A lot of news items got lost in the shuffle Wednesday in the wake of the BountyGate suspensions and Tim Tebow trade bonanza. Robert Griffin III's pro day barely got attention, so moves like Buffalo's signing of defensive end Mark Anderson were totally ignored.
Handing Mario Williams $20 million per year over the next two years makes sense. Giving Anderson a reported $8 million guaranteed is harder to defend. Anderson has struggled for most of his career, with his rookie season in Chicago and the tail end of the 2011 season in New England standing out as expectations. Journeymen are usually journeymen for a reason.
Anderson is certainly set up for success. Williams will draw double teams on the other side of the line. Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams form one of the best defensive tackle duos in the league. Add it all up, and you can make the argument that Buffalo already had the best defensive line in the league.
I just won't be the one making that argument. Here are my six best defensive lines in the league following the early free agency frenzy.
6. 49ers:Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, and Isaac Sopoaga don't get a lot of of headlines, but they get the job done as well as any 3-4 defense in the league. Aldon Smith is technically a linebacker, but he's a pure pass rusher.
5. Lions: Kyle Vanden Bosch isn't at his peak, but he's still a solid starter. Ndamukong Suh should be better in year three after a sophomore slump, while Cliff Avril is one of my favorite pass rushers.
4. Bills:Mario* *Williams is a fantastic pass-rusher, but he might not even be one of the five most complete ends in the league when you consider his average play against the run. Kyle Williams is one of the most underrated players in football, but he's coming off a serious injury. Dareus is expected to get better, but we have to see it.
That's the thing about the Bills line. They have potential to be the very best, but we have to see it all come together first.
3. Eagles:Trent Cole might just be the most complete defensive end in football. Jason Babin topped 18 sacks in his first year in Philly. Cullen Jenkins was another "Dream Team" pickup that was worth the money, while Mike Patterson is a fine starter at defensive tackle.
2. Ravens:Terrence Cody clogs up the middle. Haloti Ngata is a beast that is unfairly athletic for his size. The Ravens need to add depth, but I'm ranking them so high because Terrell Suggs is really a defensive end even if he's listed as a linebacker. He plays with his hand on the ground the vast majority of the time.
When the Ravens are rolling, there isn't a scarier group in the league.
1. Giants: No one can match the talent and depth of the Giants' defensive line. Jason Pierre-Paul made more game-changing plays than any defender in football last year. Justin Tuck is a rock. They have Osi Umenyiora essentially coming off the bench. The defensive tackles -- Chris Canty and Linval Joseph -- are very underrated.
Okay, now comes the part where you tell me why I'm wrong.
