Part Two of our NFL free agency kicks off with the Las Vegas Raiders. You can find grades for the first 16 teams here.
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: RB Ameer Abdullah (one year, $1.85M)
- Released: QB Brian Hoyer
- Re-signed: C Andre James (three years, $24M)
- Released: DI Jerry Tillery
- Signed: DI Christian Wilkins (four years, $110M)
- Signed: QB Gardner Minshew (two years, $25M)
- Released: QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- Released: WR Hunter Renfrow
The Raiders caught themselves one of the biggest fish in the pond, signing DL Christian Wilkins to a gigantic four year, $110M deal with $82.75M guaranteed.
Wilkins is a fantastic defensive lineman – having him line up opposite Maxx Crosby is nightmare fuel for opposing offenses – but I’m not sure he fits the timeline for the Raiders. Wilkins is already 29, and the Raiders aren’t set to compete for a Super Bowl in the next three years. Their defense will be improved (but still flawed), especially with another season under Antonio Pierce and DC Patrick Graham, but their offense is a bit of a mess.
Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew to “compete” with Aiden O’Connell for the starting job, but he’s only getting paid backup money and, despite an ok season after being forced into the starting role in Indianapolis, he should remain a backup. You can point to his numbers and say he played great, but watch an entire Colts game from last season and tell me you feel the same way. O’Connell didn’t show anything last offseason that would make you think he’s ready to lead a team to the playoffs either. It feels like the Raiders are banking on drafting a starting quarterback, but they’re not going to be getting a day one starter with the thirteenth overall pick. Not to mention the Vikings looking they’re getting set to trade up, it’s likely that 4 or 5 quarterbacks will be drafted in the top ten.
Losing Josh Jacobs also hurts – despite Pierce’s belief, it’s hard to imagine getting the same production from Zamir White over the course of a full season that Jacobs can provide.
Wilkins is a fantastic player and a great asset to any team – I’m just concerned that his best years will be wasted in Vegas. New GM Tom Telesco (the reason why the Chargers are currently in salary cap hell) seems to have brought the same issues he had in Los Angeles with him to Vegas.
Free Agency Grade: C+
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LB Eric Kendricks
- Signed: RB Gus Edwards (two years, $6.5M)
- Signed: TE Will Dissly (three years, $14M)
- Re-signed: S Alohi Gilman (two years, $11 million)
New head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are bringing their hard nosed running game to Los Angeles and started off their reign by signing former Raven Gus Edwards to replace Austin Ekeler, and bringing in blocking tight end WIll Dissly to replace Gerald Everett in free agency. Harbaugh’s hands are fairly tied this offseason – at the start of free agency, the team had 4 of the top 12 cap hits on their roster (Mike Williams, Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen). The mismanagement of the cap from the previous regime has led Harbaugh and co to make some several major moves. Harbaugh was able to keep Bosa and Mack on restructured deals, but Williams has been designated for release, and on Thursday the club announced they traded Allen to the Bears for some day three draft compensation. Quentin Johnston is now listed as the team’s WR1, and if his rookie season is any indication, that’s not good news.
Harbaugh may be entering a feel it out season in 2024 before he gets a real opportunity to build the team how he wants, and the Chargers do have the 5th overall pick to bring in an impact player (or trade down). Low grade for this offseason, but with an asterisk.
Free Agency Grade: D*
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: C Brian Allen
- Re-signed: WR Demarcus Robinson (one year, $4M)
- Re-signed: G Kevin Dotson (three years, $48M)
- Signed: G Jonah Jackson (three years, $51M)
- Signed: TE Colby Parkinson (three years, $22.5M)
- Signed: CB Darious Williams (three years, $22.5M)
The Rams know that if they want to succeed in 2024 they need to protect Matthew Stafford at all costs. They made huge investments in their offensive line, re-signing guard Kevin Dotson and bringing in Jonah Jackson from Detroit to play the right and left guard respectively. It appears that Steve Avila, their 2nd round pick in 2023, will move to center and form one of the top interior line units in the league.
Dotson is a particularly impressive story as the Rams traded just a 4th and 5th round pick to the Steelers for Dotson, a 5th and a 6th in 2021 and turned him into the second highest rated guard in 2023.
