Games are won and lost in the fall, not on the Ides of March. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with power rankings for the paper tigers signed during the first wave of NFL free agency. Which teams have done the most for themselves in March? Which teams still have work to do during waves two and three?
NFL Power Rankings Post-First Wave of Free Agency: Tier 5 | Rebuilding or floundering
There were a few teams that had money to spend and used it like a trophy spouse going to designer stores to pay retail. Others hit the outlets for comparable products at a lower cost. Others absolutely loath shopping in any form and instead called a few stores to see if there were any flash sales going on.
Ultimately, they just stayed at home and put some stuff in their Amazon cart for later. There was some movement from some of the teams here, but only one elevated their standing to the next tier.
32) Houston Texans
The Texans made a huge move to pick up draft assets with the Deshaun Watson trade. However, they’ve been relatively quiet from a free agency perspective. They lost Justin Reid, and the future of Laremy Tunsil is in question.
31) Detroit Lions
Adding DJ Chark Jr. to the roster was a huge get, and their culture was a huge reason he chose Detroit. The Lions also retained Charles Harris, Tracy Walker, and Kalif Raymond. However, they haven’t done much in terms of outside free agency.
30) New York Giants
The Giants didn’t have cap space to begin with, and thus, haven’t done much during the first wave of free agency. That may be a difficult pill to swallow for Giants fans, but they should be happy with the few darts they threw on the offensive line. Signing Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano was a good start at addressing the OL issues, but they still must improve in the draft to give Daniel Jones a shot at succeeding as a franchise quarterback.
29) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are setting markets in free agency, and that’s usually not a good thing. However, there’s no denying they’ve worked to improve their roster during the start of NFL free agency. Brandon Scherff is still outstanding when healthy, Christian Kirk is a big upgrade at receiver, and Darious Williams was a great value pickup at corner.
28) New York Jets
The Jets share a title with the Giants for the most losses in the NFL over the last five years. However, the Jets have been active in free agency, trying to fill the obvious holes on their roster. Gang Green found value in D.J. Reed and Jordan Whitehead to help the reeling secondary. They also signed C.J. Ozumah and Jacob Martin, who both appear to be ascending players.
27) New Orleans Saints
As they awaited Watson’s decision, the Saints have done almost nothing so far in free agency. However, they signed Marcus Maye from the Jets as he recovers from a torn Achilles. They also signed defensive tackle Kentavius Street, an athletic interior rusher with a ton of potential surrounded by an already talented defensive front.
But what is most incredible about the Saints is GM Mickey Loomis’ ability to manipulate the salary cap, creating over $90 million in space to put them in the top 10 of cap space heading into 2022 as of March 21.
26) Atlanta Falcons
Signing a kicker to big money when the team is already a struggling roster is a questionable move, but Younghoe Koo has made over 92% of his field goals over the past three seasons with Atlanta. He’s an asset for a team with few bright spots at the moment.
They did retain Cordarrelle Patterson and signed Damien Williams to a one-year deal, so their RB rotation should be improved. But the Falcons’ best signing was cornerback Casey Hayward Jr., who is a perfect schematic fit for Atlanta’s coverage.
25) Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have quietly made several good moves to improve their roster from last season. Their free agency plan has been to avoid the bigger-name signings, locking down more mid-tier names early on while the high-profile players took most of the negotiation time.
Austin Corbett was a necessary addition for the team, and adding Matt Ioannidis to an already talented defensive corps is a very underrated signing of free agency. Still, unless Sam Darnold can improve and the Panthers address more of their issues (including left tackle), the offense may struggle.
24) Chicago Bears
The Bears looked at their wide receiving corps from 2021 and said, “That’s not going to cut it.” They haven’t attacked any of the big fish, but they added Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown to help complement Darnell Mooney. Justin Fields is an intermediate and deep-ball passer, and those receivers fit that mold. Losing James Daniels hurt, but Lucas Patrick should help soften that blow.
