Winners and Losers of NFL's Early Tampering Period

The 2022 edition of NFL free agency is underway.

While signings can't become official until the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, teams are now permitted to contact and negotiate with impending free agents. The legal tampering period began at noon ET on Monday, and teams wasted little time in taking some of the top players off the board.

Players like J.C. Jackson, Alex Cappa, Emmanuel Ogbah, Laken Tomlinson, Haason Reddick, Brandon Scherff and Larry Ogunjobi agreed to deals Monday.

While the bulk of free agency has yet to unfold, it isn't too early to declare some early winners and losers of the 2022 signing period. That's precisely what we'll do here by considering factors such as player potential, positional value, contract information and team needs.

Who are the big winners and losers of free agency's first unofficial day? Take a look.

Winner: Joe Burrow

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a league-high 51 times during the 2021 regular season and was sacked another 19 times during the postseason. The Bengals made it to Super Bowl LVI, but they fell short as the Los Angeles Rams ratcheted up the defensive pressure on Burrow in the second half.

Afterward, Burrow told reporters that he hoped to be back in the Super Bowl "multiple times over the course of the next few years." Monday's signings should help in that regard.

The Bengals have agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Alex Cappa, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. They also agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with center Ted Karras, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

Cappa and Karras are two starting-caliber interior linemen who should help keep Burrow upright. The Bengals also re-signed defensive tackle B.J. Hill, per Rapoport, though the additions of Cappa and Karras are what make them early winners of the tampering window.

"There's no doubt that Cincy has taken a major step forward [to] correct their pass protection in a major way so far today," ESPN's Field Yates tweeted.

Loser: Teams In Need of Interior Offensive Line Help

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Cincinnati was not the only team to go after interior offensive linemen Monday. Some other notable free agents reached agreements with teams.

The Buffalo Bills agreed to re-sign center Mitch Morse to a two-year, $19.5 million deal that includes $12 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Meanwhile, Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson has agreed to a three-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets that includes $27 million guaranteed, per Garafolo.

Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff is headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Garafolo, while the Tennessee Titans are set to re-sign center Ben Jones to a two-year, $14 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also agreed Sunday to re-sign center Ryan Jensen to a three-year, $39 million deal that includes $23 million guaranteed, per Rapoport.

For teams that need interior line help and failed to make an early move, this flurry of activity is bad news. Cappa, Jensen, Scherff, Tomlinson and Jones were five of the top 36 players on our free-agency big board, while Morse and Karras are starting-caliber players as well.

Teams will now be forced to settle for the second tier of interior line options, if they can find starting-caliber talent at all.

Winner: Trevor Lawrence

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

In addition to landing a perennial Pro Bowl talent in Brandon Scherff, the Jacksonville Jaguars added two other players from the top 50 of the B/R free agency big board Monday.

The Jags plan to sign wide receiver Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72 million deal with $37 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. They're also signing defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi to a three-year, $30 million deal, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Three of our top 50 free agents are now headed to a Jacksonville team that also owns the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft. The Jaguars are also adding tight end Evan Engram on a one-year, $9 million deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Jaguars, who ranked 28th in points allowed and dead last in scoring this past season, entered the offseason needing help on both sides of the ball. However, supporting second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence had to be their top priority.

The additions of Kirk, Engram and Scherff will be big for Lawrence, who flashed promise as a rookie. However, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick lacked weapons and was sacked 32 times while tying for the league lead with 17 interceptions.

Now that the Jaguars have added some notable offensive pieces and franchise-tagged left tackle Cam Robinson, Lawrence should enter 2022 in a much better situation. The big question moving forward is what Jacksonville decides to do with this year's No. 1 pick.

Loser: Teams Hoping for Budget Deals with FA Pass-Rushers

Joshua Bessex/Associated Press

Teams with cap space to spare have been making early moves. Teams with minimal cap space have to be looking at some of these contracts and worrying about their ability to make significant moves, particularly those in need of pass-rushing help.

