FREE AGENCY SCORECARD
49ers, Browns beef up rosters; Seahawks lose key players
The NFL’s first wave of free agency is over. Signings will continue to trickle in over the next few 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
49ers: Continuing the momentum gained as they closed out their 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
It’s realistic to believe the 49ers will have a legitimate chance to leapfrog the retooling Seahawks in the NFC West
quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, followed by a three-year extension for wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who is coming off of a career year. 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.
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 the likes of 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.
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.
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.
Rams: Their changes were more fueled by trades than signings, but the Rams look like winners. Los Angeles loaded up at cornerback, acquiring Marcus Peters from the Chiefs and Aqib Talib from the Broncos while signing Sam Shields and re-upping Nickell Robey-Coleman. General manager Les Snead said his team would be aggressive this offseason, and he has backed up those words in reshaping the defense.
Losers
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.
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 to the Eagles. Butler, Lewis, wide receiver Danny Amendola and left tackle Nate Solder all signed elsewhere. Solder’s departure to the Giants could be the biggest loss of all, as Tom Brady now needs a new blindside protector.
Dolphins: The cap-strapped team managed to sign Amendola away from the Patriots and acquire pass rusher Robert Quinn from the Rams. But Miami traded Landry and released star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and threetime Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey.