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Doug Farrar

The best bargains and most underrated players in 2023 NFL free agency (so far)

There are people in the NFL — especially people who have endured one or more instances of top-heavy free-agency spending — who will tell you that if you want to contend for a Super Bowl, the bottom third of your roster will be just as important as the top third at some point in time. Yes, you want optimal performances from the best and brightest, and if you get it, that’s great. But one of your star players will probably miss time with an injury. Another star might be involved in a contract dispute. And it’s entirely possible that the big-ticket free agent your team brought in for the gross national product of Estonia is actually a bad fit for what his new coaches would like him to do.

It happens all the time. To counter all of these little nightmares, it’s wise to find the best bargains in any free-agent cycle — those players who may not be marquee names, but whose performances on the field makes them important to you.

Especially when things go wrong up top.

There are still quite a few talented players on the open market, so we’ll be adding to this list as we go… but for now, here are the free agents either re-signing in their old homes or going to new locations who will impact their rosters much more than you may think.

Washington Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett

(Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

While the Commanders have said all the right things about the future of 2022 fifth-round quarterback Sam Howell (and while Howell showed a lot in his few rookie reps), if this team is going to contend in the NFC East and beyond in 2023, some sort of quality veteran leadership at the position will be needed. And in that regard, the Commanders couldn’t have done much better than what they did when they signed Jacoby Brissett to a one-year, $8 million deal with $7.5 million guaranteed.

As weird as the Commanders WTF quarterback situation was last year with Howell, Carson Wentz, and Taylor Heinicke, it’s nothing compared to what Brissett had to deal with in Cleveland. Not only did he come into a new offensive system after time with the Colts and Dolphins in his previous two seasons, but he also had the specter of Deshaun Watson hanging over his head.

Fortunately for the Browns, Brissett is an accountable leader, which is exactly what was needed. Once he got the hang of the playbook, and before Watson returned from his suspension, Brissett looked very much like a professional quarterback — and at the same time, his teammates couldn’t say enough about what he brought to the locker room.

We don’t know if, or how long, Brissett will be Washington’s starter, but he’s already proven able to rise up in a chaotic environment. When you’re with the Commanders, that might be Job One.

Carolina Panthers RB Miles Sanders

(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

When you evaluate a running back who benefited from the NFL’s best offensive line, it’s important to separate the performance of the back and his blockers. How often did the back create when things didn’t go well up front, and when they did, could the back in question add to explosive plays beyond that assistance?

In the case of former Philadelphia Eagles back Miles Sanders, who just signed a four-year, $25.4 million deal with the Panthers with $13 million guaranteed, it all checks out on the good side. Yes, Sanders blew through a lot of open gaps, but he also forced some of his own with good after-contact numbers, and his total of 39 runs of 10 or more yards, and 13 runs of 15 or more yards, speaks to his ability to create beyond his line. And by the way, the Panthers’ offensive line is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Speaking of (in this case, former) Panthers running backs…

Chicago Bears RB D'Onta Foreman

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chicago Bears are taking all of the Panthers’ primary weapons. First, the Bears got receiver D.J. Moore in the massive trade that allowed the Panthers to move from ninth to first overall in the draft… and then, they signed former Carolina running back D’Onta Foreman to a one-year, $3 million deal that may rise to the level of outright larceny.

A late bloomer in the NFL, Foreman was a rotational and replacement back for the Texans and Titans through the first four years of his career. He was invisible through the first six weeks of the 2022 season with the Panthers, and then, the Christian McCaffrey trade happened. Foreman gained 34 yards on 12 carries in the first six games, and then, he went off. From Week 7 through Week 18, Foreman’s numbers were virtually identical to those of Browns franchise back Nick Chubb.

At 6-foot-0 and 235 pounds, Foreman can obviously bull through tacklers and make gains after contact (634 of his 876 yards came after the first hit), but he can also bounce outside and accelerate to the second and third levels. He might not be a bell-cow back in the traditional sense, but he’ll be an excellent addition to a Chicago run game that will be centered around quarterback Justin Fields, and fellow running back Khalil Herbert.

Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers

(Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)

As is the case with most former Patriots assistants of any stripe, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels seems to want as many players as possible who understand the Patriot Way. So, the Raiders have given former Pats receiver Jakobi Meyers a three-year, $33 million deal with $21 million guaranteed. It’s a good deal for Meyers, who was the consensus best player at his position in this free agency cycle.

