At the quarter mark of the 2017 NFL season, Gregg Rosenthal identifies the shakiest offseason additions.
Jay Cutler, QB, Miami Dolphins
I believed that Cutler could make the young offense around him more entertaining, but the conservative attack and Cutler's seemingly diminished physical skills have resulted in nearly being shut out in back-to-back weeks by the Jets and Saints. It's still too early to give up on this experiment, but coach Adam Gase will need to see progress soon or consider rolling with Matt Moore.
Stephon Gilmore (CB) and Dwayne Allen (TE), New England Patriots
Pinning all of New England's secondary woes on Gilmore is overly simplistic, but Pro Football Focus' No. 95-ranked cornerback (out of 106) through Thursday has clearly struggled to pick up Bill Belichick's scheme. Gilmore's been involved with numerous communication breakdowns that have led to big plays, and he has been called for four penalties, two of which kept Panthers scoring drives alive in last week's home loss to Carolina. The play of the secondary improved in the win at Tampa on Thursday night, but Gilmore's contract indicates the Patriots expect him to be a star.
Allen, acquired in an offseason deal with the Colts, barely cost any trade compensation. But he's the eighth-highest-paid player on the team and has contributed little beyond a few key drops and a lack of timing with Tom Brady. Allen's snap count was down to single digits in Week 4 and he didn't have a catch in Week 5 despite Rob Gronkowski missing the game.
Kenny Britt, WR, Cleveland Browns
Anyone who has followed Britt's roller-coaster career closely can't be too shocked that he's followed up his best NFL season with one making headlines for the wrong reasons. Britt's effort and focus have been questioned with plenty of drops and little efficiency. Other free-agent pickups at wideout are off to slow starts, but Britt's eight catches on 23 targets is in a different class, with two of his drops leading to interceptions and early-season boo birds. Coach Hue Jackson indicated he might be forced to give Britt a "breather," although the Browns don't have healthy or logical replacements to step in.
Eddie Lacy, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Lacy was worth a flier in free agency, just not for $3 million guaranteed at a depressed position. Having received just 16 carries thus far after getting passed on the depth chart by (now-injured) rookie Chris Carson, Lacy could wind up getting passed again by the return of Thomas Rawls.
Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints
There were some great debates this offseason over whether Peterson or Mark Ingram would lead the way in the Saints' backfield. The question has been answered by coach Sean Payton. Ingram has played 137 snaps and rookie Alvin Kamara has earned 93, while Peterson has only been on the field 44 times. The future Hall of Famer has just 85 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches, a number that is perhaps so low because his usage is so predictable. Payton can't quite figure out what to do with Peterson, so the team might use him even less moving forward.
Mike Glennon, QB, Chicago Bears
Free agency comes before the draft, which is how someone like Mike Glennon could get $18.5 million in guarantees on a contract just weeks before the Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky second overall. (The rival Vikings found a fine backup, Case Keenum, for just $2 million.) That sequence of events in Chicago created an impossible situation from the outset, exacerbated by the team's lack of receivers and Glennon's lack of mobility. The last thing this roster can use is a dropback quarterback ready to launch it down the field. The Bears need a mobile quarterback who can accentuate the team's strong running game -- and that player is Trubisky.
Menelik Watson (Denver Broncos), Greg Robinson (Detroit Lions) and Matt Kalil (Carolina Panthers), OT
All three tackles, for varying degrees of investment and varying degrees of desperation.
Kalil cost the most, but he's struggled in Carolina just like he did last season in Minnesota. Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick, was acquired by Detroit for a sixth-round pick as a short-term solution to the team's left tackle problem. He's currently ranked No. 67 out of 68 qualifiers on Pro Football Focus, one spot ahead of Watson. Overall, Broncos executive John Elway directed a strong offseason overhaul, but bringing Watson over from Oakland seemed like a curious move at the time -- and it looks far worse now. The turnstile tackle has given up six sacks and three more quarterback hits in just four games.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
