Another free agency period has come and gone in the National Football League, with this year’s rendition being just as chaotic as its predecessors.
The offseason isn’t for the faint of heart, while some teams made noticeable improvements to their roster, others saw household names depart.
I wanted to start on a positive note with my offseason winners, however for a team to gain a key player, another has to lose one.
For what it’s worth, most of my offseason losers from last year turned out just fine. The Rams looked like they were staring down a lengthy rebuild but rebounded to make the playoffs. Green Bay also returned to the postseason after a down season in 2022.
Hopefully for these fanbases my ‘loser’ predictions age just as poorly as they did last year.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s past four seasons have been bittersweet to say the least. The Bills have been a consistent contender for the first time since the 90s, however haven’t been able to get out of the AFC.
Many key pieces to the Bills’ recent success left this offseason, most notably wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was traded to fellow AFC contender Houston for just a 2025 second round pick.
This trade leaves Josh Allen without a true number one receiver in an increasingly difficult AFC.
Buffalo also said goodbye to Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White in the secondary, along with Mizzou’s Mitch Morse at center.
I expect the Bills to be competitive and they’re still my pick to win the division. Allen is still in the midst of his prime, but Buffalo squandered many chances to make a Super Bowl run with its previous core of talent.
Miami Dolphins
While Buffalo had a less than ideal spring, its biggest threat in the AFC East didn’t have the best free agency either.
Former first round pick Christian Wilkins was a Pro Bowl-caliber presence on the interior of the defensive line, but received a handsome payday to join Las Vegas.
Wilkins wasn’t the only contributor on defense to leave South Florida, with Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, and Andrew Van Ginkel going their separate ways as well.
The Dolphins did add the likes of Jordan Poyer from the Bills and Shaquil Barrett from the Bucs to compensate for their losses. While Poyer and Barrett have shown to be high caliber players, both are on the wrong side of 30.
Miami will still boast a high powered offense to keep it in playoff contention, but the franchise has a decision to make surrounding Tua Tagovailoa.
Tua can play, there’s no question about that, however there are clear limitations and an injury history that would make me hesitant to open the vault for a big paycheck.
2024 will be a crossroads season for the Dolphins and their franchise quarterback.
Denver Broncos
Two years ago, Denver came into the season with a level of optimism it hadn’t seen since winning Super Bowl 50. Those good feelings wouldn’t last, as the Broncos’ playoff drought since 2015 continued with Russell Wilson’s tenure being rocky at best.
Sean Payton and the organization decided to let go of Wilson and took on $85 million in dead cap space over the next two seasons. Wilson was actually solid in 2023, but it was clear that him and Payton’s partnership wasn’t going to last.
The Broncos also lost Jerry Jeudy and Justin Simmons who were key pieces of their roster.
Denver holds the second longest playoff drought in football, only behind the hapless Jets, and it doesn’t appear the drought will be ending in 2024.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers’ 2023 season was nothing short of a disaster, between the coaching malpractice and Justin Herbert suffering a season-ending finger injury.
LA got next to nothing out of a loaded group of skill players and now most are gone.
Keenan Allen was traded to Chicago, while Mike Williams left for the Jets. Austin Ekeler joins the list of departures after signing a two-year deal with the Commanders.
The team was able to keep Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack on restructured deals, however Herbert doesn’t have much on offense to throw to.
Maybe 2023 first round pick Quentin Johnston overcomes a lackluster rookie campaign, but if he doesn’t develop the Chargers are in real trouble offensively.
The good news for LA is its fifth overall pick in the draft later this month. The top three teams need QBs and Minnesota could trade up with Arizona to draft one as well. If that’s the case, Marvin Harrison Jr. would be there for the taking.
If the Chargers trade with Minnesota, it will have the 11th and 23rd picks to address wide receiver and the offensive line.Center Corey Linsley is likely retiring due to medical concerns so taking a replacement with the 23rd pick makes sense.
The Chargers still have Justin Herbert entering his prime with a potentially massive upgrade at head coach in Jim Harbaugh. If LA can leverage the draft properly, maybe this offseason won’t be so bad after all.