Winners And Losers From The Opening Of NFL Free Agency

Well, the first couple days of NFL free agency are in the bag. Some teams made wise choices and others spent a lot of money in a hurry. Over 100 players were signed in different destinations and while it would be difficult to cover every move in one article, (even a few) there are some clear transactions that we can declare winners and some we can declare losers after only the first couple days.

The Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and New York Jets get passing grades. The Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and in some cases, San Francisco 49ers make us wonder what they were thinking.

We understand not everyone will agree, but by our count, here are your winners and losers from the first two days in NFL free agency.

Winner: Buffalo Bills

Is AJ McCarron really good or is he just average? The Buffalo Bills are about to find out. The good news here is, even if he doesn't pan out to be the best choice on free agency day at quarterback, he was a relatively low-risk gamble. Since the Bills are going to draft a QB in the draft, this could be a smart move. The potential positives are also that McCarron provides the best return.

McCarron is healthy, 27 years old and signed for only two-years with a $10 million commitment. There are bonuses that could make this more expensive, but who in their right mind wouldn't be happy if he hit them in Buffalo?

The Bills also snagged Star Lotulelei who was rated as the best interior defensive lineman available in free agency and fans should be excited to see Kyle Williams back and for a bargain one-year $6 million.

RELATED: BUFFALO BILLS SIGN AJ MCCARRON

Loser: Arizona Cardinals

If you add up all of the moves the Arizona Cardinals have made thus far this offseason, it's hard to suggest they've put the needed pieces together. Some may suggest they've completely gone the wrong direction. They signed Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon, and Andre Smith, but they let go of Tyrann Mathieu.

Smith is not very good and he's definitely not worth two years for $8 million. Bradford got a massive deal but he's injury prone, Glennon bombed last year with the Bears and the Cardinals biggest move thus far was letting talented safety Mathieu leave. Yes, Mathieu has an injury history, but he rebounded last season to play 16 games and he is still young. This move could come back to haunt them.

Loser: Oakland Raiders

There are many who think the Oakland Raiders have made some of the biggest mistakes thus far this free agency. Jordy Nelson could bounce back but the Raiders taking that gamble at the expense of Michael Crabtree seems illogical. Nelson is a downgrade from Crabtree and not much different financially. It works out well for Nelson though who gets a lot of guaranteed money.

The Raiders also signed Doug Martin who hasn’t cracked 2.9 yards per carry in his last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is only a one-year deal so if it doesn't pan out it's not a death sentence but it likely isn't an effective replacement for Marshawn Lynch, if this signing is any indication of where things are headed with Lynch and the Raiders.

At least the team signed nose tackle Justin Ellis before the crazy spending began.

Winner: Carolina Panthers

Bringing back Julius Peppers was a smart move. Even though he's older, his one-year deal is low-risk and high-reward if he does what it looks like he can do. His 11 sacks in half the snaps were worth the $5 million alone, especially for a team without a lot of salary-cap room. He must want to win because he's no longer playing for the money.

The Panthers also signed nose tackle Dontari Poe who should be an important upgrade over the departed Star Lotulelei. Neither of these moves were considered huge transactions but the Panthers weren't looking to make a lot of noise. Instead they made smart, less-costly decisions.

Winner: New York Giants

The Giants went about trying to fix an obvious problem early in free agency. Nate Solder was one of the best left tackles on the free agent market and the New York Giants badly needed upgrading on their offensive line. It made sense to snag an excellent run blocker, even if they had to pay $60 million over four years to land him. We'll acknowledge that's a lot of green to protect Eli Manning.

If it isn't Manning that needs protection, this is also huge if the Giants plan to take a quarterback in the draft. That kid will need protection and the Giants just invested in their rookie's future by having someone to block for him. The only real argument against this move is made by fans who wanted a quicker and more obvious rebuild.

Winner: New York Jets

It might be bad timing for Morris Claiborne but injury circumstances are good news for the New York Jets who were able to re-sign him for one more year at a big discount. If he stays healthy this season it's great for the Jets. If he doesn't, it's not going to end their season.

This isn't the Jets only smart move. The Teddy Bridgwater one-year signing could pay off handsomely as he'll be driven to earn the starting job at quarterback and while his injuries made this type of deal possible, he's only 25 years old and doesn't have a lot of tread on his tires. The downside here is that if he plays extremely well, he's going to get insanely expensive or they'll lose him.

The Jets also signed Trumaine Johnson at cornerback, gave a sensible contract to running back Isaiah Crowell and brought in QB Josh McCown in case Bridgewater didn't work out.

Loser and Winner: San Francisco 49ers

Weston Richburg is an excellent center when healthy but that's an if and the 49ers just gave him a boatload of money despite his concussion concerns. The 49ers also gave Brock Coyle a guarantee of $4.1 million despite coming off of major shoulder surgery and that appears to be, at the very least, extremely risky.

The team also overpaid one-trick pony Jerick McKinnon at four years and $30 million when they could have drafted a running back in this year's draft.

The good news is the 49ers signed cornerback Richard Sherman on a very low guarantee of only $3 million. If he struggles to come back from his Achilles injury, the 49ers are barely on the hook for anything.

Winner: Denver Broncos

Here's what makes what the Denver Broncos did so special. While the Minnesota Vikings were giving a full contract with the entire deal guaranteed to Kirk Cousins, Denver went and signed Case Keenum to a sensible two-year deal. It's huge for the Vikings but the Broncos played this wisely.

Most people will tell you there isn't a huge leap between Keenum and Cousins. Keenum has proven he can win big games with solid defense and the Broncos have that. Denver let the Vikings make the most noise. They may have gotten the best QB.

The Broncos also signed a motivated CB Tramaine Brock on a no-risk deal. They needed a replacement for Aqib Talib and they found it. The Todd Davis re-signing is somewhat of a wash at linebacker.