10 underrated transactions that could shake up NFL

Ravens trade TE Hayden Hurst to Atlanta for second-round pick

The Falcons dealt the second-round pick they got from the Patriots for Mohamed Sanu to get former first-round pick Hurst, who will replace Austin Hooper. He signed as a free agent with the Browns. So this all makes sense for Atlanta. But the beauty here is on Baltimore’s end. Hurst was blocked on the Ravens' depth chart. Mark Andrews is clearly a better receiver than Hurst, and Nick Boyle is the superior blocker. That left Hurst in a bind as a regular contributor. So, the Ravens smartly cashed in. This 14-2 team from a year ago now has five picks on the first two days of the draft, including two second-round picks and two thirds. 

Chargers sign offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga

I wonder that Rivers is thinking as he watches his former team finally load up on offensive linemen after neglecting the line offseason after offseason while he played for the Chargers. This team apparently has finally come to its senses. In fact, the Chargers' offseason is as impressive as any team’s. And they are creating a nice, soft landing spot for a quarterback, perhaps a first-rounder. If, by chance, Los Angeles doesn’t add a quarterback (Justin Herbert?) in Round 1, it probably will draft another lineman to put on the other side of Bulaga, who is an injury risk. (He has missed 45 games in his career.) Still, he's one of the best right tackles in the NFL and was instrumental in Aaron Rodgers’ success in Green Bay.

Eagles sign nose tackle Javon Hargrave

Philadelphia’s defense is designed to dominate up front with highly athletic linemen and four-man rushes. Last season that unit was strong, but it wasn’t dominant, and it further exposed the Eagles' suspect cornerbacks in coverage. Philadelphia greatly aided its pass defense with the acquistion from Detroit of cornerback Darius Slay, who can shadow No. 1 receivers in man coverage and is adept playing zone. But the under-the-radar move was signing Hargrave. Coming from Pittsburgh’s 3-4 scheme, many might think Hargrave is a Casey Hampton space-eating clone. He certainly will help the run defense, but the real value for this rapidly ascending player will be playing the 1 Technique alongside tackle Fletcher Cox. In this alignment and scheme, he'll have the freedom to use his quickness and leverage to attack upfield snap after snap.

Bengals sign nose tackle D.J. Reader

Reader, who succeeded Vince Wilfork in Houston, is closer to the Casey Hampton-type interior defensive lineman than Hargrave. But he's also much more than an old-school run plugger. Reader can get up field better than his frame (6-foot-3 and 347 pounds) would suggest. Cincinnati desperately needed to add to its run defense because its linebacking corps was terrible last season. It was shocking to see the Bengals be this aggressive in free agency, but this was a terrific move. Reader will have a ripple effect throughout the defense.

Bears sign defensive end Robert Quinn

Even with Nick Foles in the building now, the route for success for the Bears is with great defense. That starts with a fierce pass rush, which of course is led by Khalil Mack. Akiem Hicks has a lot to do with that pressure as well from the interior, but now Chicago has three true threats. Quinn played extremely well (11.5 sacks) opposite DeMarcus Lawrence in Dallas last season, and should do the same opposite Mack. Leonard Floyd was somewhat disappointing for the Bears at rush end in 2019. Quinn, who was borderline dominant over the past two seasons, makes Chicago’s front seven one of the best groups in the league.

Raiders sign linebacker Cory Littleton

Led by Aaron Donald, the Rams' defense has had plenty of star power over the past few seasons. But somewhat quietly, Littleton developed into one of the better second-level defenders in the league and might be just coming into his own. He has has outstanding speed and range and excels in coverage. That's exactly what the Raiders missed last season on the second level. Having a reliable, every-down linebacker like Littleton is important in coordinator Paul Guenther’s scheme. Las Vegas doubled down at the position by also signing Nick Kwiatkowski, who isn’t quite as gifted as Littleton. But this pairing should quickly turn an area of obvious weakness in 2019 into a strength.

Redskins sign cornerback Kendall Fuller

During Kansas City’s Super Bowl run, safety Tyrann Mathieu received most of the headlines among the back seven defenders. But Fuller, who played for Washington from 2016-17,  had a solid season at outside cornerback and was excellent as a slot defender. He also played at safety when Juan Thornhill was lost for the season with a knee injury. Fuller’s role in Washington is unclear; he'll most likely be a jack-of-all-trades in the secondary.