The 25 best moves NFL teams made in 2022

Turning the page on a franchise player is never an easy decision, but the Seahawks picked the exact right time to move Wilson. Coming off a poor season with missed time due to a finger injury, Seattle received a massive haul of draft picks and players (Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris) from Denver and has seen far better play from Geno Smith than what the Broncos received from Wilson. With the bevy of draft picks that includes two first-rounders, two second-rounders, and a fifth-round pick, the team now must decide whether to pay Smith or draft a long-term answer at quarterback.

It appears Brown was one of the final missing pieces in the Philly offense, as the top wideout has been spectacular in his new digs with career bests across the board. The cost of a first- and third-round pick was worth it for the Eagles, with one of the top offenses in the NFL and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Daboll took a long and winding road as an assistant in the NFL and college, but his success with Josh Allen in Buffalo made him one of the hottest commodities on the coaching circuit. Daboll had done the same with Daniel Jones and helped lead a Giants squad with limited talent to the playoffs in his first season.

Jaguars owners Shad Khan made one of the worst head coaching hires ever when he brought in Urban Meyer in 2021. He made up for it by bringing in Pederson, with a proven track record in Philadelphia. Pederson helped develop Trevor Lawrence and a bevy of new players and led the team to their first division title since 2017.

The acquisition of Hill didn't come cheap, as Miami traded five draft picks to the Chiefs and signed Hill to a massive four-year deal. It's clearly worth the effort so far, as Hill helped revitalize the Dolphins' offense with a career year. The speedster is nearing age 30 but hasn't shown any sign of slowing down.

Philly proved you could never have too many pass rushers, finishing off their ferocious front seven with Reddick. He made the Pro Bowl and was among the league's sack leaders in the first season of a three-year, $45 million contract.

The Sean McVay coaching tree continues to impress. O'Connell replaced Mike Zimmer in Minnesota and clearly gave the offense a jolt en route to an NFC North title. He led the team to one miracle win after another, including a record-breaking 33-point comeback against the Colts, and the team was an unbelievably fortunate 11-0 in one-score games during the regular season.

Jacksonville did a great job adding to their weapons to help Trevor Lawrence, and Engram was one of the most notable additions. The former Giant managed to set career highs in catches (73) and yards (766) as one of the most productive receiving tight ends in the league. He's set for a big raise after signing for $9 million this season.

It's sweet to take a player from a division rival when that move works out. The Vikings signed Smith away from the Packers following a lost season due to injury, and the pass rusher looks like huge bargain after recording 10 sacks in the first season of a three-year, $42 million deal.

The trade of Cooper was primarily a cost-cutting move for the Cowboys, at basically just the price of a fifth-round pick for Cleveland. The veteran has had his sixth career 1,000-yard season despite inconsistency at quarterback, giving the Browns a much-needed No. 1 wideout following the losses of Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry.

The addition of Gilmore wasn't without risk after the 32-year-old played a total of 19 games over the previous two years, but the risk paid off after signing him to a two-year, $20 million deal. He was one of the few things that went right for Indy, proving he could be a lockdown corner once again in 2022.

With the loss of Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs needed another wideout to step up. Smith-Schuster clearly did that after signing a one-year, deal worth about $10 million, catching 77% of his targets 101 for 933 yards. He's now set to be paid in free agency.

Wagner's time in Seattle ended after 10 seasons, but he proved to the league that he's not finished. The middle linebacker has continued to play at an elite level after signing a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Rams, recording six sacks and two picks on top of his gaudy tackle numbers.

Woolen was arguably the most productive rookie in the 2022 class, despite being drafted in the fifth round. The UTSA alum recorded six interceptions to make the Pro Bowl and gives the young Seahawks secondary even more reason for hope going forward.

Gardner fell into New York's lap with the fourth overall pick, so it's not as if they did something miraculous. However, they did pull the trigger on Gardner, who was a clear shutdown corner in his rookie season and appears to be a player for the organization to build around going forward.

Philadelphia was craving a complementary corner to line up opposite Darius Slay, and Bradberry fulfilled the role beautifully. He was a bargain on a one-year, $10 million contract, leaving opposing quarterbacks with a sub-50% completion rate against him.

San Francisco opened their wallets to sign Ward to a three-year, $40.5 million contract after four solid years in KC. He added to what was arguably the best secondary in the league, recording a career-high in tackles while showing off lockdown man-to-man coverage skills.

Smith made his desire to be traded known in the preseason and was eventually moved by Chicago at the deadline for second and fifth-round picks. It's a hefty price for a linebacker, but Smith is arguably the best in the league at his position and performed like it following the deal. Baltimore signed Smith to a lucrative extension late in the year.

The Jets had plenty of good wideout choices with the 10th pick in the draft but seemed to hit the right button when choosing Wilson. He topped 1,000 yards in his rookie season despite very poor play at quarterback and gives the team a long-term No. 1 wide receiver.

Whether it's the system or Purdy, there's no doubt the 49ers are getting the most from the final pick in the 2022 draft. Purdy has emerged as the team's starter heading into the playoffs following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, going a perfect 5-0 in his starts. He could really make San Francisco think about who their starter should be in 2023 if he can lead them on a playoff run.

The veteran McKinnon saw limited work with the Chiefs last season but saw a much bigger role in 2022 after re-signing for just over $1 million. Splitting snaps with Isiah Pacheco, McKinnon had 803 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns as the team's do-everything back.

The signing of Chase Edmonds garnered most of the attention, but Mostert turned out to be the far more impactful running back for Miami. He was an excellent fit after playing under Mike McDaniel in San Francisco and spent most of the season as the team's lead back with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage after signing for just over $3 million.

An accomplished college player, James never really found his role in four seasons with San Francisco. The Giants found a diamond in James this season, as he emerged late in the season as the team's top wideout and punt returner.

The signing of Christian Kirk got most of the headlines, but the under-the-radar addition of Jones was better value for the dollar. Jones recorded 82 catches for 823 yards and five scores in a strong year after signing his three-year, $24 million contract.

Safety has been an issue for the Colts over the last few seasons, but McLeod helped stop the bleeding. The veteran signed for about $1.8 million but managed to start most of the year, nearing 100 tackles and doing an adequate job against the pass.