Sack artists are always in demand, but teams can sometimes land budget deals. Last season, for example, the Carolina Panthers signed Haason Reddick to a modest one-year, $6 million deal. Reddick is now set to cash in with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles agreed to terms with Reddick on a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins agreed to re-sign pass-rusher Emmanuel Ogbah to a four-year, $65 million deal with $32 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Both of those moves came in the wake of Harold Landry's five-year, $87.5 million extension from the Titans.

In short, the price point for quality pass-rushers remains sky high. Teams hoping to land the likes of Jadeveon Clowney, Von Miller or Chandler Jones on a team-friendly deal are probably out of luck.

Clowney plans to "take his time" to gauge the market, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports and USA Today. Based on what we've seen thus far, he should have no problem landing a lucrative deal regardless of where he winds up.

Winner: Mitchell Trubisky

Joshua Bessex/Associated Press

Most of the players who agreed to deals Monday are winners when it comes to their bank accounts. However, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is a winner for a different reason entirely.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Trubisky plans to sign a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"This was the best opportunity for me and my family ... the best way to get back on the field and try to win games ... You've got to go out and earn it," the 2017 No. 2 overall pick told Fowler.

Trubisky failed to pan out with the Chicago Bears, posting a 29-21 record as a starter to go with a passer rating of only 87.2. After spending the 2021 season as a backup in Buffalo, the 27-year-old now has a prime opportunity to reestablish himself as a starter.

The Steelers were a playoff team last season, but longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement in late January. And unlike Tom Brady, Roethlisberger seems unlikely to un-retire this offseason.

Trubisky's primary competition for the starting job in Pittsburgh will be Mason Rudolph, who has a 5-4-1 record and career passer rating of 80.9. Things could change if the Steelers select a quarterback early in April's draft, but Trubisky will otherwise have an excellent chance of starting for them in 2022.

Loser: New York Giants

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Mitchell Trubisky signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers takes a potentially great opportunity away from the New York Giants. They are still hoping to make it work with Daniel Jones, but Trubisky—who played under new Giants head coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo—would have been an excellent plan B in New York.

"[General manager Joe] Schoen's biggest job is to backstop a questionable position on the roster that happens to be the most important position in the game," Peter King of ProFootballTalk wrote Monday morning. "The way to do that is to get a solid backup for 2022 who can be a bridge quarterback and maybe a long-term one beginning in 2023."

Trubisky is no longer an option, and that wasn't the only negative development for the Giants on Monday. 

New York is $3.8 million over the salary cap and has largely had to sit on the sidelines while its division rivals make moves. The Dallas Cowboys agreed to an extension with wideout Michael Gallup on Sunday, the Washington Football Team traded for quarterback Carson Wentz last week and the Eagles just landed edge-rusher Haason Reddick and re-signed center Jason Kelce.

The Giants did agree to a three-year deal with guard Mark Glowinski, per Rapoport, and a one-year deal with guard Jon Feliciano, per Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com. These are solid signings but largely replacement moves—2021 starters Billy Price and Will Hernandez are set to depart in free agency.

This is shaping up to be a rebuilding year for the Giants, one where wins figure to be few and far between. New York has two top-seven picks next month, but any fans hoping for a quick turnaround will likely be disappointed this season.

Winner: Los Angeles Chargers

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Chargers made a huge move Monday, landing cornerback J.C. Jackson with a five-year, $82.5 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Giardi.

Jackson was the top player on our free-agency big board and is a legitimate shutdown cornerback.

He finished the 2021 season with eight interceptions and a league-high 23 passes defended. The 26-year-old allowed an opposing passer rating of only 46.8 in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference.

While one signing won't cause a team to "win" free agency, this one comes on the heels of two big moves by the Chargers. Los Angeles locked up wide receiver Mike Williams with a new three-year, $60 million deal and traded for pass-rusher Khalil Mack.

In Mack and Jackson, the Chargers have added top-tier talent at two of the most important defensive positions. The Jackson deal is also a win because of the price.

Jackson's annual salary of $16.5 million is a lot, but it's significantly less than he was reportedly seeking. According to Giardi, Jackson was looking for "Jalen Ramsey money."

Ramsey, for the record, is making $20 million annually.

                

Contract and cap information via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.