3 Winners of NFL Free Agency

In the world of Coronavirus quarantines and shut downs, sports have not survived. The NBA has postponed its season, the first XFL season has been cancelled, and MLB has postponed spring training and start of the regular season. Thankfully for NFL fans free agency was not pushed off and we are a week into trades, surprise releases, and big players signing elsewhere.

The NFL landscape has changed drastically over the past week. Tom Brady is now a Buccaneer, the Texans forgot how to run an organization, and much more. Let's look at the top 3 winners of NFL free agency so far:

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were one of the worst teams at the start of the NFL season last year. They were destroyed by the Patriots week one and seemed to have a real chance to go winless during the season. Then, under coach of the year candidate Flores, the Dolphins turned their season around and battled to win five games. Is 5-11 a great record? Absolutely not. Did the team out perform expectations? Absolutely.

This offseason the Dolphins addressed their biggest area of need. They added Shaq Lawson, Van Noy, and Ogbah, to their pass rush which recorded a league low in sacks last season. All three of those players recorded at least 5 sacks last season. They will bring much needed production to a defense that was begging for play makers last season.

Another key addition to the Dolphins defense was Byron Jones. He is one of the top shut down corners in the NFL and has the ability to play safety as he did at the start of his career. He will be paired up with a returning Xavier Howard which will create one of the best one, two corner backs in the NFL.

Los Angeles Chargers:

The Chargers started the NFL offseason off with a bang by letting former pro-bowl quarterback, Phillip Rivers, leave in free agency. The move was not a surprise after the decline Rivers has shown over the past few seasons, but it does solidify a new era in the Chargers organization.

The three biggest moves that the Chargers did this offseason so far was started off by trading Okung to the Panthers for right guard Turner. Turner is a strong, talented guard that will come in and make an impact from day one. He will be paired up with newly signed right tackle Bryan Bulaga. Bulaga has been one of the best right tackles in the NFL, and when healthy, will sure up the right side of the offensive line.

The Chargers also added to their secondary by signing star slot corner Chris Harris Jr. He is added to another strong secondary with Casey Hayward and Derwin James. The defense will also come into the season healthy after getting destroyed by the injury bug last season. The Chargers have a real chance to make a push for the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills:

The Bills were an example of the rich getting richer. The Bills were a top defensive team last season, and they added to an already strong defensive team. They lost Shaq Lawson, but added Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, and Quinton Jefferson to their defensive line.

In addition to suring up their d-line, they added Josh Norman to their secondary. Norman is not the player he was with Carolina, but he isn't expected to be an island like he was when he signed with Washington. Norman will bring strong zone coverage to a defense that already has a shut down corner in White. He is just another piece in a very talented puzzle that the Buffalo Bills put together on defense.

The Bills also traded for one of the best route runners in the league. Stefon Digg was unhappy in Minnesota last year and wanted a change. He was granted that this offseason after being traded to the Bills for a collection of picks. He will join a wide receiving corp with Cole Beasley in the slot and John Brown opening up the field with his unmatched speed. Stefon Diggs will also be paired with Josh Allen who can bomb the ball 80 yards downfield if needed, and can connect with Diggs anywhere on the field. Will he miss throws? Yes, but he will also make throws that only a handful of players have the arm strength to do.

The Bills will challenge the Brady-less Patriots as the top dogs in the AFC East.