It has been over a week since the NFL’s free agency period began and most of the damage has already been done. Did your team fall into our list of winners or losers?
Winners:
Denver Broncos:
Clearly the 43-8 obliteration at the hands of Seattle in the Super Bowl didn’t sit well with the Broncos, as they added hybrid defensive end DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib and safety T.J. Ward on the defensive side of the ball.
The Broncos lost wide receiver Eric Decker but were able to replace him with former Steeler Emmanuel Sanders.
New England Patriots
The Patriots always seem to add the right players to fit their scheme and this free agency period was no different.
New England lost cornerback Aqib Talib to Denver but made a big splash by adding cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Patriots also added cornerback Brandon Browner from Seattle, but Browner will miss four games due to a suspension.
The Patriots were also able to resign wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman was a big part of New England’s success in 2013 with six touchdowns and 1,056 receiving yards.
Chicago Bears
The Bears defense was atrocious last season – they lacked a pass rush, giving opposing quarterbacks plenty of time to light them up through the air.
Chicago did lose defensive end Julius Peppers but it replaced him with Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, two solid pickups.
The Bears also added former Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, defensive back Danny McCray and wide receiver Domenik Hixon.
Losers:
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers had a rough free agency as they lost wide receivers Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Hixon.
On the defensive side of the ball, Carolina also lost cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and safety Mike Mitchell.
Kansas City Chiefs
After a successful regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a lot of momentum during the offseason. Free agency was not kind to Andy Reid and Co.
Kansas City lost offensive tackle Brandon Albert, offensive guard Geoff Schwartz, wide receiver Dexter McCluster, and defensive end Tyson Jackson.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys lost their all-time sack leader DeMarcus Ware to the Denver Broncos. Losing Ware is a huge blow to the Cowboys chemistry as Ware was an important member of the defense. The Cowboys also lost defensive back Danny McCray to the Chicago Bears.
They did add backup quarterback Brandon Weeden and defensive tackle Henry Melton but losing Ware puts the Cowboys among the free agency losers.
