The first wave of free agency is officially in the books. While there are still a few interesting players on the market, generally speaking, all of the instant-impact starters have already found new homes. As is the custom at this time of the year, it’s time to take a look at the winners and losers from the NFL free agency period and examine which teams got better and worse over the past week.
2020 NFL Free Agency Winners and Losers
Winners
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals pulled off the heist of the century when they somehow managed to get DeAndre Hopkins and dump David Johnson’s contract for just a second-round pick and change. Kliff Kingsbury loves his wide receivers, and this move frees up Arizona to address the offensive line with their first pick in the NFL Draft. That trade alone earns them a spot at the winners’ table, but bolstering the defense with guys like De’Vondre Campbell, Jordan Phillips, and Devon Kennard also help.
Miami Dolphins
After overachieving with one of worst rosters in the league, the Miami Dolphins were one of the biggest spenders in free agency. Plenty of teams have gone awry with having too much money, but Miami appears to be addressing the important positions. Signing Byron Jones to a record-setting contract and pairing him with Xavien Howard should give the Dolphins one of the better secondaries in the league, and Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson, and Emmanuel Ogbah should make the pass rush a league-average unit. Ereck Flowers was something of an overpay, but he’s a decent guard and helps solidify the offense. Jordan Howard is a fine running back and Ted Karras played well at center for the New England Patriots. If the Dolphins can land their quarterback of the future in the NFL Draft, then they should be able to compete in a wide-open AFC East.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers replaced turnover-prone Jameis Winston with the greatest quarterback to ever walk the Earth. That alone earns you a spot among the free agency winners. Brady might not have another 2007 in him, but most of his statistical decline last year was due to his untested and untalented supporting cast. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the best receivers Brady’s had since Randy Moss, and he should return the team to legitimate Super Bowl contention. Bringing back Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul are solid moves in their own right.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns may have overpaid for guys like Austin Hooper and Jack Conklin, but there’s no denying they’re a lot better today than they were a week ago. Now armed with solid protection and a group of skill position players including Hooper, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and David Njoku, quarterback Baker Mayfield has no excuse not to succeed in 2020.
Losers
Houston Texans
Bill O’Brien has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. Everyone knows about the horror that is the Hopkins deal, so we won’t spend too much time on that. Since trading Hopkins, O’Brien has still managed to make some of the worst moves in the entire offseason. Handing out a three-year, $27 million contract to Randall Cobb in the year 2020 is NFL malpractice, and extending Ka’imi Fairbairn is a poor use of resources. Poor Deshaun Watson.
New England Patriots
The Patriots typically find themselves on the wrong side of free agency, yet always find a way to be one of the elite teams in the NFL. However, this might truly be the end of the road for New England’s two-decade run of dominance. The Patriots lost Tom Brady and now have 2018 fourth-rounder Jarrett Stidham atop the quarterback depth chart. As if that wasn’t enough, they still don’t have anybody at wide receiver or tight end, lost several core members of their defense, and traded away Duron Harmon to clear up cap space. Signing Adrian Phillips was a good move, but their next-best signing is a fullback. Tank for Trevor?
Chicago Bears
Remember when Ryan Pace won NFL Executive of the Year in 2018? That feels like a lifetime ago, as just about move he’s made since has been the wrong one. Jimmy Graham hasn’t played at a high level since 2016, but that didn’t stop Pace from handing out a two-year, $16 million contract for the former star. Robert Quinn is a solid starter, but he’s not nearly worth the five-year, $70 million contract he received. Nick Foles is an upgrade from Mitch Trubisky, but he’s still a below-average starting quarterback. Giving up draft capital to acquire one of the worst contracts in football when you’re short on cap space and draft picks is never a good thing.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are in the midst of one of the worst rebuilds in recent memory. Building a true contender is supposed to be about getting younger across the board and retaining elite players at key positions. Instead, Matt Patricia seems intent on building a roster entirely comprised of New England castaways. Jamie Collins and Duron Harmon are both on the wrong side of 30, and Collins has a history of being unproductive after receiving a large payday. The Lions sent star cornerback Darius Slay away for essentially nothing, and need Desmond Trufant to have a bounce-back season. The lone good move was signing offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai to help shore up that offensive line.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
