Atlanta - With a new coach and new GM, the Falcons are looking to remake the team. As well they should! QBs Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington were cut and QB Chris Redman left as a free agent. The Falcons then resigned Harrington and Redman to short-term deals. Ugh. The Falcons signed the biggest free agent RB of the year, San Diego's Michael Turner and with Turner signed, RB Warrick Dunn was cut. TE Alge Crumpler was cut as well as K Morten Anderson (though Anderson will hang out around the stadium just in case new K Jason Elam doesn't work out). The Falcons are also looking to unload CB DeAngelo Hall in a trade. It will be a significantly different Falcons team in 2008.
Carolina - Here's another team that's cleaning house. Among the players given their walking papers were perpetually-injured LB Dan Morgan, perpetually-bad QB David Carr and perpetually-underacheiving RB DeShaun Foster. That means that DeAngelo Williams is finally - finally! - the sole RB in Carolina. (OK, except for free agent signee LaBrandon Toefield, but he's not a threat.) Start moving Williams up your RB draft rankings right now. The Panthers also let WRs Drew Carter and Keary Colbert leave as free agents and then significantly upgraded their WR corps by signing free agents WR Muhsin Muhammad and WR DJ Hackett.
New Orleans - The Saints have been busy this off-season as well. They've focused on resigning their own free agents including WR Devery Henderson, RB Aaron Stecker and TE Eric Johnson. The Saints have also signed QB Mark Brunell, the above-mentioned LB Dan Morgan and obtained LB Jonathan Vilma in a trade. They swapped kickers by bringing in K Martin Gramatica while cutting K Olindo Mare.
Tampa Bay - The Buccaneers seem to be making moves designed to annoy me. They released RB Mike Alstott and RB Michael Pittman (that's good) but then re-signed RB Michael Bennett and signed free-agent RB Warrick Dunn (that's bad). Along with RB Earnest Graham and RB Cadillac Williams, the Bucs still have four starting running backs. Hopefully that will be resolved before fantasy drafts start. Tight ends Anthony Becht and Jerramy Stevens were also released while QB Brian Griese was traded from the Bears for an undisclosed draft pick. That gives the Buccaneers seventeen starting quarterbacks, something else I want to see resolved before fantasy drafts start.