NFL free agency: Winners and losers from Day 1

WINNERS: Detroit Lions

While the Tennessee Titans made two strong moves by re-signing safety Kenny Vaccaro and getting a nifty upgrade at wide receiver in Adam Humphries, the Detroit Lions should be highlighted as the final Day 1 winners of NFL Free Agency’s “legal tampering” period by signing one of the best players available in Trey Flowers.

Matt Patricia and the Lions need to make improvements this offseason after falling behind in the NFC North, finishing the 2018 campaign with a 6-10 record.

Flowers is one of the best and most versatile edge defenders in the NFL, and he was always expected to fetch a pretty penny in free agency. Given that the Lions are letting Ziggy Ansah depart this offseason, adding a pass rusher went from “a priority” to “imperative”, and $16-17 million per year is exactly Flowers’s market value.

The New England Patriots don’t pay premium, but the Lions absolutely had to, especially with many of the best free agent edge rushers, such as DeMarcus Lawrence and Jadeveon Clowney, tagged by their teams.

While Flowers, just 25 years old, is a potential game-changer on defense after starring in 2017 and 2018, the Lions added a potential contributor on offense in tight end Jesse James, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

James hasn’t been consistent, but the 6’7″ tight end brings tantalizing size to a Lions offense that needed a starting tight end after watching former first-round pick Eric Ebron break out for the Indianapolis Colts. Though similar production cannot be expected out of James, he is a potential high-upside addition.

Danny Amendola, though, is the bigger name as a pass-catcher for the Lions, and, like Flowers, he is a former New England Patriots standout. Injuries and inconsistent quarterback play prevented Amendola from being a difference-maker for the Miami Dolphins last year, but when healthy, Amendola is one of the best slot receivers in the game and an important difference-maker in clutch situations. For the price of just $4.5 million on a no-risk one-year deal, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Amendola is an excellent veteran addition for Matthew Stafford, who already has an elite 1-2 punch in Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay on the outside.

But the Lions added yet another former Patriot in cornerback Justin Coleman, who will be a big upgrade over Nevin Lawson. Coleman’s four-year, $36 million deal, as reported by the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, makes him the highest-paid nickel corner in the league.

It’s a rich price to reunite Coleman with Patricia, but Coleman shined for the Seattle Seahawks after an underrated stint to start his career in New England. While he isn’t a huge difference-maker, Coleman has 19 passes defended over the past two seasons and is one of the league’s better players at an increasingly important position; chalk this one up as another win for the Lions, who needed some corner help besides superstar Darius Slay.