By the end of the weekend, 20 NFL teams are going to be able to shift their complete focus to the future.
And as always happens, several of those teams will try to fix things through free agency, though it’s not the most sustainable way to build a winner.
As noted by Albert Breer of the NFL Network, the latest sign of the hit-and-miss reality of free agency can be seen on the Pro Bowl rosters.
Of the 86 players chosen for the Pro Bowl, only four of them changed teams last offseason. And two of those guys (Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Bills running back LeSean McCoy) were acquired by trade.
That leaves just two who changed teams via unrestricted free agency last offseason — Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and Cardinals guard Mike Iupati.
Of course, there are other notable players who have changed addresses in previous offseasons that way, but the sheer numbers underscore the reality that it’s better to build teams via the draft, and the ones who are available in free agency are seldom the kind of impact players teams tend to overspend for.