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NFL free agency, 2018: Biggest winners and losers from day one

By Peter Panacy

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Sam Bradford #8 of the Minnesota Vikings after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 38-30 at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Sam Bradford #8 of the Minnesota Vikings after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 38-30 at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 20: Allen Robinson #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates his second quarter touchdown against the against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 20, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 20: Allen Robinson #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates his second quarter touchdown against the against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 20, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

The first “official” day of NFL free agency is in the books, and Niner Noise looks around the league to determine the biggest winners and losers from day one.

2018 NFL free agency officially kicked off at 4 p.m. on Mar. 14, although teams have been entering in legal negotiations with pending free agents two days before.

And there surely have been discussions prior to that official “tampering” period, but we digress.

This offseason has certainly been nuts. The San Francisco 49ers made quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo the highest-paid player in the league, while the Cleveland Browns decided to trade everything for everybody.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

That’s only skimming over the surface.

Football is a competition year round. As such, the nature of competition means there are winners and losers. NFL free agency is no exception.

So, as we look back to day one — plus all the negotiations and signings beforehand — let’s break down the biggest winners and losers after the opening of the free-agent period.

Winner: Cleveland Browns

Browns general manager John Dorsey isn’t messing around in his first year in Cleveland. Trading for wide receiver Jarvis Landry and quarterback Tyrod Taylor were solid moves to upgrade the offense.

Bringing in former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chris Hubbard should help in pass protection too, especially with future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas retiring.

One of the bigger splashes, of course, was landing former 49ers running back Carlos Hyde, who joins on a three-year deal. Hyde is a solid power back and gives a nice boost to an offense that finished 18th in total rush yards last year.

With the league’s most salary cap space this offseason, it’s not a shock to see Cleveland get a bit aggressive in NFL free agency. The Browns aren’t exactly competing for a playoff berth this season. But they’ve made some notable improvements and appear to be on the right track.