The first day of free agency -- essentially; let's get rid of the ridiculous "legal tampering" label, which makes no sense -- is complete, and it was kind of a dull one for fantasy purposes. The running back and wide receiver markets drew crickets. Instead, money went to offensive linemen and defenders.
Sure, a couple of quarterbacks signed, but none that will be starters in most fantasy leagues. There were a few tight end contracts given out, but to blockers, not receivers. Maybe today we'll see someone sign Jakobi Meyers or David Montgomery. But with a lot of running backs and some similar-type wideouts available, none were prioritized yesterday.
With one day in, here are the teams who made the biggest splashes.
Denver Broncos. The Saints had strong offensive lines for most of the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era. Brees himself made those lines look better than they were, and it remains to be seen if Russell Wilson can do the same. But improving his protection sure can't hurt, and Denver seems to have done that by signing Mike McGlinchey (5 years, $87.5M) from San Francisco and Ben Powers (4 years, $52M) from Baltimore. Tight end Chris Manhertz (24 catches in 104 NFL games) was also signed for his blocking. The other way that many are reading these signings is that Payton doesn't think much of Wilson and wants to have a strong running game. I would argue it's reasonable to want to have a strong running game AND feel that Wilson would also benefit greatly from better protection. Bottom line: Payton didn't have to take this job, joining a team with zero early draft picks for a couple of years and stuck with Wilson's contract. The fact that he took it means he believes Wilson is salvageable, with the right offense around him. That includes upgrading the line, which Denver has done. Denver also signed Jarrett Stidham (backup) and defensive lineman Zach Allen, but the offensive line moves are most noteworthy.
Chicago Bears. Acquiring a raft of draft picks and DJ Moore last week were the biggest moves, but they've also made some early moves in free agency. They signed a four-year Titans starter in guard Nate Davis (3 years, $30 million) and were reportedly in on McGlinchey, so they're looking to upgrade the offensive line. Don't be surprised if an early draft pick, perhaps even No. 9 from the Carolina trade, goes for a tackle. And then they signed three starters for what was the league's worst defense a year ago, adding Tremaine Edmunds (4 years, $72M), T.J. Edwards (3 years, $19.5M) and DeMarcus Walker (3 years, $21M). Chicago has more work to do before they look like contenders, but effort is being made -- it wasn't a year ago.
Atlanta Falcons. Maybe the key move was retaining guard Chris Lindstrom, but the Falcons also brought in a lot of new starters on the defensive side of the ball. Lineman David Onyemata (3 years, $35M), linebacker Kaden Ellis (3 years, $21.5M) and safety Jessie Bates (4 years, $64M) will all help. Atlanta has plenty of questions, starting with quarterback, but in a wide-open NFC South, these moves suggest a team that believes it can win the division if it gets a little better on offense and a lot better on defense.
Some of the other noteworthy deals from yesterday, which also focused on offensive line or defensive starters:
Kansas City. The Super Bowl champs signed tackle Jawaan Taylor (4 years, $80M) away from Jacksonville. He was a right tackle with the Jaguars, but Kansas City apparently plans to play him on the left side and let Orlando Brown walk. They've earned the benefit of the doubt, and Taylor has started every game the last four years. Brown seems likely to sign quickly for big money; he's been a pro bowl tackle in each of the last four seasons.
Cleveland Browns. The Browns signed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (4 years, $57M), who's started all but 5 games for the Giants and Vikings the past six years. They also added Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (3 years, $19M), who had 5 sacks with Houston last season. Cleveland's defense was a disappointment last year, especially against the run (25th), so seems like a good area for the team to look to address.
Washington Commanders. The only NFC East team to miss the playoffs last year did some work on its offensive line, adding tackle Andrew Wylie (3 years, $24M) and guard Nick Gates (3 years, $16.5M). An improved line can only help the ground game and whatever they end up doing at quarterback. Sam Howell at the moment.
For those bored by these moves, don't worry, there will probably be resolution on Aaron Rodgers to the Jets today, when he announces it on his buddy Pat McAfee's show.
--Andy Richardson