Of course, Meyers has already thrown one touchdown pass to the Raiders, albeit inadvertently:

So, there’s that. Meyers joins a receiver group that was already stacked with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, so former Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (who agreed to a three-year, $64 million deal with the Raiders yesterday) has all the targets he could want — and very few excuses.

Last season, Meyers caught 67 passes on 96 targets for 804 yards and six touchdowns in a misbegotten offense run by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Explosive plays were few and far between, but Meyers still managed to get his.

Meyers can get open from just about everywhere — from outside, the slot, and the backfield. He’s a complete receiver who will add a lot to McDaniels’ passing game.

Maybe just leave the throwing of the football to others.

New York Giants WR Parris Campbell

(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

The Giants got a nice addition to their beleaguered offensive skill position group with the trade for ex-Raiders tight end Darren Waller, but if Daniel Jones is going to live up to the four-year, $160 million contract with $82 million guaranteed (YIKES), Jones will need more estimable targets in Brian Daboll’s offense. Campbell, who signed a one-year, $4.7 million contract to be part of that group, is a sneaky-good receiver who got lost in whatever the Indianapolis Colts were doing at quarterback over the last few seasons. In 2022, Campbell brought in 63 catches on 85 targets for 623 yards and three touchdowns, but as we have implied, you need to look beyond the numbers to what he was working with.

When the Giants were looking for additional receivers in free agency, they probably remembered this 49-yard catch in Week 17, when Campbell dusted half of Big Blue’s secondary for the highlight reception.

Buffalo Bills WR Deonte Harty

(Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

The Bills still need to address their offensive line, and they need more from the running back position, and they probably need more from offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who did not prove in 2022 that he was at the level of the aforementioned Brian Daboll, who he replaced. Buffalo’s offense will be slamming into the same brick wall until it gets past the “Josh Allen needs to do everything” plan, but the addition of former New Orleans Saints speedster Deonte Harty, who signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal with $5.25 million guaranteed, does help a bit.

Harty missed most of the 2022 season due to a toe injury, but when you go back to his 2021 tape, there are explosive plays all over the place. He can take a quick slant or receiver screen to the house at any time, as he proved against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13, and he also gives a lot of value as a returner.

Arizona Cardinals OT Kelvin Beachum

(Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports)

The Cardinals have all kinds of roster issues, especially on defense, but kudos to Jonathan Gannon’s squad for keeping the right side of the offensive line together. We’ll start with Beachum, who signed a two-year, $5,15 million deal with $3,26 million guaranteed to stay in the Valley of the Sun. Last season, Beachum allowed five sacks, eight quarterback hits, and 33 quarterback pressures in 785 pass-blocking reps, and while he can be bulled back and turned around at times, he’s a solid, consistent blocker for the most part. Beachum is smart enough to pick up stunts and games, and he’s capable of the occasional highlight block. It’s a solid, low-cost re-signing at a premium position for a team that needs to spend its money elsewhere.

Arizona Cardinals OG Will Hernandez

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Hernandez, who signed a two-year, $9 million deal with $4.5 million guaranteed to stick with Beachum on the right side, may represent an even bigger and better bargain.

The Giants selected Hernandez in the second round of the 2018 draft out of UTEP, and watched his up-and-down play through four seasons. Then, Hernandez signed a one-year, $1,187,500 with the Cardinals last season, and started to get his game in shape at a different level. In 2022, he allowed three sacks, one quarterback hit, and 12 quarterback hurries in 565 pass-blocking reps, and looked solid in the run game.

Hernandez is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-2 and 335 pounds, but he’s more than just a slobberknocker who pushes defenders down into the dirt. On this Kyler Murray deep pass to Marquise Brown against the Panthers in Week 4, watch how Hernandez (No. 76) seals defensive tackle (and 2020 seventh-overall pick) Derrick Brown inside, and then mirrors him through the rep.

Hernandez can occasionally get beaten by stunts and games, but if you’re running a heavy gap offense in which you want your guards to fire out and eliminate people, he’s proven to be a prime candidate.

Pittsburgh Steelers OL Nate Herbig

(AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)

It could credibly be said that the Pittsburgh Steelers came into free agency without a single above-average starter on their offensive line. They have tried to address this obviously sub-optimal situation in the person of former Eagles and Jets guard Nate Herbig, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract with $4 million guaranteed to add to that iffy group.

