NFL Free Agency: Wednesday, the Calm After the Storm

The 2020 league year officially began at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, bringing an end to the 52-hour period most commonly referred to as the legal tampering window. Most of the big trades and contract agreements took place within that window, but there was still some work to be done Wednesday, and even now there are a few fantasy-relevant players that remain unsigned.

The QB Carousel

• The Biggest news of the day was Chicago sending Jacksonville a compensatory fourth-round pick for Nick Foles, who then agreed to a restructured contract that allows him to void his deal after either 2020 or 2021. This means he's likely to be a free agent (or negotiate a new contract) next offseason, as the Bears will cut him if he stinks in 2020, while Foles will have leverage to cash in big again if he plays well. I'm all but assuming Foles will be the Week 1 starter, though the Bears likely will call it a competition between him and Mitchell Trubisky. It's still a bad situation, one where Foles mostly looks good by virtue of not being Trubisky.
• Meanwhile, the Jags are left with Gardner Minshew, wisely picking the younger quarterback as they embark on a rebuilding project. It now feels safe to select Minshew as a low-end QB2 in early drafts, with his aggressive style potentially allowing for decent fantasy numbers even if he doesn't turn out to be "the guy" in Jacksonville.

• After missing out on Tom Brady, the Chargers reportedly intend to move forward with Tyrod Taylor as their lone veteran quarterback. If that's true, it means one of two things (or possibly both):  A) They don't like Cam Newton, Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton;  B) They plan to draft a quarterback early. Remember, this isn't a team that's looking to rebuild. The Chargers have premium talent all over the field, and they signed CB Chris Harris to a two-year, $20 million contract Wednesday, after landing RT Bryan Bulaga on Tuesday.

• Brady reportedly gave suitors the impression he wanted them to sign Antonio Brown. I guess it's something to remember for the future, but Brown's legal issues are no small potatoes, so it's hard to imagine him playing in the NFL any sooner than the second half of the 2020 season (and even that sounds optimistic). Maybe it's worth a dart in the 200s of a best ball draft?

Other Signings/Trades

• The Panthers are signing WR Seth Roberts, who caught 21 passes on 552 offensive snaps for Baltimore last year. He's known a solid run blocker who has plenty of experience playing both inside and outside, but he isn't big or fast, nor is he a great route runner. Roberts likely will have to compete for the No. 3 receiver job, though it isn't clear who will provide the competition, as it appears the Panthers are moving on from free agent Jarius Wright.
• Washington is signing J.D. McKissic as a bargain-bin replacement for Chris Thompson, who is now a free agent but hasn't been connected with any teams.
• The Rams lost pass rusher Dante Fowler to the Falcons and responded by signing Leonard Floyd. It's an on-field downgrade for the Rams, but Floyd was cheaper and won't hurt them in the formula for compensatory draft picks (because he was cut by the Bears, rather than seeing his contract expire). I see both players as the latest examples of teams overpaying for edge rushers that are mediocre or above average but not great.
• The Lions signed CB Desmond Trufant, prompting Darius Slay to reiterate his desire to be traded. Detroit has been super active the past two offseasons, but it doesn't seem like the roster has actually gotten any better.
• The Cowboys reached a three-year agreement with DT Gerald McCoy, who joins a defense that suffered some big losses earlier this week. Get ready for some shootouts in Dallas this year!
• The Titans are trading DT Jurrell Casey to the Broncos for a seventh-round pick. It's essentially a salary dump, which seems odd for a consistently good player whose $11.25 million salary looks reasonable compared to what lesser linemen have been getting the past few days. The Broncos haven't made a big splash this offseason, but their moves at least show a sense of direction, and they still have cap space to make improvements during the second and third waves of free agency.
• The Saints are bringing S Malcolm Jenkins back to New Orleans, where he played the first five seasons of his career. Eagles fans won't be happy about this one, especially now that he's going to an NFC contender. The team could've kept Jenkins if it had wanted him, and he's extremely popular with both teammates and fans.
• The Vikings are signing DT Michael Pierce to a three-year, $27 million contract. Pierce was a good run stuffer in his four years with Baltimore, but that's a lot to pay for a guy with 3.5 sacks and 13 QB hits in 60 NFL games. He'll replace DT Linval Joseph, who was cut by Minnesota and then signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Chargers.
• The Cardinals are signing LB/DE Devon Kennard, a versatile player who I'm a big fan of. He isn't great at any one thing, but his ability to competently rush the passer, defend the run or drop into coverage makes him valuable to a clever defensive coordinator. NFL teams love to throw money at one-trick ponies — namely pass rushers — even if they aren't all that great at the one trick. But guys like Kennard — not that there are many — are cheaper and probably more useful.
• The Seahawks are bringing DE/LB Bruce Irvin back to Seattle. He was a versatile 'tweener like Kennard throughout most of his career, but Irvin essentially just worked as an edge rusher the past two years. Maybe the Seahawks will give him another look in a hybrid role?
• The Lions are signing DT Danny Shelton and trading for S Duron Harmon, continuing Matt Patricia's quest to stockpile as many former Patriots as possible. The Lions have completely overhauled their defense over the past 12 months, getting rid of all the key contributors from 2018 and prior. It seems like Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are the only inherited players Patricia didn't hate.
• The Raiders are signing CB Eli Apple away from the Saints. He's nothing special, but the Raiders have done a nice job adding competent players to a defense that badly needed them.

The Best of What's Left

Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are the biggest mysteries remaining, with the former likely to be cut if the Panthers can't find a trade soon. With Chicago out of the running after the Foles signing, there are four teams that definitely need a franchise quarterback: Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, New England. The Bengals, of course, are expected to draft Joe Burrow, and it sounds like the Chargers and Dolphins also prefer the youthful route over a signing or trade. That essentially leaves New England, though I won't be surprised if Washington explores QB options. I'd also argue that the Bills should be in the mix, but that's a conversation for another day, as they've shown zero interest in moving on from Josh Allen.

The Bengals are still trying to trade Andy Dalton, who is probably better than Foles. I'm not sure I see a fit unless the Patriots bite.

Running backs have been slow to come off the board, unsurprisingly. Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman and Carlos Hyde remain unsigned, and Kenyan Drake figures to get an offer sheet at some point (the Cardinals presumably intend to match it).

Robby Anderson and Emmanuel Sanders are the two sure-thing starters available at wide receiver, with Breshad Perriman looking like the third-best option. It'll be fascinating to see how the market ends up valuing Perriman, who was terrible during the first half of 2019 but excellent during the second half.

Eric Ebron and 35-year-old Delanie Walker are the best remaining options at tight end, plus Jordan Reed for some reason wants to continue his career. I imagine most teams will look at Reed's concussion history and have no interest in signing him. Ebron, for what it's worth, likes the idea of playing in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers.