2015 NFL Free-Agent Signings: Winners and Losers from Day 2

The second official day of 2015 free agency has hit, and the opening-day frenzy has died down a bit. There were no blockbuster trades and few major signings, the drama going from boil to sizzle.

There is still plenty going on in the football world, however, and plenty of new acquisitions to discuss. Let's take a look at the day's action and how it impacts the players and their new teams.

Winners: Houston Texans

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It wasn't quite Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks, but the trade winds continued to blow on Wednesday in the NFL.

The Houston Texans kept wheeling and dealing at quarterback, a day after signing Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett to new contracts and trading Case Keenum to the St. Louis Rams.

This time, Ryan Fitzpatrick is on the move back to the AFC East, as the Texans sent him to the New York Jets for a conditional seventh-round pick, one that can turn into a sixth-round selection based on playing time, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini.

This is a decent trade for the Jets, who get a proven backup who can hold down the fort at starter should Geno Smith fail spectacularly. It's also a great one for the Texans, who at least get something when they were going to cut Fitzpatrick after signing Hoyer and Mallett.

Losers: Houston Texans

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Just call Indianapolis University of Miami North.

The Colts have inked yet another former Hurricane to a new deal, signing receiver Andre Johnson to a three-year, $21 million pact, per ESPN.com, just a day after landing his former college teammate, 31-year-old running back Frank Gore.

Both players are past their prime—particularly Johnson, who will turn 34 this summer—but they can still play. Johnson can be what Reggie Wayne was in years past for the Colts offense if his body holds up.

His statistics are deceiving—Johnson hasn't played with a quality quarterback since, well, ever, yet he has put up borderline Hall of Fame numbers (1,012 catches, 13,597 receiving yards, 64 touchdowns). At 6'3" and 230 pounds, he is a big, reliable target for Andrew Luck opposite the speedy T.Y. Hilton.

This was a fantastic addition for the Colts, one that should do wonders for Luck's continued development and the offense as a whole.

On the other side, it was a terrible blow for the Texans, who lose their franchise leader in all receiving categories and a go-to guy in the locker room.

Winners: Indianapolis Colts

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The Colts are doing work this offseason.

Aside from raiding The U for former offensive stars, general manager Ryan Grigson has been bolstering the defense with some key acquisitions.

The team signed outside linebacker Trent Cole Tuesday after the Philadelphia Eagles parted ways with the man who notched the second-most sacks in franchise history (85.5) behind legendary Reggie White. Wednesday, the Colts signed a defensive lineman, Kendall Langford, to bolster the interior.

The former Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams defensive tackle has been a steady player throughout his career. The Colts signed him for four years and $17.2 million, per USA Today's Tom Pelissero.

What that buys the Colts is durability—Langford has played in every game of his career, an active streak of 112 games. He has done a decent job in that span, and he may have been playing a bit out of position in St. Louis as a tackle instead of a 5-technique defensive end.

Loser: DeMarco Murray

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Typically when multiple teams vie for a player, a bidding war ensues and the player wins. That's not necessarily the case with DeMarco Murray.

Last year's rushing champion is being courted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and his old team, the Dallas Cowboys, per ESPN's Ed Werder. But it doesn't feel like his price tag is climbing very quickly.

It didn't help matters that the Eagles signed Ryan Mathews, per ESPN's Adam Schefter—for less than $4 million annually, incidentally—and Raiders signed Roy Helu this week, either. 

It's not that Murray shouldn't feel wanted—his old Oklahoma teammate is recruiting him heavily, per Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I've been trying my hardest," new Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford said. "I've called him, I've texted him. I've done everything. We've been in communication. If we could somehow land DeMarco, it would be a great pickup."

But how much does Murray really want to go to the Eagles if they won't go much above the $5 million annually the Cowboys are reportedly offering, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports? Why aren't the Raiders blowing everyone out of the water with a massive offer Murray couldn't refuse?

The longer Murray remains a free agent, the higher the likelihood his best option will be to go back to Dallas with a relatively meager contract.

Winner: Ryan Mathews

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The Philadelphia Eagles are angling for the most fragile backfield in the NFL, it seems.

A day after trading for perennially injured quarterback Sam Bradford, head coach Chip Kelly signed Ryan Mathews to a three-year, $11.5 million deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mathews hasn't had nearly the bad luck Bradford has, but the sixth-year back isn't exactly the picture of NFL health.

