The 2021 NFL free agency period may be well underway, with dozens of big names off the board, but that doesn’t mean that many more are not yet available. From Kenny Golladay and JuJu Smith-Schuster to Chris Carson and Melvin Ingram, a number of entries are still at stake. That said, with two full off-season days officially registered, it’s time to take stock of the latest news around the NFL. Who won Day 2 of the free agency’s official start? Who lost? Here are our automatic assessments:
It is not a lie, this is a solid pairing. Buffalo needed a new backup for Josh Allen with Matt Barkley reaching the free agency, and Trubisky is on another level in terms of athletics, advantage, etc. He’s the perfect number 2 for this attack, which thrives on a guy who can move around in his pocket. Troobs, however? Instead of returning to the sinking ship that is the Bears, he manages to enjoy a modest $ 2.5 million while learning from Allen and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, potentially replacing a rival team and then returning to the market in 2022 with a new chance for a bigger role. Very well, boys.
Loser: Bears fans
No one expected the Bears to pull out of the park this off-season, with so much despair at the position of defender and the team bosses entering a year of success or failure. But that was worse than expected. It was bad enough to hire Andy Dalton as a palliative when they already had Nick Foles on the list. But now Dalton is saying that the Bears have already told him that he will be the starter? Are you kidding? The $ 10 million contract justifies that, perhaps, but … come on. Trubisky for the same price would have been the best bet! To put a cherry on top, Chicago closed on Thursday, eliminating former All-Pro corner Kyle Fuller.
The best WRs are forced to expect big deals, but does Drake get up to $ 14.5 million as a running back for a team that already has a workhorse in position? The Raiders may or may not be misusing resources by paying a prize for a runner-up, but this is a big win for Drake: he can move to Las Vegas, limit wear and tear as a complement to Josh Jacobs, presumably pick up a lot of passes from efficient Derek Carr, and earn money from the first 10 RBs by doing so.
The Eagles are trying to spark interest in their longstanding tight end, which is set to leave after a lackluster 2020 and in the midst of a high salary in 2021, but one of Ertz’s most logical landing points now appears to be off the board. The Chargers made a lot of sense, considering they play in Pro Bowler’s home state and just lost Hunter Henry, but by hiring Jared Cook for $ 6 million, they basically canceled other big money plays there. Now he may be forced to move to a less attractive team / location.
Miami made some smart depth additions to the attack, adding Jacoby Brissett in QB and Malcolm Brown in RB. But on Thursday, the Dolphins connected in perhaps their most exciting move, adding Will Fuller to a one-year contract. Talk about a win-win, low-risk, high-reward play. Is Fuller reliable? Not necessarily. But with the draft just around the corner and probably offering more swings on major WR updates, you can do a lot worse, where Fuller showed the ability to play big and could be a great addition to DeVante Parker.