2026 NFL free agency winners, losers: Tagovailoa, Walker, more

Day 1 of NFL free agency can be a dangerous place to operate. It's a big day for players, as organizations have spent months convincing themselves to become free agents and making plans for how they will spend cap space. It's a big day for fans, who have spent the offseason waiting for their favorite teams to fill needed positions. But the teams are not as lucky; Although Milton Williams and Sam Darnold were big hits in free agency last year, players like Dan Moore Jr., Aaron Banks and Jonathan Allen fell short after being signed in the early days. Subscribe: 'The Bill Barnwell Show' Today, let's review the winners and losers from the first day of 2026 free agency, from both a player and team perspective. I'll do my best to try to identify deals that didn't make sense or players who ended up in much better situations as a result of what happened on Monday. I will move throughout the league, starting with Atlanta. Jump to: Tagovailoa | Phillips | strong | walker Shula | Hampton | Linderbaum Browns/Titans | Teams adding WR2 Veterans who would have been cut Winner: Tua Tagovailoa Most "winners" don't start the first day of free agency by being released from the only professional team they've ever known, so I understand why there would be some hesitation in naming Tagovailoa as a winner here. Obviously, it's operating under very unique circumstances. The Dolphins will pay their former franchise quarterback $54 million in 2026, which is a great safety net as Tagovailoa hits free agency for the first time as a pro. All that aside, Tagovailoa faced an uncertain future. There were only a handful of teams with real paths to a starting job. The Dolphins, one of those teams, were close to signing Malik Willis. Tagovailoa was never going to fit well on a Browns team that is giving up its entire offensive line this offseason. If we assume the Raiders are on the verge of drafting Fernando Mendoza, that leaves the Cardinals, Falcons, Jets and Steelers as potential landing spots. Of those four, the Falcons felt they had the best chance. The Jets and Steelers play in cold-weather cities, where Tagovailoa has struggled in recent years. The Cardinals would have Tagovailoa in a training camp battle with Jacoby Brissett. In Atlanta, Tagovailoa will be able to play in a dome. He will have the upper hand to earn the starting job thanks to Michael Penix Jr.'s torn ACL. The Falcons had an excellent running game led by Bijan Robinson in 2025, and were already prepared to accommodate a left-handed quarterback. New coach Kevin Stefanski also leaned heavily toward a left-side boot-action game despite running right-handed quarterbacks during his time in Cleveland, which should be an easy option for Tagovailoa. We'll see how Stefanski's system fits with what Tagovailoa wants to do as a passer. At its best, Stefanski's offense in Cleveland was a play-heavy, under-center attack, with the quarterback turning his back on the defense before making throws for long plays. Tagovailoa was in a completely different offense with the Dolphins, with roughly 89% of his dropbacks over the last four years coming with a pistol or shotgun. He was asked to make quick, accurate passes and create YAC opportunities for his receivers, and at his best, he was able to put a lot of points on the scoreboard. Will the Falcons' offense fall somewhere in between? We'll have to see, but the clearest path for Tagovailoa to play with solid help around him was in Atlanta. That's a win on a day that otherwise looked ominous for the 28-year-old quarterback. Winner: Jaelan Phillips Wow. I've always been a fan of Phillips' play when he was healthy enough to step on the field. I thought he was on the verge of a breakout after his death.