2015 NFL Free Agency: Day 1 Winners and Losers
By Erik Lambert
Jan 16, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Jack Del Rio (right) poses with Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at press conference to announce his hiring as Raiders head coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
LOSERS
Oakland Raiders
Getting Roy Helu softened the blow of an otherwise very disappointing day for the Oakland Raiders. Despite having the second most salary cap space when 2015 NFL free agency opened, the Silver and Black swung and missed on several big names that most believed they had in the bag including Randall Cobb, Terrance Knighton and DeMarco Murray. One can respect GM Reggie McKenzie for playing it safe financially but he can’t expect his team to get better (and save his job) if he’s not willing to overspend just a little bit.
Philadelphia Eagles
One must respect Chip Kelly for wanting to build his own team but there comes a time when one must ask why this guy keeps getting rid of Pro Bowlers (Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin) in exchange for talented but weak-kneed players like Kiko Alonso and Sam Bradford.
Of course time may prove him correct but it certainly doesn’t pass the eye test at this point. The Philadelphia Eagles look weaker than the team that finished 10-6 for a second-straight season.
Cleveland Browns
Sooner or later the dysfunction the Cleveland Browns continue to suffer from was going to catch up to them and it seems it finally has. Despite holding a huge amount of cap space ($41 million) the only signing they’ve been able to muster so far was wide receiver Brian Hartline and that took place before the actual free agency period began. Considering the needs left unfilled Day 1 most go down as a marked disappointment for this long-shunned franchise.
San Francisco 49ers
Darnell Dockett and Torrey Smith certainly softened the blow of an otherwise miserable day for the San Francisco 49ers. Patrick Willis retired and it looks like Justin Smith will do the same. Frank Gore is a Colt and Mike Iupati will see them twice a year from Arizona. Both their starting corners in Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver aren’t expected to return either. Suddenly a roster that was fixed for regular deep playoff runs is in danger of regressing to cellar dweller.
New England Patriots
Retaining Devin McCourty was a big victory for the New England Patriots considering the larger offers he received elsewhere, but it wasn’t enough to overshadow the loss of both their starting cornerbacks. Darrelle Revis is headed back to the Jets and Brandon Browner is freely shopping himself on the open market. With respect to McCourty, signing those two were the reason New England won the Super Bowl. Replacing them is going to prove impossible.