Pittsburgh’s o-line evaluations have not blown anybody away of late, but it’s hard to argue with this pickup. Last season, Herbig anchored the right guard position on a Jets line that was equally questionable, and he allowed one sack, three quarterback hits, and 14 quarterback hurries in 424 pass-blocking snaps. Herbig is a mauler who can match and mirror, and gets to the second level pretty well. He knows how to get things done with a decent skill set — anytime you have a guy who can keep Detroit Lions super pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson out of your quarterback’s kitchen as Herbig did here, that’s pretty good stuff.

Minnesota Vikings C Garrett Bradbury

(Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

The Vikings selected Bradbury with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 draft, walked him through some early struggles, and watched him become an above-average center. To get him back in the building on a three-year, $15,7 million deal with $9.8 million guaranteed, is the reward. Not that Bradbury brings Jason Kelce to mind or anything, but last season, he allowed two sacks, eight quarterback hits, and 19 quarterback hurries in 571 pass-blocking reps, with good run-blocking to boot.

The Vikings did like to get the ball downfield on a regular basis last season, which required Bradbury to sustain blocks against some fine defensive tackles. Here, on a 25-yard Kirk Cousins pass to Adam Thielen against the New York Giants in the wild-card round, Bradbury made life tough for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Not a lot of centers can brag about that.

Chicago Bears DL DeMarcus Walker

(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

We’re going to get into just how bad the Atlanta Falcons’ sack and pressure numbers were in 2022, but all you need to know for the purposes of this player analysis is that only the Chicago Bears were worse in either category. The Bears didn’t go big to solve this problem in free agency, but they did nab DeMarcus Walker to start the process on a three-year, $21 million deal with $15,65 million guaranteed, and that should work out very well for them.

In 2022 for the Tennessee Titans, Walker amassed career highs in sacks and pressures with eight and 32, respectively. At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, Walker got sacks from everywhere on the line from nose tackle to defensive tackle to edge. You wonder what will happen to his production without stalwarts like Jeffery Simmons to help out, but when you watch No. 95 absolutely demolish Los Angeles Chargers right guard Zion Johnson on this Week 15 sack of Justin Herbert, Walker looks like a guy who can get a few things done without much help.

Tennessee Titans EDGE Arden Key

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

The Titans went with the retro-fit plan to replace Walker, signing Arden Key to a similar deal (three years, $21 million with $13 million guaranteed), and hoping for similar production. Key is a different type of player — at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he lives on the edge — but the production projects well. Key did very little in his first three NFL seasons with the Raiders, found the holy grail with the 49ers in 2021, and took it to Jacksonville in 2022.

Last season for a radically improved Jaguars defense, Key had five sacks and a career-high 51 total pressures, and the Titans probably had this Week 14 sack in mind when they zeroed in on Key. Here, Key ran a stunt with Travon Walker, made left tackle Dennis Daley’s life miserable, and then made Ryan Tannehill’s day even worse.

Kansas City Chiefs DL Charles Omenihu

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Like a lot of players, Charles Omenihu got better when he was coached by former 49ers defensive coordinator and new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Omenihu, selected in the fifth round of the 2019 draft out of Texas, was a decent rotational pass-rusher for the Texans for 2 1/2 seasons. But when the 49ers traded for him in November, 2021, the light went on. Now, Omenihu will ply his trade with the Chiefs in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which seems to be an ideal fit.

Last season, the 6-foot-5, 280 pound Omenihu had seven sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 43 quarterback hurries in just 475 pass-rushing snaps. He’s more of a multi-gap pass-rusher than a run defender, and that’s fine, because he’s become quite good at the whole pass-rushing thing from all over the place. Spagnuolo loves to bring chaos with his fronts, so he’ll have fun with Omenihu.

His two sacks against the Seahawks in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs certainly prove that point. The first came with 2:31 left in the third quarter. Omenihu was aligned to the center’s left shoulder in a nose shade look, and at the snap, he rushed all the way around the right tackle to take the ball out of Geno Smith’s hand.

Then, with 2:27 left in the game, Omenihu zapped right tackle Abe Lucas with a wicked inside move from an edge alignment, and that was that.

Omenihu was booked on misdemeanor domestic violence charges in January, and we’ll have to see what the full story is over time. That’s the only ding in this deal — other than that, this is quite the steal.

Indianapolis Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Ebukam was another defensive lineman who got on the good foot with Ryans running his defense — he had four decent seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, and then blew up in production with the 49ers in 2021 and 2022. Last season, he had six sacks, a career-high 50 quarterback pressures, and 28 stops.