Darious Williams doesn’t get enough attention for what he does on defense – he tied his career high in interceptions (four) in 2023 while only allowing two passing touchdowns, and had the fourth highest rated coverage grade in the NFL. He’s getting a little long in the tooth, but the $7.5M cap hit is more than reasonable.
Bringing back Demarcus Robinson for one more year at an extremely reasonable rate is a stellar move as Robinson became a key contributor down the stretch for the Rams – once he took over for Tutu Atwell as the WR3 his usage rates were comparable to those of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and he was Stafford’s favorite target in the red zone.
Unfortunately the Rams now have to try and piece together the massive hole (figuratively and literally) left behind by Aaron Donald’s retirement that he announced on Friday, so it looks like Sean McVay still has work to do.
Free Agency Grade: B
Miami Dolphins
- Released: EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah
- Released: CB Keion Crossen
- Released: LB Jerome Baker
- Signed: DI Isaiah Mack (one year, $1.125M)
- Signed: DI Daviyon Nixon (one year, $985K)
- Signed: TE Jonnu Smith (two years, $10M)
- Re-signed: S Elijah Campbell (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: P Jake Bailey (two years, $4.2M)
- Re-signed: CB Nik Needham (TBD)
- Signed: LB Anthony Walker Jr. (one year, TBD)
- Signed: LB Jordyn Brooks (three years, $26.25M)
- Signed: C Aaron Brewer (three years, $21M)
- Signed: EDGE Shaquil Barrett (one year, TBD)
- Signed: S Jordan Poyer (one year, TBD)
- Signed: CB Kendall Fuller (two year, $16.5M)
The Dolphins have a long list of signings and re-signings over the past week, but that only matches the departures the team will have to overcome. Gone is elite DT Christian Wilkins, G Robert Hunt, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, and S Brandon Jones in free agency, on top of releasing Edge Emmanuel Ogbah, CB Keion Crossen and LB Jerome Baker.
The signing of Shaq Barrett fills a need at the edge, but at 31 it’s hard to say how impactful he’ll be this coming season.
Safety Jordan Poyer is a good pick up as not only has he been a high end safety for years in the NFL, but it takes away a captain from their division rivals Bills. However, he’ll be 33 by the time the season kicks off so he’s at risk of hitting a very steep cliff in the near future.
New center Aaron Brewer is a top tier run blocker in the NFL, but he also allowed the most quarterback pressures by a center last season with 68, and we’ve seen how much Tua Tagovailoa struggles when he faces pressure.
Jordyn Brooks will help give that defense a little more speed and pass rushing from the linebacker position, so locking in the 26 year old for three years at a very reasonable rate is good business.
The late week signing of Kendall Fuller was a nice move as well, as Fuller will be able to step in and start opposite of Jalen Ramsey from day 1 to replace Xavier Howard.
Despite a couple of nice signings, it’s really hard to look at the Dolphins roster and say that they got much better this free agency period. They’ve found bodies to come in and replace the ones that are no longer in the building, but overall it seems like a net loss for the Dolphins, if only slightly.
Free Agency Grade: C
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: RB Alexander Mattison
- Re-signed: TE Nick Muse (TBD)
- Re-signed: TE Johnny Mundt (one year, $2.5M)
- Signed: EDGE Jonathan Greenard (four years, $76M)
- Re-signed: G Blake Brandel (three years, TBD)
- Re-signed: T David Quessenberry (TBD)
- Signed: EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel (two years, $20M)
- Signed: LB Blake Cashman (three years, $22.5M)
- Signed: QB Sam Darnold (one year, TBD)
- Signed: K John Parker Romo (TBD)
- Signed: RB Aaron Jones (one year, $6M)
- Released: DI Dean Lowry
- Signed: WR Brandon Powell (one year, TBD)
The Vikings aren’t capable of getting a good grade in free agency. They lost their franchise quarterback, and replaced him (for the time being) with Sam Darnold. The Vikings were reportedly making a hard push to bring back Cousins before he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, but in reality, the Vikings should have had this taken care of last year.
The Vikings have the 11th overall pick in the draft, but the three teams after them (Broncos, Raiders, Saints) are all candidates to trade up to try and select a quarterback. Instead of biting the bullet and signing Cousins to an extension (which would also keep Justin Jefferson happy), the Vikings have to spend assets themselves to move up in the draft. They’ve already authored a trade with the Texans involving only draft picks, so appears that they’re stocking up to make a move at the draft. Until I see them with a top three pick, their free agency grade will remain low.
