Winners and losers from Day 2 of NFL's free-agency period

On the eve of the official start of the 2024 league year, the Ravens gave quarterback Lamar Jackson a new running mate in the backfield, the Texans leveled up and the Cowboys took a long nap.

Here are the winners and losers from another hectic day.

Winner: Baltimore Ravens

Derrick Henry to the Ravens (two years, $16M) just makes sense. The massive 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back is a perfect complement to the speedy, 5-foot-8, 191-pound second-year back Keaton Mitchell. Put Henry in the backfield with Jackson close to the goal line, and, as ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted, the Ravens could be impossible to defend.

Former running back Gus Edwards, who plans to sign with the Chargers, was excellent in that role last season, scoring the most touchdowns among running backs from inside the 5-yard line (12). Henry can certainly fill those shoes, and with five 1,000-yard seasons in the last six years, he can do a lot more.

The Ravens already have one of the league's most effective rushing attacks, so Henry won't need 20 carries a game for them to be successful. He gains most of his yards after contact, and his bruising style should benefit a team that's struggled at times to hold on to big leads.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys

"Cowboys" trended on social media for the first time in the tampering period, but only because Beyonce announced her upcoming album (out March 29) titled "Cowboy Carter," not for anything Dallas did to offset losing running back Tony Pollard to the Titans a day earlier.

What's Jerry Jones's plan? Is it to throw Dak Prescott under the bus all offseason, or does he have anything more valuable to contribute? Two days into the free agency period, those are questions worth asking.

"We will go as far as Dak takes us, and that is how far we went," Jones said in late January following the team's disappointing wild-card loss to the Packers. 

Why invest in defensive linemen to improve a rush defense that gave former Green Bay running back Aaron Jones an airplane runway to waltz through when you can just blame the quarterback for your team's shortcomings?

Unofficially retired former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant took note on social, telling Prescott to "Get ready to take the blame ... because I really don't see no help coming your way unless a miracle happen [sic]." 

Maybe Beyonce can learn how to fill an A-gap.

Winner: Houston Texans

Instead of overspending on Plan B at running back after striking out on Saquon Barkley, the Texans traded for Bengals running back Joe Mixon one day after reports surfaced Cincinnati planned on releasing him.

You may be wondering why Houston should be applauded for trading for a player it could have signed in free agency, but by acquiring him through a deal with the Bengals, it means the Texans owe Mixon, who's on the last year of his contract, roughly $5.75M this season, only a quarter of a million more than what the Giants will give to former Texans running back Devin Singletary for the next three seasons. 

Mixon might have commanded more on the open market, and the Texans entered Monday with eight 2024 draft picks, including three seventh-rounders. While specifics on the trade weren't revealed, considering the Bengals planned on releasing Mixon, it would be a surprise if it took more than that to complete the trade.

With the savings on running back, later in the day, Houston splurged on Danielle Hunter (two years, $48M), who has a strong case as this year’s best free-agent edge-rusher with 87.5 careers sacks.

Loser: New Orleans Saints locker room

The Saints have been relatively silent so far (outside of the excellent Willie Gay signing), which isn't the reason they're here. New Orleans finds itself in the loser column after the door finally closed on quarterback Jameis Winston's ride with the organization, which never fully got off the ground due to injuries. He was one of the leaders in the locker room, however, and the Saints must now find someone to fill that void. 

Winner: Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney

The former 173rd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Mooney had 1,055 receiving yards in his second season but only 907 yards combined from 2022-23. With an impressive class of wideouts in the 2024 NFL Draft, it speaks to Atlanta's confidence in Mooney's ability to revert to his 2021 form that it plans on signing him to a three-year, $39M contract.

Loser: Quarterback Joe Flacco

All Flacco did last season for the Browns was go 4-1 in five starts, throw for 323.2 yards per game and win the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award, but he couldn't even get a return call? What else does a guy have to do? 

The former 18th overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft showed he still has plenty left in the tank in 2023, but Winston's addition means he'll be suiting up elsewhere this season.

Winner: New England Patriots

Edge-rusher Josh Uche has plenty of untapped potential after averaging no more than 38% of New England's defensive snaps in his first four seasons. He had 11.5 sacks in 2022 but his production fell off last year with only three sacks and 37 total pressures. 

The Patriots were able to re-sign Uche to a one-year, $3M contract, which has the potential to be the offseason's biggest bargain.