Winners
Tampa Bay — The Buccaneers ran away with the title this year. Lovie Smith’s new team got good! QB Josh McCown is a guy we thought the Jets should have gone after hard, and the Bucs feel like they’ve found their Rich Gannon. O-linemen Evan Dietrich-Smith and Anthony Collins and TE Brandon Myers are all good players, Michael Johnson is a dangerous pass rusher, Clinton McDonald is a steal, and we felt from the start that Alterraun Verner was one of the top CBs on the market.
Denver — The Broncos are the definition of a “now” team, and their impressive free agency haul certainly indicates that. Emmanuel Sanders and Andre Caldwell bolster an already dangerous receiving corps, DeMarcus Ware immediately upgrades the pass rush, and Aqib Talib is the cover corner they so desperately needed.
Indianapolis — The Colts did very well. Baltimore will regret letting Arthur Jones get away, D’Qwell Jackson brings 800 tackles, 10 sacks and 15 career takeaways to the defense, and WR Hakeem Nicks was a good get on a one-year deal.
Atlanta — The Falcons were very aggressive in March. Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai boost the D-line, and G Jon Asamoah, another player we had targeted for the Jets, becomes an instant starter on the right side of the O-line. Devin Hester gives the team a lethal scoring threat on special teams. They are in best-player-available mode.
Chicago — DE Jared Allen is an upgrade over Julius Peppers, DE Lamarr Houston is an effective young run stopper, and the addition of both means they don’t have to start Willie Young.
Losers
Dallas — When you have to wave goodbye to as many players as the Cowboys did, including a cornerstone guy like DeMarcus Ware, due to cap trouble, no amount of Brandon Weeden and Henry Melton signings can get you off the losers list.
Oakland — For a team in a self-described rebuilding mode, the Raiders signed too many old guys and took too many risks on players who should have been looking for “now” teams. With the age of players like James Jones, Donald Penn, Khalif Barnes, Matt Schaub, Justin Tuck and Antonio Smith — all 30 — Oakland will have to be doing this again in another two years.
Seattle — This is sort of a function of winning the Super Bowl. Everyone wants to get paid now. The Seahawks lost players for cap reasons, and not getting Jared Allen is a blow. They still have work to do.
New England — Brandon Browner will serve suspension time and isn’t as good as advertised. Revis is only there on a one-year deal. The Patriots may not have done as well as everyone thinks.
Kansas City — The Chiefs lost three-fifths of their starting offensive line as well as DE Tyson Jackson, they cut CB Dunta Robinson, and we haven’t yet seen what they’ve done to replace any of them.