Outside of quarterback, the Vikings were lucky to be able to swoop in and sign Aaron Jones away from a division rival. Jones has injury concerns every year and is about to hit the running back cliff, but he’s a high end talent when healthy and the Vikings were pretty barren at the position outside of the smaller, change of pace sophomore Ty Chandler.
Jonathan Greenard had a major breakout last season in Houston, and at 26 years old the contract should age well. But I’m not sure that he’ll be better than Danielle Hunter for at least this season. Investing in a young up and coming pass rusher in a good defensive environment is a good move for the long term plans of the organization.
Andrew van Ginkel should help offset the departure of Marcus Davenport, but without a quarterback in place, it’s hard to dispute that the Vikings got worse this week.
Free Agency Grade: D+
New England Patriots
- Released: DI Lawrence Guy
- Released: CB J.C. Jackson
- Released: S Adrian Phillips
- Franchise-tagged: S Kyle Dugger
- Signed: T Chukwuma Okorafor (one year, $4M)
- Re-signed: TE Hunter Henry (three years, $27M)
- Re-signed: WR Kendrick Bourne (three years, $19.5M)
- Signed: RB Antonio Gibson (three years, $11.25M)
- Released: WR DeVante Parker
- Re-signed: T Mike Onwenu (three years, $57M)
- Signed: QB Jacoby Brissett (one year, $8M)
- Signed: LB Sione Takitaki (two years, $6.5M)
- Re-signed: WR Jalen Reagor (one year, $1.29M)
- Re-signed: EDGE Josh Uche (one year, $3M)
- Signed: TE Austin Hooper (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: EDGE Anfernee Jennings (three years, $12M)
The Patriots were reportedly going after Calvin Ridley aggressively before the Tennessee Titans swooped in and overpaid, so they still desperately need to overhaul their wide receiver room.
As a result, while the Patriots have been active in their first free agency period post Bill Belichick, none of their signings have broken the bank.
They’re bringing back most of their key free agents, while letting only TE Mike Gesicki and LB Mack Wilson walk while trading away 2023 starting QB Mac Jones for 5 cents on the dollar.
Kendrick Bourne is on a reasonable 3 year deal but shouldn’t be entering the season as their WR1, and if Antonio Gibson still has some juice left he’s a rookie quarterback’s dream as a safety valve in the flat.
The signing of Jacoby Brisset was also smart. Brisset is a solid if not spectacular quarterback, but gives the Patriots more options in the draft than they previously had. Brisset can certainly become a mentor for Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye (whoever falls to the Pats at 3rd overall), or they can ride Brisset for this season and fix their receiving room by taking Marvin Harrison Jr with their pick. Trading down also becomes a viable option – there are plenty of holes throughout the Pats roster, so recouping a boatload of assets and kickstarting a rebuild is intriguing if they aren’t enamored with the quarterbacks left when it’s their time to draft.
Nothing too splashy in New England (and after looking at the size of the Ridley deal, that is probably for the best) but I like what they accomplished.
Free Agency Grade: B-
New Orleans Saints
- Released: S Marcus Maye
- Extended: S Tyrann Mathieu (two years, $13M)
- Signed: FB Zander Horvath (two years, $1.918M)
- Signed: LB Willie Gay (one year, max $5M)
- Signed: WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. (two years, TBD)
Nothing really changes with the New Orleans Saints. Another offseason of restructuring contracts to squeeze under the salary cap and push their massive cap issues further down the road. With the NFC South being as weak as it is, the Saints convince themselves each offseason that they can still contend despite being unable to make any major additions to their roster.
Willie Gay is a solid but not outstanding linebacker, and Wilson is nothing more than a depth receiver in the room.
The Saints M.O. eventually has to change – competing for a divisional title just to lose in the first round cannot continually be the season goal for your franchise.
