• Falcons got their quarterback: The Falcons needed an answer at the quarterback position this spring, and they got it in the form of Kirk Cousins. They are paying him like a top-eight quarterback, which fits nicely, given that the former Viking ranked seventh among quarterbacks in PFF passing grade (85.1) before injury ended his 2023 season.
• Bills have lost a lot of starting talent: The Bills have Josh Allen at quarterback, so they will be fine. But the simple reality is that they have lost a lot of snaps from starters over the last two days without much coming in to replace them.
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The first two days of free agency — when players can’t officially sign with teams — are always about the headline signings. It’s hard not to get too drawn into the excitement of those moves, but it's important to note that Super Bowl winners aren’t made in these opening 48 hours.
With the important caveat that being a winner or loser two days into the madness of free agency doesn’t really matter long-term, here’s our look at the teams that have done the best job of adding talent and the teams that have suffered some key losses.
Winners
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings added a pair of impressive edge defenders with the splash signing of Jonathan Greenard and the lesser-heralded addition of Andrew Van Ginkel.
Greenard is coming off a career year, registering 53 total pressures from 440 pass-rushing snaps in 2023. Van Ginkel’s 53 total pressures from 321 pass-rushing snaps also marked a career-high.
The signing of Blake Cashman will fly under the radar, but he earned the eighth-highest grade among linebackers in 2023 (82.1) and will make for a nice pairing with second-year player Ivan Pace Jr.
The big question mark is at quarterback, as the team will go from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold (and likely a rookie), but this indicates a team in transition, so it makes sense for the direction they are headed.
Houston Texans
Edge defender Danielle Hunter is a short-term upgrade over Greenard. He is coming off a season in which he racked up 80 total pressures from 614 pass-rushing snaps and set a career-high with 50 defensive stops. Pairing him with Will Anderson Jr., who racked up 68 total pressures and earned a 76.6 pass-rushing grade, will immediately give the Texans one of the top edge defender duos in football.
They also added a nice rotational player to that edge group in Denico Autry and are reuniting former Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair with his former defensive coordinator in Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Click here to read more PFF analysis…
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons needed an answer at the quarterback position this spring, and they got it in the form of Kirk Cousins. They are paying him like a top-eight quarterback, which fits nicely, given that the former Viking ranked seventh among quarterbacks in PFF passing grade (85.1) before injury ended his 2023 season.
Atlanta had the pieces on offense to be successful in 2023, but the side was held back by the lack of production at the most important position in football. Adding Cousins and speedster Darnell Mooney at wide receiver to an offense that features first-round picks in Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson makes them the favorites in the NFC South and puts them in position to make some noise in a weaker NFC.
Related: Kirk Cousins signing with the Atlanta Falcons is a perfect fit
Losers
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have Josh Allen at quarterback, so they will be fine. But the simple reality is that they have lost a lot of snaps from starters over the last two days without much coming in to replace them.
The Bills released safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse and cornerback Tre’Davious White, who combined to play 2,557 snaps in 2023. Wide receiver Gabe Davis and edge defender Leonard Floyd have already signed elsewhere, and it seems unlikely that safety Micah Hyde will be back, making up another 2,504 lost snaps.
Being a loser in the opening two days of free agency is not a reason for alarm bells to ring in Buffalo, and they should be contenders again in 2024. It’s just that, on the face of it, 5,000 snaps is a lot of turnover. How they approach the rest of spring and summer will be key.
Click here to read more PFF analysis…
Dallas Cowboys
Running back Tony Pollard, interior defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz have already signed elsewhere, and left tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Stephon Gilmore are unlikely to be back. That’s 4,491 snaps, including some at key positions.
That, coupled with the fact that the only two moves they have made have been bringing back Carl Davis Jr. and long snapper Trent Sieg, leads to the cold, hard reality that the Dallas Cowboys are a worse team today than they were at the end of the 2024 season.
There’s a long way to go, but with questions looming about Dak Prescott, who is only under contract through the 2024 season, the Cowboys currently look like a team with more questions than answers.
Click here to read more PFF analysis…
Baltimore Ravens
Like the Bills before them, being free agency losers after a couple of days is probably not a cause for concern; it’s just the case that they have lost a lot of snaps in the opening two days of moves.
Linebacker Patrick Queen, safety Geno Stone, cornerback Ronald Darby and left guard John Simpson have already signed elsewhere, and those players combined to play 4,042 snaps a year ago. That number will likely rise, assuming that right guard Kevin Zeitler and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. won't return.
Replacing Gus Edwards — and likely J.K. Dobbins, too — with Derrick Henry is an upgrade at the running back position, and there is still reason to expect that they could bring back key contributors from 2023 in Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy. However, the Ravens are losing enough key players that, while they can still contend, they will have a tougher path to contention than they did a year ago.
Related: Derrick Henry signs two-year deal with Ravens: What it means for Baltimore's offense in 2024
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