We have but it's been a longggggggg time since we have seen this many upgrades to the roster.
Last year, we brought in:
LB Kenneth Murray Jr. through a trade
CB Kaiir Elam through a trade
DT Kenny Clark through a trade
DT Quinnen Williams through a trade
LB Logan Wilson through a trade
DE Jadeveon Clowney in free agency
DE Payton Turner in free agency
DT Solomon Thomas in free agency
DE Dante Fowler in free agency
LB Jack Sanborn in free agency
That's 10 defensive moves without considering the draft. I'm sure the team believed all of them were upgrades.
WR George Pickens through a trade
QB Joe Milton through a trade
RB Javonte Williams through free agency
RB Miles Sanders through free agency
G Robert Jones through free agency
T Hakeem Adeniji through free agency
That's six offensive moves for a total of 16 without considering draft picks.
This year:
DT Otito Ogbonnia through free agency
DT Jonathan Bullard through free agency
DE Rashan Gary through a trade
DE Von Miller through free agency
DE Tyrus Wheat through free agency
LB Dee Winters through a trade
LB Curtis Robinson through free agency
CB Cobie Durant through free agency
S Jalen Thompson through free agency
S PJ Locke through free agency
So that's 10, although I might be missing a minor addition or two that does not have a chance of making the roster.
QB Sam Howell
OL Nick Leverett (in place of OL Matt Hennessey)
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR Denzel Mims
WR Tyler Johnson
So that's five or so. I think I missed a couple of minor guys both years who were really just camp fodder, but the number of new additions, not including the draft or UDFAs, is about the same.
I know there's optimism every year about the players we've acquired, but I see this as a fairly typical offseason for us. It's pretty much the same amount of parts. They are different parts, but they usually are when you change a coordinator. The only big difference I saw was the three-year contract we gave to Thompson. That was unusual for this front office.
Last year, our trade focus seemed to be on younger players who we thought we could coach up. That failed miserably. This year, it seems to have been on proven vets who have flaws that made them cheaper than the more expensive players available.
