Five takeaways from the first wave of 2024 NFL free agency

• The Chiefs upgraded their receiver corps in a big way: Marquise Brown gives the team a big-play threat, although he is coming off a season hampered by a heel injury.

• Keep an eye on the Atlanta Falcons' offense in 2024: With a proven starting quarterback in tow, the Falcons have the weapons to field a lethal offense this upcoming season.

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Although teams still have plenty of work to do to fill out their rosters, the peak of NFL free agency has passed and brought plenty of exciting changes.

From the trade that removed any doubt about the Chicago Bears drafting a quarterback at No. 1 overall to the Super Bowl champions adding a home-run threat at wide receiver, here are five takeaways from the first wave of free agency.

The Justin Fields trade removes any doubt about the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

It was always all but a done deal, but the trade of quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers confirms that the Bears will indeed take a quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Chicago's other free agency moves — trading for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and adding tight end Gerald Everett — have improved the situation for the incoming quarterback, likely USC’s Caleb Williams. Williams earned PFF grades above 90.0 in each of the past three seasons and recorded a 6.2% big-time throw rate in college.

The Houston Texans are taking advantage of C.J. Stroud’s contract

The Houston Texans head into the 2024 season with quarterback C.J. Stroud coming off an 83.1 PFF grade in his rookie campaign to rank 13th among quarterbacks. He earned the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award as a result. Houston knows it has a potential franchise quarterback on a rookie deal, so the team has been aggressive in upgrading its defense in free agency.

The big addition is edge defender Danielle Hunter, whose 80 quarterback pressures in 2023 ranked ninth among edge defenders, to replace the departing Jonathan Greenard and pair with 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. The Texans also signed edge defender Denico Autry and reunited linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair with head coach DeMeco Ryans, who was his defensive coordinator in San Francisco when he earned a career-high 67.8 PFF grade on 313 snaps in 2022.

The Atlanta Falcons have the players to field a top-10 offense in 2024

In adding quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t just made themselves the odds-on favorites in the NFC South, but they’ve also given themselves a shot at being one of the best offenses in the league. Despite his age, Cousins was still performing at a high level before his injury last year, earning an 86.1 PFF grade. While he doesn’t have a superstar like Justin Jefferson at wide receiver, he does have the pieces around him to be successful in Atlanta.

Incumbents wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts dropped fewer than 5% of the catchable passes thrown their way in 2023. And in free agency, Atlanta added Darnell Mooney, who has scored four times on targets thrown 20-plus yards downfield over the past three seasons, and Rondale Moore, who forced seven missed tackles on 40 receptions last season. Running back Bijan Robinson should be even better in year two, as well, coming off a season where he forced 52 missed tackles on 214 carries and another 17 on 58 receptions.

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will be must-see TV, but the offensive line still needs work

Pairing one of the most dominant running backs of the past decade with arguably the best rushing quarterback of all time makes the Ravens' rushing attack appointment viewing in 2024. Henry earned the sixth-highest PFF rushing grade (86.8) last season, while Jackson’s 38 missed tackles forced on rushing attempts were 12 more than the next-best quarterback.

If there’s one concern here, it’s that the Ravens are currently down three starting offensive linemen from 2023. Left guard John Simpson’s 56.3 PFF grade ranked 50th among all NFL guards, so he is easier to replace, but both right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Morgan Moses graded out among the top 15 guards and tackles, respectively, in 2023.

Marquise Brown gives the Kansas City Chiefs a big-play threat at wide receiver

The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season despite their wide receiver corps being a major concern for much of the year. While rookie Rashee Rice came on strong at the end of the campaign, earning an 86.1 PFF receiving grade overall, it was clear that the Chiefs were going to want to upgrade at the position this offseason.

Adding Marquise Brown on a one-year deal gives Kansas City a true speedster at the position and a very nice complement to Rice and tight end Travis Kelce. Brown has earned a PFF receiving grade of 68.0 or better in all five of his seasons in the league and tallied six receptions and a touchdown on throws targeted 20-plus yards downfield in a 2023 season disrupted by injury.