That contract is in line with what the top free agents got a year ago—both Donald Brown and Toby Gerhart signed three-year, $10.5 million deals—meaning the Eagles got him at market value.

Mathews comes over from the San Diego Chargers, where he showed flashes of potential that tantalized Chargers fans and fantasy football owners alike. In the end, however, he never quite delivered on the promise, whether it was because of broken collarbones or limited playing time in a crowded backfield.

Well, that limited time might be at an end, at least if the reports that the Eagles are interested in DeMarco Murray, as noted by ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen, prove to be untrue. 

Darren Sproles will still be the third-down back in Philadelphia, but the starting job and majority of the work is all Mathews' if the Eagles don't do anything else in free agency or the draft.

Of course, anything could change—even in the next few hours—but Mathews is a winner for a day.

Winners: Miami Dolphins

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The Dolphins made a huge splash in free agency, signing cornerback Brice McCain to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, according to the Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly.

Massive deal.

Well, another South Florida deal may have overshadowed McCain's new contract in Miami, but it was a decent under-the-radar move for the Dolphins nonetheless.

With Cortland Finnegan retiring, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, and youngsters Jamar Taylor and Will Davis underperforming, Miami needed to sign some cheap labor at the cornerback position. McCain qualifies.

Miami certainly didn't give him starter money, but he could find himself on the field opposite Pro Bowler Brent Grimes come Week 1.

Of course, the big prize was defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who formalized his massive $114 million deal Wednesday, the team announced. Maybe the Dolphins were trying to wait a day to avoid tampering charges.

Losers: Oakland Raiders

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A cap casualty in New Orleans, inside linebacker Curtis Lofton quickly found a new home out west when the Raiders came calling.

Oakland signed him to a three-year, $18 million deal on Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Field Yates, as part of its continuing effort to improve the linebacker corps and defense in general.

Lofton was one of the worst inside linebackers in the entire league last season, placing 57th out of 60 who qualified, according to Pro Football Focus. In fact, that has been the case ever since he signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Saints in 2012, which is probably the biggest reason they let him go.

So, how exactly did this improve the Raiders? Perhaps he can regain some of his form from his days with the Atlanta Falcons, but recent history says this wasn't a terribly good deal.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal offers up a slightly rosier view of Lofton, writing: "Compared to some of last year's moves on defense, we like how these look. Lofton is a league average starter, but he's only 28 years old and is known as a good leader."

In the end, the Raiders had to spend money, and Lofton's deal isn't exorbitant. But they might have been better served going after some other options in free agency or in the draft for better on-field results.

Winners: New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots were cut and bleeding after losing Darrelle Revis and Shane Vereen and releasing Brandon Browner and Vince Wilfork. The defense that was finally good enough to help get them over the hump seemed to be disintegrating.

Signing a pass-rusher to a steal of a deal should certainly help stem the bleeding for New England. 

The Patriots nabbed outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard Wednesday to the tune of two years and $11 million, per Yahoo Sports' Rand Getlin. That is already a good deal that could be fantastic if Sheard can live up to his potential.

He didn't do so with the Cleveland Browns over the past two seasons after getting off to a good start in the NFL, amassing just 7.5 sacks in that span as opposed to the 15.5 he nabbed during the first two years of his career. 

Sacks aren't everything, though—Sheard has rated among the top 16 3-4 outside linebackers in the league over the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots might have been Day 1 losers, but they rebounded rather nicely.

Losers: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in full rebuild mode. Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A year after doling out boatloads of cash in free agency, the Buccaneers are cutting bait on big signings from 2014 and are out shopping once again. They cut defensive end Michael Johnson, per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, and are set to release safety Dashon Goldson, per Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times—one day after releasing offensive lineman Anthony Collins—cutting their losses early in the process.

Their best addition comes in the form of linebacker Bruce Carter, who signed a four-year deal for $20.5 million, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com's Dan Hanzus). The former Dallas Cowboy will likely replace Mason Foster in the starting lineup.

Whether that's a major upgrade or not is debatable—Pro Football Focus didn't rate either very highly last season, and Carter was playing outside while Foster was in the middle. 

The signing doesn't really do much to ease the blow from Tampa Bay's other losses, however. Considering they already own the No. 1 pick in the draft, it could be a long year for Buccaneers fans.