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NFL free agency instant grades: How did your team do?

By Rucker Haringey

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws a pass in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws a pass in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 22: Byron Jones #31 (C) of the Dallas Cowboys, Jeff Heath #38 (R) and Randall Cobb #18 run onto the field before the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 17-9. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 22: Byron Jones #31 (C) of the Dallas Cowboys, Jeff Heath #38 (R) and Randall Cobb #18 run onto the field before the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 17-9. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

NFL Free Agency began with a frenzy but the pace is finally starting to slow. Time to take stock of how your team did with their start to the offseason.

The opening salvos of NFL free agency have fans of numerous teams dreaming of a Super Bowl title. Most of the big money moves made in the opening hours of the offseason won’t prove to be all that fruitful for the teams that handed out big cash.

This piece will give each franchise an instant grade for their business through the end of business on Thursday. There are still a few prominent free agents on the market, but for the most part, teams have handled their heavy lifting. Read on to discover how your favorite team’s moves grade out so far.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills – A

It might be a little too soon to crown the Bills as the class of the AFC East, but Buffalo took a massive step forward during the free agency period. Swinging a trade for Stefon Diggs is the headliner. He finally gives Josh Allen a top-flight weapon at wide receiver.

The rest of the business was, on the whole, solid if not spectacular. Mario Addison and Vernon Butler should help give Buffalo more bite up front. The only highly-questionable move was inking Josh Norman to a deal with any guaranteed money.

Miami Dolphins: C

There’s a lot of optimism floating around the internet about what the Dolphins have accomplished this week, but they did a fair amount of overspending. Giving Ereck Flowers a three-year contract worth $30 million is one of the ugliest deals of free agency.

Byron Jones got a huge deal too, but he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He’ll help the Dolphins defense substantially. Overall this class will help Miami win games in 2020, but it doesn’t position the franchise all that well for future success.

New England Patriots: D

The obvious issue with the Patriots is that they haven’t acquired a replacement for Tom Brady. This grade will change dramatically if Bill Belichick finds a competent starter. For the record, this isn’t something that should be ruled out.

Bringing Joe Thuney back into the fold is a good thing, but it’s an expensive one-year rental. That makes re-signing Devin McCourty the best move of New England’s offseason to date. Incomplete might be more appropriate here, but as it stands, it’s a soft D.

New York Jets: C-

The Jets didn’t have a ton of money to spend in free agency, so they were thoroughly unable to make any splashy moves. That might have saved the front office from itself.

Both George Fant and Connor McGovern should be significant upgrades for the offensive line. They are also both mild overpays. Add it all up and it’s a slightly below-average free agency for the Jets.

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