NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2018" kicked off Monday with a double dose of episodes unveiling the players ranked from No. 81 to No. 100. Landing at No. 94: quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose free agency -- which eventually resulted in him moving from Washington to Minnesota -- transfixed NFL observers this offseason. Where does Cousins rank among all the players to join new squads? NFL Network analyst and former NFL quarterback David Carr lists the 10 best new additions for 2018, including free agents, trade acquisitions and rookies.
After seeing what Keenum did last season in Minnesota, I'm not surprised he was Denver's No. 1 target in free agency. The Broncos have been looking for their quarterback since Peyton Manning's retirement following the 2015 season, and it sure looks like they're invested in Keenum, given that they didn't select a QB in the 2018 NFL Draft. Keenum, who can manage this offense well and can play above the Xs and Os, is surrounded by talented receivers in Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and rookie Courtland Sutton. And Denver's defense, which added pass rusher Bradley Chubb with the fifth overall pick, should keep the pressure off the offense and help keep the team in every game.
Cousins sits behind Keenum solely because his impact won't be quite as big. Yet, as a quarterback, his impact is greater than those below him on this list. The former Redskin heads to a team that was one game away from reaching the Super Bowl a season ago, so he's facing an uphill battle, with pressure to get this contender back to the NFC title game and beyond.
The Giants desperately needed help on the offensive line. What better player to sign than Solder, who allowed three sacks over New England's final 16 games last season? He'll be able to protect Eli Manning and provide a huge contribution in the run game. I still believe the Giants should ultimately add more pieces to this unit, but Solder was a great place to start.
Les Snead had one of the best offseasons of any general manager as he added playmaker after playmaker. Quarterbacks often avoid Peters, who was shipped to Los Angeles via trade, unless they have a better-than-average WR1 to work with. Couple this young talent with Aqib Talib, and the Rams suddenly have one of the best cornerback tandems in the league, especially when playing behind a defensive front that already included Aaron Donald and just added Ndamukong Suh. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips must be licking his chops right now.
Last year was a disaster for the Giants from start to finish, with injuries to major offensive players, Eli Manning getting benched (I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one) and what the offense was trying to accomplish as a whole. It was all bad. Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, comes in as a guy who can transcend this offense and will likely be one of the reasons Odell Beckham has a monster year, provided the receiver is healthy. Barkley forces the defense to put the extra defender in the box to stop the run, meaning more one-on-one matchups for OBJ.
The Raiders' receivers room needed a veteran who can show the younger guys how to do things correctly. Michael Crabtree, now in Baltimore, was productive, but Nelson can show players like Amari Cooper and Martavis Bryant how to be true professionals, work hard and consistently produce. Nelson's going to improve immensely from last year's 482-yard season in Green Bay, because he won't have to go against top cornerbacks with Cooper and Bryant in the mix, leaving the 32-year-old to chop up CB2s and CB3s.
Landry is in a similar situation as Nelson in Oakland. Landry, who was traded to Cleveland before signing a five-year contract extension, is a perfect complement to Josh Gordon, who will demand the opponent's best corner, and he'll pair nicely with the style of offense Hue Jackson going to run -- with either Tyrod Taylor or Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
This was a huge signing for the Texans, as Honey Badger can play multiple positions, including safety, cornerback and nickel. Houston will reap the benefits of having Mathieu in the defensive backfield from the get-go when it faces New England, as he has the rare ability to cover Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Plus, Mathieu will be allowed to take chances behind an unreal front seven that features Jadeveon Clowney and a healthy J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus.
The seventh overall pick in the draft has tremendous upside and the arm to throw through the elements in Buffalo. When ranking Allen here, I'm looking more at the coaching staff and how they're going to set Allen up to succeed. The rookie has a legit chance to be the first starter of any quarterback in this draft class, and he could turn this franchise around for the long term. But he'll need to be put in the right situations and learn quickly.
Allen is a tremendous player and gives young Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky a receiver he can count on. Allen is coming off a major knee injury and had an up-and-down relationship with QB Blake Bortles in Jacksonville. In Chicago, though, Allen will be utilized in all the right ways in new coach Matt Nagy's offense and become a highly productive go-to receiver.
JUST MISSED:Derwin James, safety, Los Angeles Chargers (old team: Florida State); Jerick McKinnon, running back, San Francisco 49ers (old team: Minnesota Vikings); Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (old team: New York Giants).
Follow David Carr on Twitter @DCarr8.
