First Week of NFL Free Agency: Winners and Losers
Winners
Texans:
Despite losing multiple key players from last year, the Houston Texans have done nothing but sign players that not only replaced the positions they lost, but upgraded them. They signed 4x Pro Bowl pass rusher Danielle Hunter, who had a career high 16.5 sacks last season. This is a clear upgrade from Jonathan Greenard, who they lost to the Vikings in free agency. Hunter will pair very well with reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr.. Another key move that the Texans made was trading for running back Joe Mixon. After losing Devin Singletary to the Giants, the Texans went out and addressed a clear need, getting a true RB1. Mixon rushed for over 1k yards in 2023 and clearly has a lot left in the tank at age 27. He will also be a great mentor for Dameon Pierce, who the Texans are still keen on developing. Lastly, their best signing in my opinion was Azeez Al-Shaair. Al-Shaair spent last season on the Titans, racking up 84 solo tackles and 9 tackles-for-loss. He is already familiar with DeMeco Ryans’ system from his 4 years in San Francisco prior to signing with Tennessee. Al-Shaair will perfectly replace, and add, to what Blake Cashman did for the Texans last season.
Packers:
Even with the loss of pro bowler Aaron Jones, the Packers have been able to boost their team into contention for an NFC championship with the signings of former Giants safety Xavier McKinney and former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. McKinney is one of the premier coverage safeties in the NFL, really breaking out last year totaling 3 interceptions and earning an 88 grade according to PFF at only 24 years old. McKinney will pair up with a multiple all-pro corner Jaire Alexander, forming one of the best secondary duos in the NFL, giving the Packers the firepower to become a top-10 defense. Even with Jacobs coming off a down year, Packers fans should still be excited as he led the NFL in rushing yards in 2022 and should be able to give you some goalline power that Aaron Jones lacked.
Losers
Cowboys:
The reason that the Cowboys are on this list is not because of any bad signings or overpays, it’s because they just haven’t done anything. They have made 4 total moves, and 3 of them are resigning. Linebacker Eric Kendricks has been Dallas’ only signing. The upside about this move is that they signed Kendricks, a very durable, veteran linebacker, for a 1-year $2.5 million contract. This is an extremely affordable price for the caliber of player that Kendricks is. This signing does help bolster up a linebacking corps rocked by the medical retirement of Leighton Van Esch. But regardless, the Cowboys need to be more active in free agency in order to get past the 1st round of the playoffs next year.
Chargers:
The Los Angeles Chargers are having an opposite free agency to the Texans. They lost a lot of people and they are replacing them with downgrades. They have yet to pick up a replacement for either Mike Williams or Keenan Allen. Along with losing their top 2 receivers, they lost their franchise running back, Austin Ekeler. This team has just been gutted and has very little to show for it. The signing of veteran RB Gus Edwards will not move the needle and their 5th overall pick will make or break the future of this Justin Herbert-led offense.