Free Agency Grade: D-
New York Giants
- Released: G Mark Glowinski
- Re-signed: LS Casey Kreiter (TBD)
- Re-signed: WR Gunner Olszewski (one year, TBD)
- Let walk: RB Saquon Barkley
- Signed: G Jon Runyan (three years, $30M)
- Signed: RB Devin Singletary (three years, $16.5M)
- Signed: T Jermaine Eluemunor (two years, $14M)
- Acquired via trade: EDGE Brian Burns
- Signed: QB Drew Lock (one year, $5M)
- Signed: S Jalen Mills (one year, TBD)
- Signed: WR Isaiah McKenzie (TBD)
There are several similarities between the Giants and Raiders’ offseasons. Yes, the Giants absolutely stole Brian Burns from the Panthers and now have an incredible defensive front with Burns lining up with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence, but does he, like Christin Wilkins, fit with their timeline?
Teams who are ready to compete can justify paying big money for a running back – something the Giants opted not to do by letting Saquon Barkely go in free agency. That, as much as it hurts Giants fans, is the right call, and Singletary is a decent replacement for the money. So why make the move to trade for and sign Burns if you’re showing with your actions that you’re not a contender? And, if you want to build your team from the defensive side of the ball, how can you justify not trying harder to lock down Xavier McKinney, who is one of the best cover safeties in the league and is only 24 years old?
New York already has buyers remorse on the Daniel Jones contract, and their wide receiver room remains a confusing mess of slot receivers before they added Isaiah McKenzie so I’m just not sure what their plan is going forward.
They don’t get a failing grade because the Burns trade is so one sided in their favor, but the rest of their decisions, especially on offense, are confusing at best.
Free Agency Grade: C-
New York Jets
- Released: LB Maalik Hall
- Released: G Laken Tomlinson
- Released: TE C.J. Uzomah
- Re-signed: S Chuck Clark (one year, TBD)
- Signed: CB Isaiah Oliver (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: K Greg Zuerlein (two years, $8.4M)
- Signed: G John Simpson (two years, $12M)
- Signed: DI Javon Kinlaw (one year, $7.25M)
- Signed: QB Tyrod Taylor (two years, TBD)
- Acquired via trade: RT Morgan Moses
The Jets biggest need by far this offseason was to shore up their offensive line – their 13 offensive line combinations was the most in the NFL in 2023 and that resulted in them surrendering the fourth most sacks in the league with 63.
John Simpson isn’t a needle mover on the offensive line – he was second in the league in penalties for a guard last year and is PFF’s 49th ranked guard, but the trade for the 10th ranked tackle Morgan Moses should be a big improvement.
Grabbing Tyrod Taylor to backup Aaron Rodgers was a nice move to give them a major upgrade over Zach Wilson if something were to happen to Rodgers again this year, but that move is about seven months too late.
I like taking a flier on Kinlaw for cheap as he can rotate in with the Jets deep defensive line group, but the elephant in the room is the departure of high level rusher Bryce Huff. Huff was behind only Micah Parsons in quarterback pressure rate last season at 21.3%. While he never played over 50% of the team’s defensive snaps, he was an excellent fit in the Jets rotation heavy defensive line philosophy, and letting an impact player walk at only 25 years old is going to hurt them in the long run.
Moses is a nice piece, but I would have liked to see the Jets be more aggressive in free agency to bring in some more high end talent across the offensive line.
Free Agency Grade: C-
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: EDGE Julian Okwara (one year, $2.675M)
- Re-signed: TE Albert Okwuegbunam (one year, TBD)
- Released: S Kevin Byard
- Released: CB Avonte Maddox
- Retired: C Jason Kelce
- Re-signed: EDGE Brandon Graham (one year, TBD)
- Retired: DI Fletcher Cox
- Extended: G Landon Dickerson (four years, $84M)
- Signed: EDGE Bryce Huff (three years, $51.1M)
- Signed: RB Saquon Barkley (three years, $37.75M)
- Signed: EDGE Zack Baun (one year, $3.5M)
- Signed: G Matt Hennessy (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: P Braden Mann (two years, $4.2M)
- Signed: WR DeVante Parker (one year, $4.69M)
- Signed: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (three years, max $33M)
- Signed: LB Devin White (one year, TBD)
- Acquired via trade: QB Kenny Pickett
Well Howie Roseman sure was active in free agency again this year.
The Eagles are in a strange spot – they have an extremely talented roster that just stopped performing midway through last season, and are now losing some influential players in Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox. Losing two high impact players that have been captains for the team on their respective sides of the ball hurts. Those losses will be felt throughout the locker room for the foreseeable future.
