Welcome to the end of the first wave of free agency. Now, the tenor of this feverish period takes on a more plodding pace, with breathless news updates on … who might need a pass rusher badly enough to spend more than $25 million on Trey Hendrickson at age 32. A.J. Brown is still an Eagle, Kyler Murray (as of the publication of this column) is still waiting to make his move, and moments after I filed, the Saints threw their hat in the ring to claim the crown of Conor Orr offseason champion by signing my favorite remaining free agent, Kaden Elliss.
There are still some entertaining moments to come, but over the past 48 hours, we’ve gotten a chance to establish some clear-cut winners and losers. These are not just teams but individuals, markets and ideas. Life can change quickly in the NFL, especially as the cap soars and teams in need of improvement cling to the known commodity that is veteran talent.
