While Ricky Williams could be the most important acquisition this offseason, it's interesting to note that two of the next-best moves also involved trades.

	Drew Bledsoe could make a huge difference in Buffalo.

Since the trading period began in March, only 19 players shifted teams, a predictably low number because of the salary cap. It's also funny to see that the Super Bowl champ Patriots were deep enough to unload two players who could make the biggest difference on their new teams -- quarterback Drew Bledsoe in Buffalo and wide receiver Terry Glenn in Green Bay.

The clear trend this offseason was the difficulty in finding impact players through trades and free agency, as teams are finding ways to keep their best players. As important as the quarterback position is for an offense, no team found clear-cut starters in free agency but some got bargains. Gus Frerotte competes against Jon Kitna for the Bengals starting job. Shane Matthews has a good chance to beat out Danny Wuerffel in D.C. Jeff Blake, at the NFL veteran minimum of $750,000, is available in case Chris Redman can't handle the Ravens starting job.

Approximately 25 players hit the free agent lottery with $3 million-a-year-plus contracts by moving to other teams. Only two -- linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and defensive end Joe Johnson -- netted $5 million a year contracts. Eight got $4 million a year. Because teams are doing a good job of retaining their top players, fewer impact players hit the market.

So, other than the Dolphins' acquisition of Ricky Williams, here are the other players who will have the biggest impact on their new teams:

1. Drew Bledsoe, quarterback, Buffalo Bills: The acquisition of Bledsoe has excited Buffalo fans reliving the Jim Kelly days, and that's a little unfair. Bledsoe is 30 and has thrown for 29,657 yards. In some ways, he moves to a team with receivers who can better fit his skills for going downfield. Eric Moulds, Peerless Price and rookie Josh Reed form a solid three-receiver attack. But how far can Bledsoe take a 3-13 that in clearly in the rebuilding mode? It's unfair to think that they could jump into playoff contention even though Bledsoe establishes credibility on offense. He's playing behind an upgraded offensive line that may take until midseason to come together, so his goal is staying healthy. Still, no player acquired this offseason is in a position such as Bledsoe. His performance can make or break the Bills season.

2. Terry Glenn, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers: The Packers offense hit a rut with the trio of Antonio Freeman, Bill Schroeder and Corey Bradford, so coach Mike Sherman rolled the dice. Glenn's acquisition was the biggest gamble, but it's also the safest since it only cost a fourth-round choice. If Glenn can return to the 75-catch, 1,100-yard level, then all will be well. He still has speed and breakaway ability. Dependability has been his problem of late, and it seems unlikely that he will jump back to a rookie season in which he caught 90 passes for 1,132 yards. Actually, Glenn's re-emergence as one of the league's better No. 1 receivers isn't the real gamble with the offense. The bigger gamble is whether Robert Ferguson, rookie Javon Walker and Donald Driver are ready to step up into being the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers.

3. Johnnie Morton, wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil knew what they were getting in Morton. They paid him a $5.5 million signing bonus to produce 80 catches, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. Morton gives quarterback Trent Green the dependable wide receiver he missed last season. Dropped passes early in games drained Green as games went on and made him force throws that turned into incompletions. Once tight end Tony Gonzalez reaches a contract agreement after July 15, Green will have two pass-catchers to count on and hope that Eddie Kennison, Sylvester Morris or Snoop Minnis emerge on the other side of the receiving corps. Jerry Rice proved to the Raiders offense the value of a receiver capable of consistently catching five or six passes a game. Morton could do the same for the Chiefs.

4. La'Roi Glover, defensive tackle, Dallas Cowboys: Adding an inside pass-rusher who has averaged 10 sacks a year for the past five years should improve another statistical category -- turnovers. The Cowboys forced only 25 turnovers. Playoff teams usually get around 35 or more. Glover offers two positives. His ability to use his quickness to get around centers and guards could force fumbles. Second, his pressure on the quarterback should make it easier for the cornerbacks, who were forced to stay in coverage too long last year. The Cowboys are hoping that Glover can do for their defense what John Randle did for the Seahawks last year, add a Pro Bowl sack specialist who can pressure from the inside.

5. Jeremiah Trotter, middle linebacker, Washington Redskins: The Eagles had a three-game gap on the Redskins last year, and certainly Trotter can't be expected to bridge the difference. But he will help. He was one of the most valuable players for the Eagles defense. He will be playing with a vengeance because the Eagles let him go to make way for Barry Gardner as the starter. Trotter was a pass-rushing threat in Eagles' blitz crazy system. New defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis probably won't ask him to reenact those skills, but his addition to go along with LaVar Arrington and Jessie Armstead gives them perhaps the best linebacking corps in the division.

6. Sam Cowart, outside linebacker, New York Jets: Coming off an Achilles tendon tear, Cowart might be considered a gamble, but this is the type of gamble that could be one of the best of the offseason. When he's healthy, Cowart is a Junior Seau type impact player and the Jets are using him at their most valuable position on defense -- weakside linebacker. Cowart reunites with defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who knows how to put Cowart in position to be a dominant player. The Jets changed six starters on defense. If Cowart can return to Pro Bowl status, the Jets should move into the middle of the pact defensively instead of the 19th ranking of last season.

7. Duane Starks, cornerback, Arizona Cardinals: Like Bledsoe, former Ravens cornerback Duane Starks is being asked a lot. He comes to a 28th-ranked defense that has seven of their top 10 defensive linemen in their first or second seasons. Stark wasn't the No. 1 coverage cornerback in Baltimore, but he is expected to be a shutdown cornerback in Arizona along with making it easier for the defensive line to evolve. What will make life harder for Starks is that he comes to a division that features the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks. Cornerbacks get headaches thinking about what they have to do week-in and week-out against these type of offenses.

8. Keenan McCardell, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: McCardell caught 93 passes for 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns for the Jaguars last year. He could end up being the missing piece to the Bucs passing offense. First, McCardell's addition allows Keyshawn Johnson to move over to split end where he creates mismatches against smaller corners. Plus, Johnson shouldn't have two or three defenders around him as much as last year when he ran the flanker routes with limited threats on the other side of the field. McCardell is a natural flanker who gets open. The Bucs are thinking championship, and McCardell, one of the most productive receivers in football the past five years, is a championship caliber player.

9. Joe Johnson, defensive end, Green Bay Packers: This signing was curious. The Packers finished one sack behind the Saints (53) atop the NFC list last season. They were the third best sack team in football. In Johnson, the Packers hope they acquired the complete package. He had nine sacks last year, 12 sacks the year before. He's solid against the run, but most importantly, Johnson is a leader who turns 30 July 11 and is in his prime. The Packers have been drafting for pass-rushers at defensive end for years but they haven't found a three-down end since drafting Vonnie Holliday. The curious part of the singing is that they have to extend Holliday's contract past this season when he becomes a free agent. Holliday wants to top Johnson's six-year, $33 million deal, and a holdout could occur.

10. Kenny Mixon and Lorenzo Bromell, defensive ends, Minnesota Vikings: For years, the Vikings have been letting defensive linemen leave and drafting young prospects who haven't worked out. Adding these two former Dolphins defensive ends could be the keys to their season. With Mixon, Bromell and Lance Johnson, the Vikings have the best trio of ends who can both stop the run and pass-rush. Competition on the defensive line will improve. More importantly, the commitment to sign Mixon and Bromell show a long-needed change of philosophy. The Vikings are finally showing a commitment to defense instead of adding more toys on offense. That may not be enough to turn around the 27th ranked defense this season, but it's a start.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.