The Eagles two biggest signings of free agency came fairly early on Monday with the Eagles locking up running back Saquon Barkley and Edge Bryce Huff from the Giants and Jets respectively.
While I said in the grading for the Giants paying big money for a running back didn’t make sense for where their roster currently is, Philadelphia is the team that can make that sort of move. The offense became stagnant last season, and bringing in an elite level running back like Barkley could push them over the edge and will open things up across all their offensive schemes. Barkley was also a beloved leader and was super active in the community during his time with the Giants – while no one will be able to replace what Kelce brought to the Eagles on and off the field, bringing in another strong leader is an under-discussed aspect of the Barkley signing.
I have more reservations about the signing of Huff than most. The Eagles were terrible at run defense last season, so it’s the most Howie Roseman move to go out and grab the biggest name in the pass rushing market instead of addressing that issue. Huff played almost half as many snaps as either Josh Sweat or Haason Reddick last season and was only brought into games with the Jets when he could put his head down and go after the quarterback. It’s hard to see how he’ll help out in the Eagles run defense, and has now created an awkward situation where it seemed for a time like either Sweat or Reddick will now have to be traded. Sweat has since restructured his contract to stay in Philadelphia, so either the Eagles are grossly overpaying a part time rotational piece, or will be forced to move on from Reddick.
Linebacker has also been a huge issue for the Eagles, and sorry to say, but Zach Baun doesn’t even remotely address that issue. Signing Devin White also comes with question marks – after requesting a trade from the Bucs last offseason, White ended up playing in his 5th year option, dealt with injuries and was eventually replaced by K.J. Britt. Maybe a change of scenery will help the uber athletic linebacker, but he hasn’t shown as much since his rookie season.
Bringing in Parker as their WR3 is a nice move that will give them some interesting looks in 11 personnel groupings – either A.J. Brown or Devante Smith will move inside when Parker comes onto the field which should give some defenses headaches.
I’m curious to see the details for the C.J. Gardner-Johnson deal – it’s hard to believe that he signed a one year, $6.5M deal last offseason with Detroit, essentially missed the entire season with a torn pec, and turned that into a 3 year $33M deal, but if the guaranteed money is low then he’s worth bringing back into the organization to bring back some toughness on their back end.
Overall, the Eagles brought in some good, skilled players, which is what a team gunning for a Super Bowl should be doing. It’s now up to their new coordinators to make this work, even if all the pieces don’t seem to fit just yet.
Free Agency Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: QB Mitch Trubisky
- Released: P Pressley Harvin III
- Released: T Chukwuma Okorafor
- Released: C Mason Cole
- Released: S Keanu Neal
- Released: CB Patrick Peterson
- Released: WR Allen Robinson II
- Signed: DI Breiden Fehoko (one year, TBD)
- Signed: QB Russell Wilson (one year, $1.21M)
- Signed: P Cameron Johnston (three years, $9M)
- Signed: LB Patrick Queen (three years, $41M)
- Acquired via trade: CB Donte Jackson
- Acquired via trade: QB Justin Fields
The Steelers absolutely needed to bring in some competition at quarterback for Kenny Pickett, so signing Russell Wilson for the veteran’s minimum while Denver continues to shell out money for him makes sense. At best, Wilson will likely solidify another above .500 season for Mike Tomlin but it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll be the one to help them win any playoff games. Wilson also struggles throwing over the middle of the field, which is exactly what new OC Arthur Smith’s scheme demands of his quarterbacks. Wilson and Smith did have a reported six hour long meeting so I’m sure that was discussed, but the fit still seems a little wonky.
Wilson must have used that time wisely to win over the Steelers brass, as late Friday afternoon they shipped Kenny Pickett to the Eagles for a pick swap and some future 7th rounders.
The Steelers also traded away WR Diontae Johnson to the Panthers for CB Donte Jackson. Jackson was the 71st ranked CB according to PFF so the Steelers are hoping that a change of scenery really makes an impact on the 28 year old, but in reality they’re probably losing this trade.
The club managed to get Justin Fields from the Bears for a conditional 6th rounder which is a steal. But with him reportedly set to back up Wilson for the year, his impact on the roster won’t be felt until 2025 at the earliest (if at all).
