. "All for a guy who they were probably not going to be able to afford after the season and was only going to get a third [round compensatory pick] (at best) or keep and lose the ability to do anything in free agency the following season."
In sum, by the time the first round of the 2019 NFL draft was over, Seattle -- which made a pair of trade-downs using its original pick -- had added a total of seven extra selections. John Schneider, the Seahawks' crafty and terrific GM, parlayed this chip into depth for a team that has its most important player locked up long-term but needed to keep doing what it does best: identify talent through the draft.
Clark's near-$17 million cap charge was removed from the books, opening the door to sign Ansah -- a talented player who the Seahawks hope will provide more production than he did in his final two seasons with the Detroit Lions -- and giving them wiggle room for further maneuvering.
Trades don't need to be a win-lose proposition, as Kansas City landed a foundational piece for its defense on a team primed to compete for the AFC championship again next season. For Seattle, the Clark trade kicked off a series of moves that has it positioned to build off of its playoff push in 2018 and continue its nearly decadelong string of success.