NFL Free Agency recently opened and some teams have made some huge moves, while others have taken a noticeable step back. Some big names have gotten moved so far which has reshaped the landscape of the NFL and that is what I’ll be diving into today.
Winner: Denver Broncos
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The Denver Broncos have made a statement so far in free agency, making 3 huge acquisitions with former 49ers defenders Talonoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw for 3 years $45MM and 3 years $35MM respectively , along with former Jaguars Pro Bowl Tight End Evan Engram on a 2 year $23MM contract. Hufanga and Greenlaw were integral parts to a great 49ers defense over the years, helping contribute to multiple Super Bowl runs during their time. They will now be added to a top 10 Broncos defense from last year to make it even better. The Broncos have a dominant front seven, which caused opponents to run on them only 40% of the time. However, the lack of running on them led to opponents to pass significantly and they ranked bottom five in opponent passing play percentage at around 60%, so Hufanga and Greenlaw will help solidify the backend of this defense. As for Evan Engram, he will be a big addition to a Broncos offense that was towards the bottom of the league in terms of tight end production. Engram, a 2 time Pro Bowler, will help diversify this Broncos offense. Engram is a middle of the field specialist with speed who can be a matchup problem against smaller linebackers and safeties. This compliments Broncos star wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s skillset of a big body field stretcher/contested catch guy perfectly. This will force defenses to pick their poison with Sutton and Engram which could lead to more big plays for Bo Nix and this offense. Injuries are a concern, however, as these three have all missed significant time these past few seasons. Overall, these are great additions that will be big contributors to a Broncos team looking to make it back to the playoffs in 2025.
Loser: Seattle Seahawks
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There were huge changes in Seattle this offseason as they essentially revamped their entire offense. They traded starting QB Geno Smith to the Raiders and replaced him with free agent QB Sam Darnold on a 3 year $100+MM contract. Additionally, they offloaded wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf to bring in free agent WR Cooper Kupp, who was released by the Rams, on a 3 year $45MM contract. They were also able to nab former Cowboys defensive lineman Demarcus Lawrence on a three year deal. The rationale behind moving on from Smith is that although he is still a really good player and some argue he is a top 10-15 quarterback in the league, he is getting up there in age and has some limitations so he might not be worth a huge contract that he’ll command soon. Similarly, they decided that Lockett and Metcalf likely wouldn’t be worth what they will be getting paid so moving on is the best option financially. Even though these moves seem solid enough in a vacuum, the replacements Seattle opted for don’t fit well on paper. Darnold had an amazing season with Minnesota last season, leading them to the playoffs and being named to the Pro Bowl. He was also top 5 in passing yards and touchdowns in the league. However, he showed some real flaws when he was under heavy pressure which led to the Vikings being ok with moving on. The nail in the coffin for Darnold was their playoff game against the Rams where he was under pressure 24 times and 13 of those he had 2.5 seconds to throw. In other words, the offensive line was giving him a lot of time to throw usually, but Darnold just didn’t get rid of it. This problem will likely be perpetuated in Seattle as the Seahawks offensive line ranked bottom three according to most metrics last year. The problems of the offensive line were able to be minimized by Smith, but could be a problem with Darnold at the helm. Another questionable acquisition was the signing of Cooper Kupp and his prevalence as a slot weapon with around 74% of his snaps being in the slot. This conflicts with the Seahawks current star WR Jaxon-Smith Njigba who is also mainly a slot receiver, having around 83% of his plays in the slot, so deciding who to push to the outside will be a dilemma.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
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On the other end of the Sam Darnold saga is his former team, The Minnesota Vikings, who ended up coming out as big winners of free agency. Since the Vikings decided to not pay Darnold big money and roll with JJ McCarthy as their quarterback of the future, they had an influx of cap space that allowed them to make some very important signings in the trenches of the offensive and defensive lines along with retaining key talent. Their two big signings on the offensive line were former Indianapolis Colts interior offensive lineman Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. The Vikings struggled in the interior offensive line towards the end of last season which contributed to their downfall, and saw that as a problem that they had to address. To remedy that, they opted to spend big on 26 year old breakout guard Will Fries on a 5 year $88MM deal, and aging star center Ryan Kelly on a cheap 2 year $18MM contract. Both Kelly and Fries will help solidify the Vikings line as they both were ranked top 20 among their positions last year according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Along with the offensive interior, the Vikings fixed up the middle of their defense by signing former Commanders star Jonathon Allen on a 3 year $55MM contract, along with veteran star Javon Hargrave on a 2 year $30MM deal. Although both players have some injury concerns, Allen and Hargrave will certainly help a Vikings defense who struggled against the pass a bit, ranking 29th in opponent passing yards per game with 239.8 let up on average. Allen and Hargrave will help generate pressure to limit the amount of passing yards, as they both were among the upper echelon in terms of pass rush grade, according to PFF. Neither is great against the run, but that shouldn’t be a problem as the Vikings were stout against the run last year, limiting opponents to only 93.2 rushing yards per game, second in the NFL. Therefore, Allen and Hargrave’s limitations shouldn’t be an issue. The Vikings also were able to retain a few key free agents including running back Aaron Jones and cornerback Byron Murphy. Both players were key factors in Minnesota’s success last year and were sought after by other teams, so Minnesota being able to retain them is huge. The Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk in favor of rookie JJ McCarthy and opting to sign free agents at other positions solidifies their belief in McCarthy to take this team back to the postseason in 2025.
