Week 2 of NFL free agency was not quite as exciting as Week 1, but there are still a good number of moves to be discussed.
After arguably having the worst week in free agency, the Denver Broncos made a huge splash by acquiring wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and a fourth-round pick from the Miami Dolphins.
The Broncos traded a first-, third- and fourth-round draft pick for Waddle, with all picks coming in this year’s draft.
I think the Broncos overpaid for Waddle, but nonetheless, they bolstered their wide receiver room, now having Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin to lead the receiving pack.
Another team that made a move for a wide receiver was the San Francisco 49ers, as they signed Christian Kirk to a one-year, $6 million deal.
In all likelihood, Jauan Jennings will not be in a 49ers uniform this season, but the addition of Kirk is a major victory for the 49ers, as it gives them one of the best starting wide receiver trios in all of football.
The Philadelphia Eagles also added a wide receiver by signing Hollywood Brown to a one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million.
With wide receiver A.J. Brown most likely headed out the door before the start of next season, this is a great move by the Eagles, as Hollywood was the Kansas City Chiefs’ leading receiver last season.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they traded for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick.
Since entering the league in 2021, Fields’ career has been very up and down, as he showed flashes of his potential with the Chicago Bears before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then heading to the Jets.
Signing with the Jets was Fields’ worst career decision, as it’s been proven since their existence that little to no Jets quarterbacks will ever have a successful tenure on the team, which led to the worst season of his career.
With Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes possibly not being ready to start the season after suffering a torn ACL near the end of last season, Fields could start until Mahomes is ready to see the field again.
The Houston Texans also made a move on the offensive side of the ball by signing offensive guard Wyatt Teller to a two-year deal worth $16 million in base value and $23 million in maximum value.
With the Texans having one of the worst offensive lines in all of football, this certainly helps out their quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who has had a huge downfall in production since winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2023.
This is partly because of the Texans continuously getting rid of their starting offensive lineman over the past two seasons and doing nothing to fix it until the signing of Teller.
Going back to the Eagles, they traded safety Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons while also swapping fourth- and sixth-round picks.
The Falcons defense has progressively improved over the past couple of seasons, and the addition of Brown gives them more help in the secondary.
Continuing with defensive acquisitions, the Indianapolis Colts signed cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt to a one-year, $1.4 million deal.
The Colts already have several cornerbacks on the roster, led by Charvarius Ward, so it’s a little shocking that they didn’t get more help at the linebacker position, since that’s where they need the most help.
Linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither, Austin Ajiake and John Bullock aren’t big named guys who will likely get the job done.
But it seems more certain than not that the Colts are ready to take a linebacker in the upcoming draft.
With all the moves that took place, I think the Broncos, 49ers and Texans made the best moves of the week.
They acquired/signed bigger names that will largely help their teams for future success.
With not as many big names left on the free agent market, we may see a very slow signing spree the rest of the way, with trades and the NFL draft being something to watch.
