With 2017 NFL free agency officially underway, here's a look at the eight teams that should be considered the true winners of the first day.
After weeks of rumors and possible scenarios of where certain players could end up, the start of 2017 NFL free agency officially got underway at 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, and if the first day is any indication of what's in store for the next few months, it's going to be a fun offseason. From Alshon Jeffery heading to the City of Brotherly Love to the Jacksonville Jaguars improving their defense with two key additions, one can only imagine what the second day of free agency in the NFL is going to be like.
Thanks to the Chicago Bears making the decision not to use the franchise tag on their former wideout for the second year in a row, Jeffery was considered one of the most sought after free agents when looking at all of the teams in need of help at wide receiver. Lucky for Carson Wentz, the Eagles are willing to give Jeffery a one year "prove yourself" deal before rewarding him with the long-term contract he was originally hoping for.
As for the Jaguars, this team has to be thrilled over landing two of this year's top defensive free agents in A.J. Bouye and Calais Campbell. Who knows, maybe these key additions to the defense is just what Jacksonville needs to finally become contenders not just in the division, but the AFC in general.
So exactly which teams ended up having the best first day of free agency? Without wasting any more time, here's a look at the eight teams that should be considered the true winners of opening day in NFL free agency.
Jan 14, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) throws a pass against the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
8. Houston Texans
In what will easily go down as the most shocking trade of the offseason, the Houston Texans were able to get Brock Osweiler off of their roster by sending him to the Cleveland Browns, who may end up releasing the quarterback since they only agreed to this deal for the draft picks. Either way, the Texans should consider themselves one of the luckiest teams in the NFL for finding a team like the Browns willing to take on a ridiculous contract like the one Osweiler has since no one would even come close to considering the possibility.
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For years, Houston has been desperately searching for an answer at the quarterback position, and after watching Osweiler throw more interceptions than touchdowns during his first year under center with the team, it was clear originally signing him to a $72 million was a huge mistake. Whether Tony Romo comes on board or the team decides to give Tom Savage a shot to prove himself as the starter, the important factor for the Texans is they were able to get Osweiler off their hands without a huge cap hit thanks to the Browns.
Here's to hoping Houston learned their lesson the hard way in regards to jumping the gun on signing unproven players to lucrative contracts with Osweiler out of the picture after just one season. This is a team that arguably could have defeated the New England Patriots in the playoffs last January with an improved quarterback, and it will be interesting to see who ends up under center for the Texans once Week 1 rolls around.
Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth (77) in action against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
7. Los Angeles Rams
After finishing with a 4-12 record in 2016, the Los Angeles Rams entered free agency knowing two of their biggest needs to focus on was the offensive line and wide receiver, both of which coincidentally would impact the development of Jared Goff running the offense. While the addition of Robert Woods may not have been the best option when compared to other available wide receivers, the Rams should be thrilled over winning the Andrew Whitworth sweepstakes.
Whitworth was considered one of the top offensive tackles to target in free agency, and to see him join a team like Los Angeles shows how confident he must feel with Sean McVay running the show as the new head coach. The Rams have done an excellent job by surrounding Goff with the proper coaching staff to help his game reach the next level, but none of that is going to matter without the proper protection.
An experienced veteran like Whitworth should have an immediate impact on improving the offensive line while making life much easier for the team's two offensive stars in Goff and Todd Gurley. As for Woods, the team hopes a return to California helps Woods (played at USC) turn out to be one of the biggest under the radar signings of free agency.
Dec 5, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) catches a pass during the pre-game warmups for a game against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
6. New York Giants
Shortly after his release from the New York Jets, the New York Giants were listed as a team Brandon Marshall was interested in joining in order to keep his family in the same area, and avoid the headaches that come along with moving. Lucky for Marshall, the two parties were able to agree on a two-year deal that now give Eli Manning one of the top trios of wide receivers to work with in the NFL.
Even though New York fell to the Green Bay Packers in the opening round of the playoffs, the future appeared to be bright for the Giants offense thanks to having one of the league's best receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. along with a potential player on the rise in Sterling Shepard. Thanks to the addition of Marshall, the rest of the NFC East better have the necessary cornerbacks if they're going to have any chance at defeating New York on offense.
The thought of receivers like Beckham and Marshall playing together may seem like a nightmare to play with at first when looking at how many headaches the two have caused in the past, but Manning will figure out a way to make it work. Between the addition of Marshall on top of the defense emerging from nowhere last year to be one of the most underrated in the league, New York may be looking for their third Super Bowl appearance under the Manning era in 2017.
Oct 20, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) catches a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
5. Philadelphia Eagles
One of the biggest surprises during the first day of free agency was finding out that Alshon Jeffery turned down a multi-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings to join the Philadelphia Eagles for a chance to prove he deserves a hefty contract in the long run. Only time will tell when it comes to whether this decision will payoff for the Eagles, but the important factor is Carson Wentz finally has some legitimate weapons to work with on offense.