Loser: Tennessee Titans
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The Titans are fresh off a putrid 3-14 season and decided to make some big moves in free agency in hopes of improving the roster. However, based on the moves they made, it looks like they won't be much better in 2025. They started off with handing out a huge 4 year $82MM contract to former Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr.. This contract is coming off a season where Moore let up a league-worst 12 sacks and 41 pressures allowed, which led him to being benched by Pittsburgh. With this deal, Moore is now the 6th highest paid tackle in the league, despite achieving a 67.2 overall grade by PFF, which puts him at 46th. Although young offensive lineman rarely become available in the NFL, paying Moore at this level just seems like a massive overpay based on the production he's put on the field recently. To make matters worse, the Titans also let a bunch of key players walk to other teams including WR Nick Westbrook Ikhine, Edge rusher Harold Landry, LB’s Luke Gifford and Jerome Baker, Defensive Backs Chidobe Awuzie and Quandre Diggs, and more. Overall, this free agency by the Titans is marked by a massive overpay and the departure of many key starters.
Winner: Washington Commanders
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The Washington Commanders are coming off a season where they were the surprise story of the NFL, finishing the season 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship game. The Commanders went into the offseason possessing some of the most cap space in the league and have made a statement so far during the free agency period. They traded for two veteran stars in tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Texans and wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the 49ers. These teams felt like their aging stars weren’t going to be worth their next contract, so they opted to move in a different direction. But, the Commanders were able to go all-in with these moves because they have superstar QB Jayden Daniels on his rookie contract for several more years and had the money to pay these acquisitions. With last year’s success, the Commanders believed that they were again close to contention, so they decided to make those key moves for Tunsil and Samuel. The consistency of Tunsil as an elite pass protector and a really solid run blocker will help a Washington left tackle group that struggled majorly last season. Samuel was acquired because he is still an elite weapon who is a threat to take a short pass to the end zone any given play. Samuel also seems like a seamless fit for a Commanders offense that threw a lot of screen passes last year. Along with Tunsil and Deebo, the Commanders re-signed some key pieces from last year including backup QB Marcus Mariota, TE Zach Ertz, and LB Bobby Wagner. The Commanders having Daniels on a small contract has allowed them to pursue veteran, expensive, but still great star players at key positions of need along with retaining important players from last year's team. They looked primed for a playoff berth again in 2025.
Loser: Dallas Cowboys
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Although the Dallas Cowboys have been pretty active in free agency, none of their signings seem to move the needle a whole lot. With the ascension of the Commanders and the Eagles coming off a Super Bowl victory, the Cowboys need to be making big moves to compete, which they haven’t done so far. Before free agency, the Cowboys were able to restructure the contracts of Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb, clearing up a bunch of cap space but nothing has materialized of this new found cap room. Their most expensive deal as of now is DE Dante Fowler Jr. on a 1 year $8MM contract. They’ve also brought in several outcasts from other teams including RB’s Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, DE Soloman Thomas, CB Kaair Elam, LB Kenneth Murray Jr., and even more. These moves seem very uninsprising and typically don’t work out, so the Cowboys performing many of them is a bit perplexing. This free agency can also be seen as a big loss due to the fact that they keep seeing the price for star DE Micah Parsons increase as the defense market has been set by the massive contracts given to Maxx Crosby from Las Vegas and Myles Garrett from Cleveland. The longer Dallas continues to wait, the more they will have to pay in the end to keep their star. This situation is similar to how Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations went as Dallas ended up waiting too long and had to pay up huge money to keep their guys. The Cowboys also saw some of their key pieces leave this off-season with long-time defensive player Demarcus Lawrence, RB Rico Dowdle, and CB Jourdan Lewis all opting for new homes this offseason. On the positive side, they have been able to retain defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa and all-pro returner Kavonte Turpin on new long-term contracts to keep them in Dallas, but overall this free agency is marked as a major loss for the Cowboys due to the fact that they came into free agency 10th in cap space and decided to sign mainly uninspiring free agents. They’ve also seen Micah Parsons’ price increase even more and not give him a new deal, as well as letting go of a few key starters.