- Joined
- Aug 18, 2019
- Messages
- 1,098
STORY LINK
While many fans are busy fawning over their favorite teams' newest additions, others are lamenting losses. That fresh talent has to come from somewhere, and because of factors like the salary cap, coaching preferences and franchise directions, some teams inevitably part with more talent than they acquire.
There's still a lot of free agency left to unfold, along with the entirety of next month's draft, so it's hard to be too negative on teams' early offseason decisions. However, there's no denying that a few squads have lost a lot of talent through the first two weeks of free agency.
Which teams have lost the most? That's what we're here to examine. We'll consider both quantity and quality here, along with factors like past production, potential upside and positional value.
Players who re-signed with their original clubs and any acquired draft capital aren't considered here, as the focus is on net roster gains and losses. Teams are listed in alphabetical order.
Cincinnati Bengals
Key Losses: S Jessie Bates III, S Vonn Bell, TE Hayden Hurst, RB Samaje Perine
Key Additions: OT Orlando Brown Jr., G Cody Ford, S Nick Scott
Don't worry, Cincinnati Bengals fans, your team only narrowly made this list, and given the franchise's goals, it's been far from a bad offseason.
Cincinnati landed four-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in a move that should thrill fans. Star quarterback Joe Burrow has been sacked 124 times in just 42 regular-season games, and Brown is a major upgrade over Jonah Williams at left tackle.
Williams was responsible for four penalties and 12 sacks allowed last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Still, the addition of Brown doesn't negate the fact that Cincinnati parted with both starting safeties in Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, along with key offensive contributors in Hayden Hurst and Samaje Perine.
Hurst caught 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns this past season as the No. 4 target behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Perine tallied 394 rushing yards, 287 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a rotational back and spot starter.
Cornerback Eli Apple, cornerback Tre Flowers and backup cornerback Brandon Allen are among 2022 Bengals contributors who remain unsigned.
Along with Brown, Cincinnati has added one safety in 2022 Los Angeles Rams starter Nick Scott and Arizona Cardinals backup guard Cody Ford. Brown is worth getting excited about in Cincinnati, the rest of the Bengals offseason thus far is not.
Baltimore Ravens
Key Losses: OL Trystan Colon-Castillo, G Ben Powers, S Chuck Clark, TE Josh Oliver
Key Gains: WR Nelson Agholor
The Baltimore Ravens make our list almost by default. For the majority of early free agency, they had added literally nothing. On Friday, Baltimore signed wideout Nelson Agholor to a one-year $3.25 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The team traded a valuable safety in Chuck Clark, though with Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams on the roster, that was relatively understandable. Still, Clark was a solid starter in 2022 who finished with 101 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this past season.
In return, Baltimore got a lowly 2024 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets.
In free agency, the Ravens lost starting guard Ben Powers and rotational tight end Josh Oliver. Powers started all 17 games in 2022 and was responsible for only one penalty and zero sacks allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.
Oliver appeared in all 17 games, made nine starts and had 149 receiving yards and two touchdowns while also serving as an in-line blocker.
That's three key contributors Baltimore has lost this offseason with only a single complementary receiver coming in to offset them—and the Ravens also have a highly publicized contract situation to sort out with quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Backup lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo, who appeared in 18 games over the past two years, signed with the Jets, while pass-rusher Justin Houston, defensive lineman Calais Campbell and pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul remain unsigned.
Presumably, the Ravens will reload in the draft, and there's nothing wrong with that. Their lack of moves to this point, though, leaves them with a big gap between losses and gains.
Green Bay Packers
Key Losses: WR Allen Lazard, TE Robert Tonyan Jr., DL Dean Lowry, DL Jarran Reed
Key Additions: S Tarvarius Moore, LS Matt Orzech
The Green Bay Packers are still waiting to resolve the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP isn't out the door just yet, but Green Bay is working to send him to the Jets.
That resolution may not be close.
"The Packers want a lot for Rodgers," Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk wrote. "They want more than they should, frankly. The Jets believe the Packers are being unreasonable. Per multiple sources, the Packers want a first-round pick and more from the Jets for Rodgers."
In isolation of Rodgers' situation, the Packers have still lost quite a bit more than they have gained. Starting receiver Allen Lazard and pass-catching tight end Robert Tonyan Jr. are both gone. So are defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed.
Lowry and Reed combined for 95 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks this past season.
Green Bay's additions have been limited to Rams long snapper Matthew Orzech and backup San Francisco 49ers safety/special-teamer Tarvarius Moore.
