
Big Free Agency Grades Reshape the 2026 NFL Landscape
Two weeks into 2026 NFL free agency, this piece grades all 32 teams on whether moves made them better and optimized cap space. The top marks go to Kansas City (A-) for trading Trent McDuffie for multiple draft picks and landing Kenneth Walker, and to Carolina (A-) for three cost-efficient additions (Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd, Rasheed Walker) for under $50 million combined. Other notable grades include the Raiders (A-), Saints (B+), Patriots (B), Jets (B), Giants (B), and Rams (B+), while the Cardinals land a D for a scattered path forward. The spread—from A- to D—highlights a mix of asset-light upgrades via cap discipline and bold, long-term bets, versus moves aimed at immediate contention. Overall, the league shows broad strategic variety: some teams maximize draft leverage and efficiency, others embrace expensive veteran bets or lean into rebuilds.