23) Washington Commanders
The Commanders practically swapped Scherff for Andrew Norwell. While Norwell isn’t the player Scherff is, he’s been more available over his career. Retaining J.D. McKissic was a big plus for the team as their receiving weapon out of the backfield, a position necessary for new QB Carson Wentz. Aside from the trade and those two moves, they’ve been relatively quiet. However, they’ve lost a few names on the defensive side of the ball.
22) Seattle Seahawks
Signing Uchenna Nwosu and retaining Quandre Diggs were big steps to help Seattle’s defense stay afloat in 2022. They’re also taking shots on guys like Artie Burns and Sidney Jones at cornerback, who were coveted coming into the league but have never quite found their footing. Al Woods helps on the interior, and Rashaad Penny should be a solid contributor in the Seahawks’ backfield.
However, trading Russell Wilson away means they need to figure out QB for the first time since drafting him. With three picks in the top 50, Seattle should make a splash on immediate contributors in the 2022 NFL Draft.
NFL Power Rankings Post-First Wave of Free Agency: Tier 4 | Not far away
The three teams in this tier have some intriguing strengths on their rosters, but visible weaknesses that hurt their upside for 2022.
21) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers needed to improve at cornerback, linebacker, quarterback, and the offensive line during free agency. They found a way to possibly accomplish all four without overpaying. However, Mitchell Trubisky is only a slight net positive from late-stage Ben Roethlisberger — if he is an upgrade at all. They still have a lot of work to do on the roster. But signing Levi Wallace, James Daniels, and Myles Jack should give them upgrades at those three needy position groups.
20) Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has been quiet so far in free agency. They don’t have money to work with, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. Keeping Danielle Hunter and Kirk Cousins on the roster means they’ll once again attempt to fight for a Wild Card spot in the NFC playoffs. With talent flocking to the AFC, and the Vikings’ propensity to lose one-score games in 2021, they could find themselves in a better situation in 2022.
19) Miami Dolphins
If Mike McDaniel gets seven games from Raheem Mostert in 2022, it’ll be money well spent for the Dolphins. Miami also signed veteran running back Chase Edmonds, who should also be a good fit in McDaniel’s run scheme. Losing out on La’el Collins was tough, but they found outstanding value in Connor Williams to start at guard. With a few big-name offensive tackles remaining on the market, they still have a shot to continue improving their line.
NFL Power Rankings Post-first Wave of Free Agency: Tier 3 | Tough to tell yet
The NFL offseason is a long process, and the teams in Tier 3 are evidence of that. Each has a strong roster, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
18) Philadelphia Eagles
Haason Reddick was an outstanding early signing for Philadelphia. His versatility allows him to align as the SAM in base and play as a traditional EDGE in lighter personnel groupings. Philadelphia has been pretty quiet otherwise. They cut and re-added Fletcher Cox and retained both Anthony Harris and Boston Scott. But with decent cap space available, Howie Roseman should start working his magic soon in the market.
17) Green Bay Packers
Keeping De’Vondre Campbell, Rasul Douglas, and Robert Tonyan was great for the Packers. However, their losses are piling up. Losing the best receiver in the NFL is never easy. Plus, there’s a chance that only one of the Packers’ top five receivers returns for 2022. Even with five picks in the top 100, that is a difficult loss to overcome.
16) Indianapolis Colts
We await quarterback news from the Colts. Who they trade for or sign will have a massive impact on their 2022 outlook. Frank Reich and Marcus Brady must be tired of the revolving door in the QB room. Mo Alie-Cox and Tyquan Lewis are two solid players Indianapolis retained, but the rest of free agency has been a snoozer for Colts fans.
15) New England Patriots
New England has been an afterthought in free agency so far. Aside from rumors they could be in on La’el Collins, they’ve worked in the shadows. Re-signing Trent Brown is a great move, and retaining Ja’Whaun Bentley and Devin McCourty helps keep continuity on the defensive side of the ball.