AFC Winners
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why? Mainly because of incoming quarterback Tom Brady and finally cutting Jameis Winston who led the league in interceptions last year. They also made some additions to their defense including Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Arizona Cardinals
Why? They brought in arguably the best wide receiver in the league, Deandre Hopkins, for a low price. They sent running back David Johnson and second and fourth-round draft picks to the Texans for DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round pick. They also placed a transition tag on Kenyan Drake who will probably earn most of Johnson’s in-game reps this coming season.
Cleveland Browns
Why? The Browns didn’t sign any blockbuster players but filled in a couple of gaps in their roster. They signed former Falcons TE Austin Hooper who will compete with David Njoku for the tight end spot. They also signed QB Case Keenum who led the Vikings to an NFC championship game in the 2018 season. Finally, they signed Jack Conklin who was a 16-game starter for the Titans in three of his four seasons with the team. Protecting Baker Mayfield was their number one priority this offseason and Conklin gets it done for them.
Tennessee Titans
Why? They had enough cap space to resign most of their team who led them to an AFC championship game. The only minuses were losing Jurrell Casey to the Broncos and paying Ryan Tannehill an outrageous 118 million dollars over four years.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Why? They are still on the winning side of things this offseason even though they didn’t make any big changes. They managed to keep most of their defensive front including franchise-tagged Bud Dupree. The team also addressed the tight end position adding veteran Eric Ebron from the Colts.
AFC Losers
New England Patriots
Why? After an early playoff exit last season, they were looking to build up their team but they ended up doing the opposite. They lost future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and weren’t very active otherwise, only signing players who probably won’t start in the coming season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Why? The Jags used their franchise tag on DE Yannick Ngakoue but he is still unsatisfied with his deal so that was a waste of their franchise tag. They also lost two of their best defensive players in CB A.J Bouye and DE Calais Campbell. They signed QB Nick Foles last year, but cut him this offseason leaving Gardner Minshew and Joshua Dobbs to run the show at quarterback this season.
Denver Broncos
Why? The only reason they are on either side of this list is wasted cap space and not addressing their needs. They signed Melvin Gordon and had to pay him when they already had Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman as one of the better running back pairings in the league. Also, they didn’t make a push for any elite wide receivers and now they are stuck with Cortland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, and a likely draft pick as their top receivers. There could be an argument to have them as a winner having picked up two elite defenders in Jurrell Casey and A.J. Bouye via trades but the cons outweigh the pros in this situation.
NFC Winners
San Francisco 49ers
Why? They kept nearly their whole NFC champion team together which is no small feat when you have the third-ranked defense (According to nfl.com) in the league. They only lost Emmanuel Sanders and Deforest Buckner so they should be a contender again this year.
New Orleans Saints
Why? The Saints weren’t in the running for any big names this offseason but they re-signed future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. They also reeled in Malcolm Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders each with a few good years left. Their only key losses were backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and cornerback Eli Apple.
Atlanta Falcons
Why? They upgraded at defensive end and running back with Dante Fowler Jr. and Todd Gurley even though Gurley is a huge risk. They had to give up a lot of draft picks to get Hayden Hurst as a replacement for Austin Hooper but they probably won’t miss them. They did lose cornerback Desmond Trufant and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell which will hurt but they managed to stay on the winning side.
NFC Losers
Houston Texans
Why? I believe that they made the worst trade this whole offseason by any team. They sent arguably the best wide receiver in the league Deandre Hopkins as well as a fourth-round pick to the Cardinals and in return got running back David Johnson as well as second and fourth-round draft picks. They have three respectable wide receivers in Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, and Brandin Cooks but none of them are as good as Hopkins. Plus, Fuller and Cooks have a high injury risk.
Los Angeles Rams
Why? They didn’t make any additions that will seriously impact their season but they did lose some major talent. The team lost six starters including running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Clay Mathews. Their Brandin Cooks trade was expected and not all that bad seeing that they got another second-round pick in the process.
Carolina Panthers
Why? The Panthers made close to zero free agent signings this offseason. The only players they added that they needed were quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver Robby Anderson. They didn’t add any defensive ends so they are stuck with only two. Carolina lost seven starters including Cam Newton, Greg Olson, and Luke Kuechly.
Minnesota Vikings
Why? They lost six former starters including star wide receiver Steffon Diggs and defensive end Everson Griffen. Their only addition that will impact this coming season is getting Michael Pierce for their struggling defensive line. They used to have an elite defensive front but this past offseason took a toll on that group. They lost Everson Griffen, Stephen Weatherly, and Linval Joseph. After the loss of multiple stars, this may be a wild card or worse year for the Vikings.
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