We’re about a week into free agency and we’ve seen so much go on already, it’s actually insane. I don’t think I can remember an offseason with so many trades and key moves being made in the first week of free agency. Let’s get into some winners and losers of the 2024 NFL free agency so far…
Winner: Houston Texans
- Additions:
- Danielle Hunter, DE
- Denico Autry, DE
- Azeez Al-Shaair, LB
- Tommy Townsend, P
- Jeff Okudah, CB
- Folorunso Fatukasi, DT
- Joe Mixon, RB
- Lonnie Johnson Jr., CB
I love what the Texans did all around to bring some more defensive power and also a great RB in Joe Mixon to help out their young star quarterback. Adding Danielle Hunter, who has been one of the more underrated defensive ends in the league and also getting solid veteran contributors in Autry and Al-Shaair to the defense will only make the Texans even scarier.
I love the addition of Mixon to give a safety valve for Stroud in the passing game and also a reliable runner out of the backfield. They immediately locked him up to a 3 year extension worth $27M as well to keep him around for a few years to help the offense on their quest to a championship.
Loser: Dallas Cowboys
- Key Losses
- Tony Pollard, RB (to Titans)
- Tyler Biadasz, C (to Commanders)
- Dorance Armstrong, DE (to Commanders)
- Dante Fowler, DE (to Commanders)
- Neville Gallimore (to Dolphins)
- Tyron Smith, OT (to Jets)
The Dallas Cowboys free agency in 2024 has been all about what they DIDN’T do. After Jerry Jones said they’d go “All in”, it seems that was definitely not the case. They’ve lost a lot of talent on both ends of the ball and have done little to replace them. Maybe they’re holding off onto the draft to make some moves, but not looking too enticing for Cowboys fans so far.
Winner: Chicago Bears
- Additions
- D’andre Swift, RB
- Gerald Everett, TE
- Kevin Byard, FS
- Matt Pryor, OT
- Brett Rypien, QB
- Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB
- Jonathan Owens, SS
- Coleman Shelton, C
- Patrick Scales, LS
- Keenan Allen (Traded)
Although I wasn’t a fan of the return the Bears got for Justin Fields, it was a matter of time before he got traded. They went and got a ton of weapons for their future quarterback (Caleb Williams most likely) by getting another #1 receiver to pair with DJ Moore and a swifty (pun-intended) weapon in D’Andre Swift to help their young quarterback.
Loser: Los Angeles Chargers
- Key Losses
- Kenneth Murray, LB (to Titans)
- Gerald Everett, TE (to Bears)
- Austin Ekeler, RB (to Commanders)
- Eric Kendricks, LB (to Cowboys)
- Keenan Allen, WR (to Bears)
- Mike Williams, WR
The biggest reason the Chargers are on this list is their cap management. They were in cap hell which forced them to release their two top receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Not only that, they also got rid of their starting running back and solid contributors in their linebacker core. The hope is they restock on players through the draft, but its looking pretty gloomy right now as a Chargers fan.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
- Additions
- Bryce Huff, OLB
- Saquon Barkley, RB
- Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S
- Devin White, LB
- Matt Hennessy, C
- DeVante Parker, WR
After being embarrassed in the wild card round by the Buccaneers, the Eagles went and made some key moves to get back to the Super Bowl. I love the additions of Bryce Huff, Devin White, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the already talented defense. Then adding a star running back in Saquon Barkley to help alleviate some pressure off of Hurts? Great move.
Overall, they made moves to bring some speed to the defense and also another weapon to the offense that will only help. Although they lost key contributors in Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox to retirement, they’ve gotten better in totality.
Loser: Miami Dolphins
- Key Losses
- Christian Wilkins, DT (to Raiders)
- Robert Hunt, OG (to Panthers)
- Andrew van Ginkel, LB (to Vikings)
- Raekwon Davis, DT (to Colts)
- Brandon Jones, S (to Broncos)
- Jerome Baker, LB (to Seahawks)
- Deshon Elliot, SS (to Steelers)
- Xavien Howard, FS
- Emmanuel Ogbah, DE
The Dolphins were another team that have gone through some kind of cap hell. They ended up having to release their All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard and let go of some great contributors on both sides of the ball. Losing their star defensive tackle Wilkins, elite guard in Robert Hunt and many other solid contributors on defense.
How the Dolphins recover with talent on defense will be interesting to keep an eye on throughout this offseason.