Signing a skilled player away from a divisional rival always gives a team a boost in their grade, which is what the Steelers did with Patrick Queen, but overall it’s hard to get excited about what they’ve done in free agency unless Wilson turns into the Russ of old.
Free Agency Grade: C+
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Isaiah Oliver
- Re-signed: T Colton McKivitz (one year, $7M)
- Re-signed: QB Brandon Allen (TBD)
- Signed: EDGE Leonard Floyd (two years, $20M)
- Signed: EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos (two years, $18M)
- Re-signed: S George Odum (two years, $10M)
- Signed: DI Jordan Elliott (two years, $10M)
- Acquired via trade: DL Maliek Collins
The 49ers were unable to come to an agreement with Arik Armstead to keep him on the roster but his release allowed them to spend those resources on Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos. Floyd is one of three players with at least 9 sacks in each of the last three seasons (along with Myles Garrett and Hasson Reddick) so he should fit in nicely across from Nick Bosa and crew.
Gross-Matos is a former second round pick who never broke out while in Carolina, but putting him on this roster bodes well for his NFL future. If any team can get the most out an underperforming edge rusher it’ll be San Francisco.
Maliek Collins helps beef up the middle of the defensive line as well and will contribute to their run defense in a very positive way.
The Niners were on the verge of signing Eric Kendricks before he opted to sign with the Cowboys instead, so they’ll probably be on the lookout for an additional linebacker to solidify that group. For a team with as much top end talent as San Francisco has, getting through another free agency period without losing many key players and adding to their pass rush is a big win. They will be among the top Super Bowl favorites for 2024.
Free Agency Grade: A-
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: TE Will Dissly
- Released: S Quandre Diggs
- Released: S Jamal Adams
- Released: DI Bryan Mone
- Released: FB Nick Bellore
- Re-signed: TE Noah Fant (two years, $21M)
- Re-signed: DI Leonard Williams (three years, $64.5M)
- Signed: C Nick Harris (one year, $2.51M)
- Acquired via trade: QB Sam Howell
Re-signing Noah Fant while releasing the rest of their tight end room finally gives Fant an opportunity to take hold of the TE1 spot and carve out a legitimate role for himself. The former 1st round pick has yet to have a breakout season with either Denver or Seattle but this is his best opportunity to do so.
Retaining Leonard Williams was huge as well as he was a wonderful fit after coming over in a midseason trade from the Giants.
The Seahawks defense is in a year of transition after releasing both their starting safeties. But with almost $45M left in cap space I would have expected new head coach Mike Macdonald to try and put more of a stamp on his new team than what he’s done so far.
Trading for Howell gives them a legitimate backup who has started games in the NFL, but overall a fairly quiet week in Seattle.
Free Agency Grade: B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: EDGE Shaquil Barrett (post-June 1)
- Re-signed: WR Mike Evans (two years, $41M)
- Franchise-tagged: S Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Re-signed: QB Baker Mayfield (three years, $100M)
- Re-signed: K Chase McLaughlin (three years, $12.3M)
- Re-signed: DI Greg Gaines (one year, $3.5M)
- Re-signed: RB Chase Edmonds (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: LB Lavonte David (one year, TBD)
Tampa is running back much of the same roster they had in 2023 opting not to sign a single new free agent, but are retaining QB Baker Mayfield, WR Mike Evans LB Lavonte David on new deals while franchise tagging stud safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Losing Shaq Barrett isn’t great, but some sacrifices needed to be made to stay cap compliant.
The 2023 NFC South champions clearly feel that they have a chance to repeat as division winners, but while the Falcons clearly got better, it’s hard to say the same for the Bucs.
I love players like Evans getting the chance to play their whole career in one spot, and losing him would have set the Bucs back tremendously, but the offense was effective last season with Mayfield running the Dave Canales offense – will they be as good this season with the same personnel but a new coordinator? The Bucs get bonus marks for their ability to retain their core players, but considering free agency is a chance to immediately improve your roster, this is not a great overall performance.
