USA TODAY Sports Weekly

NFL free agents: Why the 49ers are among the winners and the Patriots the losers this offseason.

- Mike Jones Columnist USA TODAY

The NFL’s first wave of free agency is over. Signings will continue to trickle in over the next couple of weeks, but the majority of high-impact moves are already on the books.

Many team officials and coaches will say they’re happy with how it all played out, but there often is a sharp separation when evaluating which teams capitalize­d on the market and which didn’t.

The true fallout from these moves won’t become fully clear until teams take the field. But here’s a look at what appears to be some of the biggest winners and losers of free agency a week after the market opened.

Winners

San Francisco 49ers: Continuing the momentum gained as they closed out their regular season on a 5-0 swing, general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan further upgraded their roster in the past two months.

First came the five-year deal for quarterbac­k Jimmy Garoppolo, followed by a three-year extension for wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who is coming off of a career season. They then added four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman following his release by the Seahawks. San Francisco also upgraded at running back, replacing Carlos Hyde with Jerrick McKinnon, who will fit perfectly into Shanahan’s system both as a ballcarrie­r and a pass catcher. Center Weston Richburg and linebacker­s Brock Coyle and Jeremiah Attaochu further strengthen the team’s core.

It’s realistic to believe the 49ers will have a legitimate chance to leapfrog the retooling Seahawks in the NFC West, and they could even threaten the division champion Rams.

Cleveland Browns: New general manager John Dorsey and third-year coach Hue Jackson aren’t messing around. Before free agency even started, they took drastic steps to upgrade the roster, trading for wide receiver Jarvis Landry, quarterbac­k Tyrod Taylor and defensive back Damarious Randall. Then came the signings of running back Carlos Hyde, tight end Darren Fells and offensive tackles Chris Hubbard and Donald Stephenson, among others.

Taylor is an under-appreciate­d passer who seldom commits turnovers. Armed with weapons such as Landry, Josh Gordon and Hyde, he has a chance to significan­tly improve the offense. And his presence means coaches don’t have to play a rookie quarterbac­k before he’s ready.

Meanwhile, despite their many trades, the Browns still own five of the first 64 picks in the draft.

Minnesota Vikings: Despite reaching the NFC Championsh­ip Game, they decided to move on from Case Keenum and go all in on Kirk Cousins, whom they landed on a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract. Minnesota then addressed the other side of the ball by signing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.

The Vikings believe they now have a roster fit to contend for a Super Bowl with a top-rated defense, a three-time 4,000-yard passer and a diverse collection of weapons.

Tennessee Titans: General manager Jon Robinson and first-year coach Mike Vrabel deepened their ties to the Patriots by bringing on cornerback Malcolm Butler (five years, $61.24 million) and running back Dion Lewis (four years, $20 million).

Lewis gives quarterbac­k Marcus Mariota and new offensive coordinato­r Matt LaFleur a versatile piece, while Butler at times has been one of the better corners in the league. Just as important, the two bring a winning mentality.

Los Angeles Rams: Their changes were more fueled by trades than signings, but the Rams still look like winners. Los Angeles loaded up at cornerback, acquiring Marcus Peters from the Chiefs and Aqib Talib from the Broncos while also signing Sam Shields and re-upping Nickell Robey-Coleman. General manager Les Snead said his team would be aggressive this offseason, and he has certainly backed up those words in reshaping the defense.

Losers

Seattle Seahawks: They released Sherman, telling him they wanted to create greater financial flexibilit­y. Additional­ly, they lost key pieces in tight end Jimmy Graham, wide receiver Paul Richardson and defensive linemen Sheldon Richardson and Michael Bennett. Team officials understood the need to reshape the roster in hopes of staving off a full-blown rebuild, but Seattle still looks poised to take a step back. New England Patriots: They already find themselves in an offseason of change with former defensive coordinato­r Matt Patricia now the head coach of the Lions. But they have more work ahead of them as they try to rebound from the Super Bowl loss. Butler, Lewis, wide receiver Danny Amendola and left tackle Nate Solderall signed elsewhere. Solder’s departure to the Giants could be the biggest loss of all, as Tom Brady now needs a new blindside protector.

Miami Dolphins: The capstrappe­d team managed to sign Amendola from the Patriots and acquired pass rusher Robert Quinn from the Rams. But Miami traded Landry and released star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and three-time Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey.

 ??  ?? Richard Sherman heading to the 49ers makes them one of the winners in free agency. JOE NICHOLSON/USA TODAY SPORTS
Richard Sherman heading to the 49ers makes them one of the winners in free agency. JOE NICHOLSON/USA TODAY SPORTS
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States