The Biggest Winners and Losers of Early NFL Free Agency

NFL free agency is an ongoing part of the offseason, but the opening week in 2022 brought a whirlwind of signings around the league.

Seven days in—since the legal tampering window opened, at least—a few franchises have already made meaningful improvements to their roster. On the other hand, though, a couple of teams haven't engaged in much activity on the open market, possibly to their own detriment.

One critical note: Trades are not included here. The focus is entirely on players who signed as free agents. Otherwise, the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders would be highlighted as winners after acquiring Russell Wilson and Davante Adams, respectively.

Reported contract terms and value are considered, along with perceived needs and whether those were addressed.

Winner: Baltimore Ravens

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Although it wasn't a busy opening week for the Baltimore Ravens, they certainly had a productive one.

The key addition is safety Marcus Williams, who spent the last five seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He collected 320 tackles and 15 interceptions during that time, parlaying that strong performance into a five-year, $70 million deal with the Ravens.

Baltimore also bolstered the line of scrimmage with offensive tackle Morgan Moses and defensive tackle Michael Pierce. The addition of Moses allows the Ravens to move Patrick Mekari as necessary, and Pierce is a solid pickup after the Minnesota Vikings released him for salary-cap purposes.

Had the Ravens officially signed Za'Darius Smith, they would've landed even higher marks. However, he backed off a verbal agreement and remains a free agent.

Loser: Atlanta Falcons

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To the Atlanta Falcons' credit, they re-signed do-it-all playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson for just $10.5 million over two seasons. That's a quality move for a team short on offensive contributors and cost less than expected.

But after a 7-10 season, the Falcons basically added one new player. Not exactly the most inspiring week.

Atlanta signed Casey Hayward to a two-year, $11 million deal, and he should replace Fabian Moreau as the starting cornerback opposite rising star A.J. Terrell. Hayward is a good pickup, especially for a franchise that has limited cap flexibility.

In the meantime, however, the Falcons lost wideout Russell Gage and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. Plus, they ticked off quarterback Matt Ryan through a failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson and ended up trading Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.

Atlanta is stumbling toward a fifth straight losing season.

Winner: New York Jets

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This is...this is unfamiliar territory. Go ahead and sit down if needed.

But the New York Jets nicely blended short-term improvements while preserving long-term flexibility. None of their free-agent agreements extend beyond the 2024 season, and they retained a handful of depth pieces quite inexpensively.

Most notably, the Jets brought in offensive guard Laken Tomlinson (three years, $40 million), cornerback D.J. Reed (three years, $33 million), tight end C.J. Uzomah (three years, $24 million) and safety Jordan Whitehead (two years, $14.5 million). They also re-upped wide receiver Braxton Berrios (two years, $12 million).

Even if some of them struggle, it's not affecting a playoff window.

Look, a winning record in 2022 would be progress. For now, the Jets wisely reinforced the middle tier of their roster.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys

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This offseason feels like a "one step forward, two steps back" kind of situation for the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas kept wideout Michael Gallup on a five-year contract and also added James Washington on a one-year deal. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong is back, and Dante Fowler Jr. is on the way after also agreeing to terms on a one-year pact.

But the Cowboys couldn't bring back receiver Cedrick Wilson, who signed with the Miami Dolphins, and they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. Dallas' offer to pass-rusher Randy Gregory fell through. Starting guard Connor Williams joined Wilson in Miami, and offensive tackle La'el Collins wanted a change of scenery.

Dallas, which is still nearly $27 million below the salary cap, is not a stronger team today than it was in January.

Winner: Cincinnati Bengals

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If you're tired of hearing about the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line, that's understandable. Nevertheless, it'd be ridiculous for us to suggest it's not among the most important storylines.

Despite the poor blocking, the Bengals won the AFC behind Joe Burrow and skill-position talent (and kicker Evan McPherson). Cincinnati upgraded the O-line, signing three players—guard Alex Cappa, center Ted Karras and tackle La'el Collins—who should be protecting Burrow as starters in 2022.

Bengals fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief.

For good measure, Cincinnati replaced tight end C.J. Uzomah with Hayden Hurst and prioritized re-signing defensive tackle B.J. Hill to a three-year extension. It's already been a strong offseason for the Bengals.

Loser: Chicago Bears

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There is no doubt new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a plan. But it didn't include much in free agency.

Now, that's not to suggest he's already doing something wrong; Chicago has plenty of concerns to address, and overspending for free agents now may only compound that problem in future years. Still, the Bears tiptoed around the fringes of the roster.

More than anything, Chicago remains in desperate need of offensive linemen. Lucas Patrick was an affordable add at two years and $8 million, but the Bears lost starter James Daniels and top rotational piece Alex Bars.

Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols and wideout/returner Jakeem Grant must be replaced, too. And while the Khalil Mack trade isn't a factor here, the lack of a replacement so far certainly is noteworthy.

Chicago's plan is a curious one.

Winner: Buffalo Bills

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In this highly subjective exercise, judging the Buffalo Bills is largely a reflection of how you grade the Von Miller signing.

Spoiler alert: Love it.

While the flashy numbers are six years and $120 million, Spotrac noted it's practically a three-year, $53 million deal. Miller, in theory, becomes the high-end pass-rusher that Buffalo didn't have in 2021. Only one Bills player registered more than four sacks last season; Miller notched four in the postseason alone.

Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips headed to the Minnesota Vikings, and the Bills released Star Lotulelei for cap reasons. Yet they added Tim Settle and Jordan Phillips there, then replaced offensive guard Jon Feliciano with Rodger Saffold.

Buffalo still needs a cornerback, but the two-time reigning AFC East champs are moving in the right direction.