Wednesday welcomed the official beginning of free agency with the start of the new league year. Naturally, various massive deals and trades negotiated during Monday's and Tuesday's legal tampering period became official. With remaining value to be combed through, teams continued filling needs approximately six weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Wednesday welcomed additional shrewd signings. Some GMs are better equipped to navigate the difficulties of free agency. We've identified Wednesday’s winners and losers.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills made a massive splash on Tuesday evening by landing five-time Pro Bowl EDGE Joey Bosa on a one-year, $12.6 million contract. Bosa replaces the outgoing Von Miller, who was a cap casualty. The Bills rotate pass rushers frequently, and though he's a little past his prime, he should be an excellent chess piece for head coach Sean McDermott.
That theme continued on Wednesday morning when the Bills added defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi via a one-year deal. Ogunjobi will join a deep interior defensive line that still has Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, and DeWayne Carter. Safety depth also arrived via Darrick Forrest, and they managed to dump a depreciating asset by trading Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for draft capital. Restocking the cupboard is an annual must-achieve for general manager Brandon Beane, and he's done a fantastic job providing McDermott with defensive weapons over the previous 24 hours.
Loser: Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans saw their 2024 receiving touchdowns leader (9) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine sign an extremely reasonable deal with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. Westbrook-Ikhine will earn less than $3.5 million per season in Miami. With approximately $60 million in cap space, it's shocking the Titans couldn't make a competitive enough offer to sway his decision.
Furthermore, the Titans responded by signing Van Jefferson to a similar contract from an annual earnings perspective. Jefferson has come nowhere near matching Westbrook-Ikhine's production over the past couple of seasons. The Titans continue pivoting to lesser-level targets after missing out on their preferred free agents. Something similar happened at safety, where they pivoted from Jevon Holland and Justin Reid to Xavier Woods. They made a quality addition in offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler, but trading Kenneth Murray for a late-round pick swap after the previous regime paid him handsomely last summer only proves how much revampment this roster needs.
Winner: Denver Broncos
This Denver Broncos offseason is all about surrounding sophomore quarterback Bo Nix with more weapons in the passing game. That’s why the decision to sign tight end Evan Engram to a two-year contract was a quality one. Engram will serve as a reliable and veteran safety net for Nix underneath coverages next season.
Draft prospects Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren have been popular mock draft targets for the Broncos this offseason. Signing Engram keeps the Broncos in best player available (BPA) territory, ensuring they're not boxing themselves in. Denver will enter the draft in a terrific position with many potential avenues to explore.
Loser: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys love taking chances on players who have failed to meet expectations. They acquired linebacker Murray for the Titans in an aforementioned late-round pick swap. Murray allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete more than 85% of the targets thrown in his direction last season, with an opposing passer rating of 131.3.
Murray wasn't the only former first-round bust and coverage liability acquired by the Cowboys. They also traded for cornerback Elam from the Bills, who never met expectations in Buffalo. Completing their day, another former first-rounder was signed in Payton Turner, a New Orleans Saints mistake. The No. 28 overall selection in 2021, Turner has never recorded more than two sacks in a campaign. Dallas continues to shop in the discount bin.