Free Agency Grade: C
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: LS Morgan Cox (one year, $1.377M)
- Signed: RB Tony Pollard (three years, $24M)
- Signed: C Lloyd Cushenberry III (four years, $50M)
- Signed: CB Chidobe Awuzie (three years, TBD)
- Signed: LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (two years, $15.5M)
- Signed: G Saahdiq Charles (one year, TBD)
- Signed: WR Calvin Ridley (four year, $92M)
Tyjae Spears truthers were a little miffed when the Titans rushed out and signed 26 year old Tony Pollard to a three year, $24M deal with almost $10.5 guaranteed. Pollard excelled in Dallas when paired with Ezekiel Elliott, a big bruising back who could soften up the defenses for Pollard to rotate in and explode. Last season, Pollard’s efficiency numbers dropped dramatically as the lead back so the prevailing wisdom was that he would be best suited going back to a committee role. The problem is, Spears and Pollard have the same skill set. Neither one of them is a big, between the tackles runner – they’re both smaller explosive backs who are best used in space and in the passing game – they both had over 50 receptions in 2023. Pollard will now be two years removed from his broken fibula that he admitted hampered him during the 2023 season, but pairing him with a similar back seems like an odd fit.
The Titans offensive line was the worst in the league in 2023, so they began addressing that by bringing in Lloyd Cushenberry from Denver. Cushenberry was the third highest rated center in terms of pass blocking last season and gives them at least two locked-in starters for 2024 along with G Peter Skoronski, but their tackle situation is still a mess.
Signing Calvin Ridley out from under the Jags and Pats gives the Titans a #1 receiver and a fairly decent receiving group overall. DeAndre Hopkins is on the tail end of his career but can still play, and Treylon Burks could work as a WR3 if he can stay healthy. However, that’s a lot of money for a non-elite WR1, especially considering they could have paid A.J. Brown that amount 2 years ago but instead opted to trade him away.
The Titans still have a ton to do – offensive line is a huge problem still, and their already mid-tier defense lost several key pieces that they have yet to replace. I’m not sure I’m behind all this investment in an offense run by Will Levis when the roster has so many flaws elsewhere.
Free Agency Grade: C-
Washington Commanders
- Released: T Charles Leno Jr.
- Released: TE Logan Thomas
- Released: C Nick Gates (post-June 1)
- Signed: TE Zach Ertz (one year, TBD)
- Signed: DI Dorance Armstrong (three years, $33M)
- Signed: C Tyler Biadasz (three years, $30M)
- Signed: LB Frankie Luvu (three years, $31M)
- Signed: RB Austin Ekeler (two years, $11.43M)
- Signed: K Brandon McManus (one year, $3.6M)
- Signed: G Nick Allegretti (three years, $16M)
- Signed: EDGE Clelin Ferrell (TBD)
- Signed: QB Marcus Mariota (one year, $6M)
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott (three years, TBD)
- Signed: S Jeremy Chinn (one year, $5.1M)
- Signed: LB Bobby Wagner (one year, $8.5M)
- Signed: WR Jamison Crowder (one year, TBD)
Washington started the week with the most available cap space and was by far the busiest team during the opening of free agency. Both of their quarterbacks from 2023 are gone, replaced by Marcus Mariota and who ever they take with the #2 overall pick. They swapped out Antonio Gibson at running back for Austin Ekeler, betting on a return to health in 2024 after a disappointing season in 2023.
New head coach Dan Quinn brought over some familiar faces from Dallas in C Tyler Biadasz and DE Dorance Armstrong, both of whom will be immediate starters.
TE Zach Ertz, a three time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion, might have lost a step over the past couple years but is the type of veteran presence you want to surround a rookie quarterback with.
LB Frankie Luvu might be the best pick up of them all. He’s a do it all linebacker and was tops in the league in completion percentage allowed amongst all linebackers when he was the nearest defender.
S Jeremy Chinn will help out along the line of scrimmage as well as in the run defense as he brings his hard hitting play to Washington.
Washington was the league’s worst scoring defense (30.5 points per game) and total defense (388.9 total yards per game) while allowing the most passing touchdowns (39) and the highest passer rating (105.7) so improving their defense was certainly a priority this offseason.
Most of the names aren’t overly splashy, but the Commanders are giving the second overall pick in the coming draft a good foundation to work with. If they continue to build this way, and hit on their quarterback selection, Washington can be a real contender in just a couple seasons.
Free Agency Grade: B+
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.