Less than a week into the official start of free agency, teams have gobbled up most of the top players. Yardbarker NFL writers assess how each team in the AFC has fared so far. (2024 regular-season records are in parentheses.)
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS (13-4) | Grade: A | The Bills got six years younger at wide receiver and on the edge by replacing veterans Mack Hollins and Von Miller with former Chargers Joshua Palmer and Joey Bosa. New additions Dane Jackson (CB), Kendrick Green (guard) and Larry Ogunjobi (DT) add depth. Re-signing talented DE Greg Rousseau, WR Khalil Shakir and LB Terrel Bernard should help keep the team in the hunt for the Super Bowl.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-9) | Grade: C | Losing 6-foot-1, 205-pound playmaker Jevon Holland at safety will hurt the fourth-ranked defense, but the addition of former Cowboys guard Robert Jones gives Miami’s offensive line a needed upgrade. New backup QB Zach Wilson didn’t play with Denver last season, but given Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft should have chances to improve his dismal 73.2 QB rating in 2025.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-13) | B+ | The Patriots had more money to spend than any NFL team and wasted no time by making former Eagles DT Milton Williams, NFL.com’s top-rated free agent, the highest-paid player in franchise history by giving him a four-year, $104M contract. New England also handed out $140M in contracts for CB Carlton Davis III, edge-rusher Harold Landry III and LB Robert Spillane but did little for its 31st-ranked offense beyond adding former Jets OT Morgan Moses.
NEW YORK JETS (5-12) | Grade: D | After watching the Bears and Steelers fail to turn QB Justin Fields into a viable starter, New York — a team that couldn’t win with a four-time MVP like Aaron Rodgers — thinks it has the special sauce. Really? That doesn’t make sense, but neither did letting CB D.J. Reed and DT Javon Kinlaw walk in free agency from the NFL’s third-ranked defense. — Bruce Ewing
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS (10-7) | Grade: A- | The Broncos improved both sides of the ball in free agency. They signed safety Talanoa Hufanga (three years, $45M) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (three years, $31.5M), who helped the San Francisco 49ers make Super Bowl LVIII during the 2023 season. Head coach Sean Payton has also seemingly found a “joker,” a multi-skilled TE or RB, in two-time Pro Bowl TE Evan Engram (two years, $23M).
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-2) | Grade: B- | The Chiefs re-signed key pieces in Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith and linebacker Nick Bolton, who led the team in tackles in 2024 (106 in 16 games). Trading 2024 first-team All-Pro O-lineman Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears could be costly, and OT Jaylon Moore may not be a viable replacement. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed a career-high 10 pressures in 15 games with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-13) | Grade: C | The Raiders acquired QB Geno Smith in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks but have not moved the needle in free agency. One-time Pro Bowl RB Raheem Mostert (one year, $2.1M) rushed for 278 yards in 13 games with the Miami Dolphins in 2024. Letting LB Robert Spillane sign with the New England Patriots (three years, $33M) could be a mistake for the Raiders, as he tied for the league’s third-most tackles (158 in 17 games) in 2024.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (11-6) | Grade: B+ | RB Najee Harris — who rushed for 1,000 yards or more in each of his four seasons with the Steelers — seems like a perfect fit for head coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense. The Chargers need to improve their pass rush after releasing edge-rusher Joey Bosa, who subsequently signed with the Buffalo Bills. L.A. re-signed edge-rusher Khalil Mack to a one-year, $18M deal, but the 34-year-old had six sacks in 16 games in 2024, tied for the second-lowest mark of his career. — Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-5) | Grade: A- | The Ravens didn’t enter the offseason with much cap flexibility, but they re-signed LT Ronnie Stanley to a three-year, $60M contract even though he was offered more money to play elsewhere. Baltimore also gave QB Lamar Jackson a veteran weapon by adding WR DeAndre Hopkins on a one-year, $5M deal.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (9-8) | Grade: B- | QB Joe Burrow has publicly pleaded for the Bengals to pay up to keep their best players, and they finally listened by signing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term extensions. Cincinnati re-signed DT B.J. Hill and TE Mike Gesicki, but DT Tedarrell Slaton, RB Samaje Perine and LB Oren Burks are the only outside signings so far.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-14) | Grade: B+ | In a shocking turn of events, the Browns turned DE Myles Garrett’s trade request into a four-year, $160M extension with Cleveland. Meanwhile, in free agency, Cleveland signed DT Maliek Collins, OT Cornelius Lucas, EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and re-signed LB Devin Bush even though it’s not an attractive free-agency destination. The Browns have done much better than expected.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-7) | Grade: D+ | The Steelers filled one of their biggest offseason needs by trading for former Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf, but that doesn’t count for this grade. In terms of free agency, Pittsburgh lost QB Justin Fields, OT Dan Moore Jr., CB Donte Jackson, RB Najee Harris, guard James Daniels and LB Elandon Roberts. The Steelers replaced some of those losses by signing CB Darius Slay, RB Kenneth Gainwell and LB Malik Harrison, but Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the only QBs on the roster. — Jack Dougherty
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS (10-7) | Grade: F | Whereas most teams have gone about fixing their biggest 2024 weaknesses, the Texans have made their offensive line, an Achilles’ heel last season, worse. Houston traded its best lineman, tackle Laremy Tunsil, and added guards Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson, who come with their own set of issues. The Texans haven’t just failed the first week of free agency; they are also failing star QB C.J. Stroud.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-9) | Grade: D | After ranking 29th in total defense in 2024, the Colts are looking better on that side of the ball after signing ex-Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (four years, $60M) and ex-49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward (three years, $60M). However, the offense is suspect after losing guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly to the Vikings while adding QB Daniel Jones, who is targeted to compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting job. Good luck with that.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-13) | Grade: B | Jacksonville boosted its porous secondary by signing former Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis to a reasonable three-year, $30M contract. The Jaguars also improved their offensive line by signing center Robert Hainsey (three years, $21M). He spent the 2024 season in Tampa Bay with ex-Bucs OC Liam Coen, now Jacksonville’s HC. The Jags also added former Ravens guard Patrick Mekari (three years, $37.5M). So far, so good for first-year GM James Gladstone.
TENNESSEE TITANS (3-14) | Grade: D- | The Titans handed out the most inexplicable big-money contract, giving former Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. $82M over four seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, Moore led tackles in 2024 with 12 sacks allowed. Rather than pumping the brakes on spending after last year’s splurge, which resulted in the league’s worst record, the Titans seem hellbent on recreating last year’s mistakes. — Eric Smithling