Long snappers are important, so fans shouldn't just laugh at the addition. However, adding a specialist and a defensive back who played just 41 defensive snaps in 2022 isn't moving the needle for anyone in Green Bay.
It's clear that Green Bay is waiting on a Rodgers trade before making any other significant moves, and that's logical. Moving him before June 1 will trigger an additional $8.7 million cap hit.
With or without Rodgers, the Packers roster is considerably weaker than it was a couple of weeks ago.
Los Angeles Rams
Key Losses: P Riley Dixon, K Matt Gay, CB David Long, QB Baker Mayfield, LS Matt Orzech, CB Jalen Ramsey, S Nick Scott
Key Additions: TE Hunter Long
Now we're getting into teams that have really lost talent in the early offseason.
The Los Angeles Rams traded star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, getting a 2023 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long in return. Long remains Los Angeles' only offseason addition thus far.
Losing Ramsey is big. He's a Pro Bowl cornerback who allowed an opposing passer rating of just 84.5 this past season.
In free agency, Los Angeles lost all three of its top specialists, along with starting safety Nick Scott, quarterback Baker Mayfield—who started the team's final four games in 2022—and cornerback David Long, who played 37 percent of the defensive snaps in 2022.
We must also mention that the Rams released pass-rusher Leonard Floyd and linebacker Bobby Wagner, too, even though both remain unsigned in free agency. Floyd logged nine sacks and 31 quarterback pressures in 2022, while Wagner compiled 140 tackles, six sacks and two interceptions.
Considering both were released, Wagner and Floyd are unlikely to return.
It's been a rough offseason for the Rams, who stumbled to a 5-12 record this past season. If the Rams are looking to rebuild in 2023, it's evident that they're currently in the tearing-down stage of the process.
Philadelphia Eagles
Key Losses: OT Andre Dillard, LB T.J. Edwards, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DT Javon Hargrave, QB Gardner Minshew II, RB Miles Sanders, G Isaac Seumalo, LB Kyzir White
Key Additions: S Terrell Edmunds, S Justin Evans, QB Marcus Mariota, LB Nicholas Morrow, RB Rashaad Penny, CB Greedy Williams
The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles have lost several key pieces this offseason, though that has less to do with how the team has managed things and more to do with the sheer amount of talent Philadelphia had to begin with.
The Eagles did retain stars James Bradberry, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Darius Slay.
Still, Philadelphia has lost key players in linebacker T.J. Edwards, offensive tackle Andre Dillard, guard Isaac Seumalo, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, running back Miles Sanders and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Edwards, Seumalo, Hargrave, Sanders and Gardner-Johnson were full-time starters in 2022. Gardner Minshew II, meanwhile, was a valuable backup quarterback who took the reins for two games while Jalen Hurts was out with a shoulder injury.
It hasn't been all subtraction for the Eagles, though. They replaced Minshew with Marcus Mariota, added a starting-caliber linebacker in Nicholas Marrow, a young cornerback with upside in Greedy Williams and a pair of serviceable safeties in Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds.
Philadelphia also took a flier on former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, who has been among the league's best runners when healthy over the past two seasons but who has also struggled to stay fit (42 games played in five seasons) as a pro.
General manager Howie Roseman has done about as good a job of maintaining the talent level as anyone could possibly have expected. However, the Eagles aren't as deep as they were a year ago.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Losses: QB Tom Brady, S Mike Edwards, G Shaq Mason, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches
Key Additions: RB Chase Edmonds, DT Greg Gaines, QB Baker Mayfield
What does a team do when the greatest quarterback of all-time decides to call it a career? It rebuilds.
That's what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing following Tom Brady's retirement. The Buccaneers have lost safety Mike Edwards, starting guard Shaq Mason, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches and Brady.
Mason was traded to the Houston Texans.
Tampa also parted with running back Leonard Fournette, kicker Ryan Succop and left tackle Donovan Smith, though they remain unsigned. Losing Brady is the big one, of course, though all of the other players listed above were either starters or significant contributors in 2022.
Tampa's additions have been limited to running back Chase Edmonds, defensive tackle Greg Gaines and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield is the big get of the group, as the 27-year-old will compete with Kyle Trask and is young enough to potentially emerge as Tampa's quarterback of the future. However, he won't have the support of the talented roster the Buccaneers boasted in 2022, and it's not even close.