Along with the signing of Jeffery, Philadelphia was able to land another deep threat in Torrey Smith, who spent the last two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and was released by the team a few days ago. Smith may not have the size and strength that Jeffery brings to the table, but his speed has always set him apart from the rest of the receivers in the NFL, and comes at a much cheaper price when compared to other players like DeSean Jackson.
For everyone that was wondering what Wentz would be capable of with an improved receiving corps, the second-year quarterback should flourish with these new additions to Philadelphia next season. After seeing what the Eagles originally gave up to land Wentz in last year's draft, it's great to see the team doing everything in their power to build a solid unit around their hopeful franchise quarterback.
Nov 20, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) reacts after making an interception off a pass from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (not pictured) in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
4. New England Patriots
How exactly do the defending Super Bowl champions get better during the offseason when they already appear to be strong favorites to repeat? They go on and sign one of the top cornerbacks from this year's free agency class in Stephon Gilmore, that's how.
After spending the last five years with the Buffalo Bills, Gilmore will remain in the AFC East by joining the New England Patriots to make their defense even more dangerous heading into the 2017 season. There's a reason why the Patriots are always considered strong contenders at the beginning of the regular season, and to see them land a talented cornerback in Gilmore shows once again why Bill Belichick is one of the all-time greats.
Up next, all eyes will be on what New England ends up doing with former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, who has been rumored to possibly be traded to the New Orleans Saints as part of a deal to acquire Brandin Cooks. If that does end up happening for the Patriots to give Tom Brady yet another elite weapon to work with on offense, it's safe to say they're going to jump higher on this list to make their offseason even better.
Dec 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) in action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Washington Redskins won 27-22. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At one point towards the end of last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in control of their own playoff destiny before losing two key games to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in the final weeks. The Buccaneers can look back all they want about just missing out on the postseason, but if anything, their 9-7 finish in 2016 shows they deserve to be in the conversation of contenders heading into next season.
Tampa Bay was already fortunate enough to have one of the league's top players at wide receiver in Mike Evans, but now the offense will be even more dangerous with a speedy playmaker like DeSean Jackson on board. Jackson agreed to a three-year, $33.5 million with $20 million guaranteed with the Buccaneers after spending the last three seasons as a member of the Washington Redskins, as he looks to take advantage of playing alongside his new teammate in Evans.
The fact that Jackson has broken the 1,000-yard mark in three of the last four seasons shows how quickly the veteran should make an impact for Tampa Bay's passing game. Not to mention, Jameis Winston has already proven to be the type of quarterback that gets better with experience, and the addition of Jackson should help elevate his game to a whole new level now that he has a reliable deep threat.
Sep 20, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) celebrates his touchdown with teammate guard Kevin Zeitler (68) in the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 24-19. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
2. Cleveland Browns
No, this is not a mistake, and the Cleveland Browns seem to finally be making the necessary moves to get this team going in the right direction thanks to analytics. Of course, before jumping into how amazing of an addition Kevin Zeitler is going to make on the offensive line, the main story from Browns headquarters on Thursday was the shocking acquisition of Brock Osweiler from the Houston Texans, although all signs point to an eventual release.
Nobody could have predicted this move in a million years when considering the ridiculous contract that Osweiler carries with him, but the decision for the trade shows how much Cleveland cherishes that second-round pick that was part of the deal. With the move, the Browns now have eight picks combined in the first and second round for the next two drafts, which is simply amazing to think about.
As for the Zeitler signing, the fact that Cleveland was willing to make him the highest paid guard in NFL history shows this team isn't messing around. Hue Jackson's squad may have been the laughing stock in 2016 with only one win, but there's finally some excitement surrounding the Browns after all of these years.
Jan 7, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye (21) in action against the Oakland Raiders during the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Every year, the Jacksonville Jaguars always seem like one of those teams that's finally going to get their acts together, and emerge as surprise contenders in the AFC, only to end up being a disappointment each time. Just look at how the 2016 season turned out as the Jaguars would go on to fire Gus Bradley before the end of the regular season, and eventually finish with a 3-13 record, but next year could be different.
Not only did Jacksonville manage to snag cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Houston Texans for the next five years, but they also beat out the Denver Broncos to sign defensive tackle Calais Campbell on a four-year deal worth $60 million. With these two superstars on board, the Jaguars defense seems ready to finally help this team become contenders in what could turn out to be a very competitive AFC South.
Give Jacksonville credit for focusing on defense early on in free agency since that's going to be their best chance of overtaking teams like the Houston Texans or the Tennessee Titans. Now if only Doug Marrone can figure out a way to fix the issues with Blake Bortles at quarterback, and the Jaguars may finally live up to their offseason hype for a change.
