The Rich Top 5: Ranking the NFL’s Most Impactful Offseason Additions

Rich ran his top five most impactful NFL offseason additions, with one rule. He was not going to lean on a draft pick at the top of the list, because nobody can yet know what those players will be.

Five was the move that two teams are still trying to absorb. Mike Evans is a San Francisco 49er. Rich said he is not sure people have fully processed the impact. Evans on a contender is one story. The hole he leaves in Tampa Bay is another. Both teams have division and Super Bowl ambitions, and Evans, even with last year's injuries, almost reached a 1,000-yard season. He is a future Hall of Famer who switched sides.

Four was the running game in Kansas City. The Chiefs have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kareem Hunt's rookie season. They now have Kenneth Walker III. Rich's argument was about the use case as much as the player. Patrick Mahomes coming off a serious knee injury benefits from a 20-carry workhorse and more play-action. The detail that landed for Rich was the inversion built into the season. A former Super Bowl MVP, Walker, is going to be handing the ball off to a current Super Bowl MVP.

Three was Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Rich framed it from the Broncos' point of view. They almost made the Super Bowl. With a healthy quarterback, they believe they would have. With Bo Nix throwing, Courtland Sutton commanding attention, and a strong run game, Waddle is the vertical piece that completes the offense. Denver had cap space and a 30th pick. They chose to spend the muscle on a real receiver while they still had it.

Two was the Los Angeles Rams' acquisition of cornerback Trent McDuffie. Rich made the case as a multiplier. McDuffie helping the secondary means Jared Verse can get to the quarterback faster. An interception means a shorter field for Matthew Stafford. The trade also freed the Rams to use the 13th pick on Ty Simpson without losing real-time leverage. The 29th pick they spent for McDuffie, in Rich's read, was a win-now signal that the rest of the league should pay attention to.

One was Max Crosby being reacquired by the Las Vegas Raiders after a one-day layover in Baltimore.

"This is so impactful that we might not have seen the end of it just yet," Rich said.

The detail Rich kept returning to was the brief window when Crosby was off the books. That window may have planted the idea that the Ravens used to acquire Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum's exit may, in turn, force Baltimore to rebuild around a missing center. The story, Rich argued, is still moving, and the consequences could extend into next March when the Ravens start calling around for cap relief and discover that people might not pick up.

The bonus pick was the one Rich has refused to stop talking about since the draft. Vega Ioane, the Penn State right guard taken 14th overall.

"I'm not going to quit this kid," Rich said. He has been bringing Ioane up daily, much to the rest of the cast's amusement. The case is straightforward. Big Ten lineman fits a team that wants to run, runs behind a young quarterback who can also run, and adds to an offense with the personnel to use him.

"Wait till I'm right," Rich said.