2023 NFL Free Agency: Which Teams Lost The Most Talent?
The NFL offseason is generally a time for optimism. Every team is undefeated, while trades and signings are almost always spun in a positive light.While many fans are busy fawning over their favorite teams' newest additions, others are lamenting losses. That fresh talent has to come from somewhere, and because of factors like the salary cap, coaching preferences and franchise directions, some teams inevitably part with more talent than they acquire.
There's still a lot of free agency left to unfold, along with the entirety of next month's draft, so it's hard to be too negative on teams' early offseason decisions. However, there's no denying that a few squads have lost a lot of talent through the first two weeks of free agency.
Which teams have lost the most? That's what we're here to examine. We'll consider both quantity and quality here, along with factors like past production, potential upside and positional value.
Players who re-signed with their original clubs and any acquired draft capital aren't considered here, as the focus is on net roster gains and losses. Teams are listed in alphabetical order.
Cincinnati Bengals
Key Losses: S Jessie Bates III, S Vonn Bell, TE Hayden Hurst, RB Samaje Perine
Key Additions: OT Orlando Brown Jr., G Cody Ford, S Nick Scott
Don't worry, Cincinnati Bengals fans, your team only narrowly made this list, and given the franchise's goals, it's been far from a bad offseason.
Cincinnati landed four-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in a move that should thrill fans. Star quarterback Joe Burrow has been sacked 124 times in just 42 regular-season games, and Brown is a major upgrade over Jonah Williams at left tackle.
Williams was responsible for four penalties and 12 sacks allowed last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Still, the addition of Brown doesn't negate the fact that Cincinnati parted with both starting safeties in Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, along with key offensive contributors in Hayden Hurst and Samaje Perine.
Hurst caught 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns this past season as the No. 4 target behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Perine tallied 394 rushing yards, 287 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a rotational back and spot starter.
Cornerback Eli Apple, cornerback Tre Flowers and backup cornerback Brandon Allen are among 2022 Bengals contributors who remain unsigned.
Along with Brown, Cincinnati has added one safety in 2022 Los Angeles Rams starter Nick Scott and Arizona Cardinals backup guard Cody Ford. Brown is worth getting excited about in Cincinnati, the rest of the Bengals offseason thus far is not.
Baltimore Ravens
Key Losses: OL Trystan Colon-Castillo, G Ben Powers, S Chuck Clark, TE Josh Oliver
Key Gains: WR Nelson Agholor
The Baltimore Ravens make our list almost by default. For the majority of early free agency, they had added literally nothing. On Friday, Baltimore signed wideout Nelson Agholor to a one-year $3.25 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The team traded a valuable safety in Chuck Clark, though with Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams on the roster, that was relatively understandable. Still, Clark was a solid starter in 2022 who finished with 101 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this past season.
In return, Baltimore got a lowly 2024 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets.
In free agency, the Ravens lost starting guard Ben Powers and rotational tight end Josh Oliver. Powers started all 17 games in 2022 and was responsible for only one penalty and zero sacks allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.
Oliver appeared in all 17 games, made nine starts and had 149 receiving yards and two touchdowns while also serving as an in-line blocker.
That's three key contributors Baltimore has lost this offseason with only a single complementary receiver coming in to offset them—and the Ravens also have a highly publicized contract situation to sort out with quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Backup lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo, who appeared in 18 games over the past two years, signed with the Jets, while pass-rusher Justin Houston, defensive lineman Calais Campbell and pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul remain unsigned.
Presumably, the Ravens will reload in the draft, and there's nothing wrong with that. Their lack of moves to this point, though, leaves them with a big gap between losses and gains.
Green Bay Packers
Key Losses: WR Allen Lazard, TE Robert Tonyan Jr., DL Dean Lowry, DL Jarran Reed
Key Additions: S Tarvarius Moore, LS Matt Orzech
The Green Bay Packers are still waiting to resolve the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP isn't out the door just yet, but Green Bay is working to send him to the Jets.
That resolution may not be close.
"The Packers want a lot for Rodgers," Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk wrote. "They want more than they should, frankly. The Jets believe the Packers are being unreasonable. Per multiple sources, the Packers want a first-round pick and more from the Jets for Rodgers."
In isolation of Rodgers' situation, the Packers have still lost quite a bit more than they have gained. Starting receiver Allen Lazard and pass-catching tight end Robert Tonyan Jr. are both gone. So are defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed.
Lowry and Reed combined for 95 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks this past season.
