Biggest Winners: Tennessee Titans
There are plenty of valid criticisms of the Titans ultra-aggressive approach to free agency. For starters, investing so much in an offense that is being led by a quarterback in Will Levis who was mediocre at best during his 9 starts as a rookie could prove to be a completely worthless exercise. Then, there's the issue of whether or not it was wise to hand-out big contracts to Calvin Ridley-who turns 30 in December and is coming off an up-and-down year with the Jags and Lloyd Cushenberry III-who was a pretty terrible starting center for the Broncos prior to his strong contract year performance in 2023. While investing so heavily in risky contracts and an unproven quarterback who has the potential to get ousted from the job if he plays poorly this season since he wasn't a 1st round pick carries a whole lot of risk, they deserve credit for having the conviction to aggressively invest in a roster that was full of holes and providing new head coach Brian Callahan with a real shot to compete right away.
As for the rest of their splashier moves, it's easy to get excited about what they did. Adding a pair of proven veteran corners in L'Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie should go a long way in improving a pass defense that has consistently been among the worst in the league over the past few seasons, Tony Pollard's burst should provide a great complement to the power of Tyjae Spears in their backfield and ex-Chargers Sebastian Joseph-Day and Kenneth Murray are intriguing reclamation project candidates who could turn into solid contributors once they get the Bolt stench off of them.
Honorable Mentions: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
Biggest Losers: Washington Commanders
Heading into the offseason, every NFL media outlet, national talking head show and local sports radio broadcast was quick to point out that the Commanders had the most cap space in the NFL. This was a particularly exciting development as it was the first opportunity new owner Josh Harris and his recently-hired GM Adam Peters had to truly establish a new identity for a team after decades of being held back by Dan Snyder's gross ineptitude. In my eyes at least, the new regime failed miserably to make a good first impression. Nearly every signing felt like it was made because of a past history with HC Dan Quinn (Tyler Biadasz, Bobby Wagner, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler) or they were trying to buy low on guys coming off bad years that have previously enjoyed success in the league (Austin Ekeler, Jeremy Chinn, Michael Davis). How does this specific crop of players meaningfully change to the trajectory of one of the most miserably untalented rosters in the league is on the horizon? How are these guys (with the notable exception of proven, beloved leader Wagner) going to help establish a winning culture for their rookie QB to thrive in (by the way, good job bringing in Marcus "I left the team once I got benched for Desmond Ridder" Mariota as the bridge QB guys)? They're going to have really nail the draft to change the perception that this anything other than maddening business as usual in DC.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers
A Class That Would Be Fine If It Were Another Team: New York Jets
To be fair to all parties involved, I understand why the Jets have approached this offseason the way that they have. Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh are hanging onto their jobs by the thinnest of threads and they gave up too many assets last season to be anything but fully committed to trying to win with 40-year old Aaron Rodgers under center. This is a situation where patience cannot be practiced and making splashy, impulsive moves with the aim of helping the team win now have to be executed.
If this were a lot of other organizations, I would be applauding them for spending their 2024 free agency period signing some talented but oft-injured players to 1-year deals (Tyron Smith, Mike Williams), trading for a reliable starting right tackle in Morgan Moses, adding depth to their defensive line (Javon Kinlaw, Leki Fotu), getting a proven veteran in Tyrod Taylor to backup Rodgers and addressing their interior offensive line with the signing of a young guard in John Simpson who is coming off a breakout season with the Ravens. The problem is that the Jets were the ones who made these moves, so the potential for disaster that exists with all of them have an extremely high chance of manifesting.
Williams and Smith vs. the MetLife turf is going to be one of the greatest battles we've seen on a football field if they can make it through training camp without getting banged up. Simpson will probably regress to the below average player he was with the Raiders. After about a decade straight of solid play, Moses will suddenly turn into Marshall Newhouse. Hell, Rodgers might have a great conversation with the ghost of Eli Whitney in a bamboo shack in Belize this summer that convinces him to retire and leave Taylor as the starter. Light a candle and pray to Joe Namath Jets fans because this shit could get real ugly, real quick.
Best Individual Signing: Kendall Fuller to the Dolphins (2 years/$15 mil/$7.5 mil guaranteed)
Cap restrictions came down hard on the Dolphins this offseason as they were forced to let guys like Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel and Robert Hunt walk in free agency and cut several longtime starters including Xavien Howard, Emmanuel Ogbah and Jerome Baker to get their books back in order. Being able to replace Howard with Fuller softens the blow of this tough offseason a little bit. Fuller is a reliable playmaker on the outside who rarely gets exploited in coverage and the prospects of him slotting into a #2 outside CB role where he (presumably) will face lesser WR's could make him even more productive than he has been over the past few years in Washington when he was the top dog.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Onwenu Re-Signing with the Patriots, Marquise Brown to the Chiefs, Tre'Davious White to the Rams
Worst Individual Signing: Kirk Cousins to the Falcons (4 years/$180 mil/$100 mil guaranteed)
First off, shoutout to Cousins' agent. Getting your client a multi-year deal worth at least $100 mil just over four months after he tore his Achillies at age 35 is one of the greatest hustles in the history of sports. As for the Falcons, offering a deal with that much term and cash attached to it is pure degenerate behavior. Everybody in the league knows this team is a quarterback away from being good and they're obviously desperate to cash in on all of the untapped potential they've displayed since Matt Ryan got booted out of town following the 2021 season, but treating a limited athlete who is about to turn 36 and just ripped up his Achillies as your guaranteed savior is a needlessly reckless move that could backfire in extraordinary fashion.
Dishonorable Mentions: Gabe Davis to the Jaguars, D'Andre Swift to the Bears, Patrick Queen to the Steelers
Best Player Still Available: Stephon Gilmore, cornerback
While he might not be in Defensive Player of the Year form anymore, Gilmore is coming off another good year with the Cowboys (62 tackles/2 INT's/13 passes defensed/55.8 CMP%) and would be a great addition for any team that's looking to lock down a quality starter at outside corner for the next year or two.
Honorable Mentions: Julian Blackmon, safety, Justin Simmons, safety, Connor Williams, center
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