Green Bay's additions have been limited to Rams long snapper Matthew Orzech and backup San Francisco 49ers safety/special-teamer Tarvarius Moore.
Long snappers are important, so fans shouldn't just laugh at the addition. However, adding a specialist and a defensive back who played just 41 defensive snaps in 2022 isn't moving the needle for anyone in Green Bay.
It's clear that Green Bay is waiting on a Rodgers trade before making any other significant moves, and that's logical. Moving him before June 1 will trigger an additional $8.7 million cap hit.
With or without Rodgers, the Packers roster is considerably weaker than it was a couple of weeks ago.
Los Angeles Rams
Key Losses: P Riley Dixon, K Matt Gay, CB David Long, QB Baker Mayfield, LS Matt Orzech, CB Jalen Ramsey, S Nick Scott
Key Additions: TE Hunter Long
Now we're getting into teams that have really lost talent in the early offseason.
The Los Angeles Rams traded star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, getting a 2023 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long in return. Long remains Los Angeles' only offseason addition thus far.
Losing Ramsey is big. He's a Pro Bowl cornerback who allowed an opposing passer rating of just 84.5 this past season.
In free agency, Los Angeles lost all three of its top specialists, along with starting safety Nick Scott, quarterback Baker Mayfield—who started the team's final four games in 2022—and cornerback David Long, who played 37 percent of the defensive snaps in 2022.
We must also mention that the Rams released pass-rusher Leonard Floyd and linebacker Bobby Wagner, too, even though both remain unsigned in free agency. Floyd logged nine sacks and 31 quarterback pressures in 2022, while Wagner compiled 140 tackles, six sacks and two interceptions.
Considering both were released, Wagner and Floyd are unlikely to return.
It's been a rough offseason for the Rams, who stumbled to a 5-12 record this past season. If the Rams are looking to rebuild in 2023, it's evident that they're currently in the tearing-down stage of the process.
Philadelphia Eagles
Key Losses: OT Andre Dillard, LB T.J. Edwards, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DT Javon Hargrave, QB Gardner Minshew II, RB Miles Sanders, G Isaac Seumalo, LB Kyzir White
Key Additions: S Terrell Edmunds, S Justin Evans, QB Marcus Mariota, LB Nicholas Morrow, RB Rashaad Penny, CB Greedy Williams
The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles have lost several key pieces this offseason, though that has less to do with how the team has managed things and more to do with the sheer amount of talent Philadelphia had to begin with.
The Eagles did retain stars James Bradberry, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Darius Slay.
Still, Philadelphia has lost key players in linebacker T.J. Edwards, offensive tackle Andre Dillard, guard Isaac Seumalo, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, running back Miles Sanders and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Edwards, Seumalo, Hargrave, Sanders and Gardner-Johnson were full-time starters in 2022. Gardner Minshew II, meanwhile, was a valuable backup quarterback who took the reins for two games while Jalen Hurts was out with a shoulder injury.
It hasn't been all subtraction for the Eagles, though. They replaced Minshew with Marcus Mariota, added a starting-caliber linebacker in Nicholas Marrow, a young cornerback with upside in Greedy Williams and a pair of serviceable safeties in Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds.
Philadelphia also took a flier on former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, who has been among the league's best runners when healthy over the past two seasons but who has also struggled to stay fit (42 games played in five seasons) as a pro.
General manager Howie Roseman has done about as good a job of maintaining the talent level as anyone could possibly have expected. However, the Eagles aren't as deep as they were a year ago.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Losses: QB Tom Brady, S Mike Edwards, G Shaq Mason, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches
Key Additions: RB Chase Edmonds, DT Greg Gaines, QB Baker Mayfield
What does a team do when the greatest quarterback of all-time decides to call it a career? It rebuilds.
That's what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing following Tom Brady's retirement. The Buccaneers have lost safety Mike Edwards, starting guard Shaq Mason, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches and Brady.
Mason was traded to the Houston Texans.
Tampa also parted with running back Leonard Fournette, kicker Ryan Succop and left tackle Donovan Smith, though they remain unsigned. Losing Brady is the big one, of course, though all of the other players listed above were either starters or significant contributors in 2022.
Tampa's additions have been limited to running back Chase Edmonds, defensive tackle Greg Gaines and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield is the big get of the group, as the 27-year-old will compete with Kyle Trask and is young enough to potentially emerge as Tampa's quarterback of the future. However, he won't have the support of the talented roster the Buccaneers boasted in 2022, and it's not even close.