Ebukam was far more an edge guy than Omenihu, who plied his trade all over the line, but the good news for the Colts, who signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract with $10.755 million guaranteed, is that Ebukam cam work off that edge with all kinds of authority. Neither left tackle Tyler Smith nor tight end Dalton Schultz had much of an answer for Ebukam on this sack of Dak Prescott in the divisional round. Ebukam won with technique and effort, and that’s what the Colts can expect from him, as well.

Cleveland Browns EDGE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

(Syndication: The Indianapolis Star)

The Cleveland Browns have been trying for a while to find the ideal bookend for top edge-rusher Myles Garrett, and they may have finally done so when the 2023 league year kicks over. For now, they’ve agreed to terms with former Houston Texans edge-rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on a three-year, $19 million deal with $12.5 million guaranteed.

It’s quite the steal for a player who really came into his own last season, though he had been ascending for a while. The 2018 fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams out of Oklahoma had five sacks, six quarterback hits, and 25 quarterback hurries in just 268 pass-rushing snaps. At 6-foot-2 and 253 pounds, Okoronkwo can also play the run when his ears aren’t pinned back, and he brings everything from a bull rush to one of the wickedest spin moves in the NFL to the table.

This is one of those deals, unheralded at the time, that could pay major dividends down the road. The Browns have an ace signing here.

Atlanta Falcons LB Kaden Elliss

(Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

Last season, the Atlanta Falcons had the second-fewest sacks (21), the second-fewest quarterback pressures (88, ahead of only the Chicago Bears in both cases), and the NFL’s worst pressure rate at 14.6%. So, in free agency, the strategy was to poach two former members of the New Orleans Saints’ defense — lineman David Onyemata (who is also a sneaky-good acquisition), and linebacker Kaden Elliss. Elliss, selected in the seventh round of the 2019 draft out of Idaho, and with one real season as a starter under his belt, may be the more interesting chess piece because of all he provides.

In Dennis Allen’s defense last season, Elliss had eight sacks, 20 total pressures, 45 tackles, 36 stops, and he allowed 25 catches on 32 targets for 234 yards, 119 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 97.1. Elliss is a do-it-all guy for a defense that needs it all. Whether it’s blowing up this Falcons trick play in Week 15…

…or telling Tom Brady that there would be no soup for him on this pass to tight end Cameron Brate…

…Elliss should be expected to be an immediate difference maker in a defense that, again, needs all the difference.

Miami Dolphins LB David Long

(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

There are those deals in free agency that make you stand up, shake your head, and say out loud: “That team got THAT GUY, and they only had to pay THAT MUCH?!?!?!?”

So is the example of former Tennessee Titans linebacker David Long, who will sign with the Miami Dolphins for just $11 million over the next two seasons. We don’t need to know the guaranteed money, because this is a crazy-good deal for Miami no matter what it is.

A sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of West Virginia, the 5-foot-11, 225-pound Long had 18 total pressures last season in just 47 pass-rushing snaps, 65 tackles and 40 stops in 216 run defense reps, and he allowed 47 receptions on 55 targets for 468 yards, 286 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 87.0.

New Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio asks a lot of his linebackers in frequent nickel sets, and Long is all set to make the most of that. He did miss the Titans’ last five games last season due to injury (which may explain the bargain price in part), but when he’s on the field, Long is the kind of linebacker who can set the tone for your entire defense. As the Dolphins traded for Jalen Ramsey last Sunday, they’re filling up with those kinds of tone-setters.

And yes, Long is more than just great in coverage. What a steal!

Detroit Lions DB Cameron Sutton

(Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports)

In the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus, the Detroit Lions’ cornerbacks allowed 16 touchdowns, and had just three interceptions. You don’t need to be a football savant to know that that is a Big Problem for a team that wants to contend at any level of football. It’s why most mock drafts are sending various cornerbacks to Detroit with the sixth overall pick as a default strategy, and it’s why the Lions have agreed to give former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Cameron Sutton a three-year, $33 million contract with $22.5 million guaranteed.

It’s a great deal to acquire a guy who was equally adept outside and in the slot last season. Overall in his 2022 season, Sutton allowed 36 catches on 71 targets for 411 yards, 132 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 69.6, which was fifth-best in the NFL among cornerbacks playing at least 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps.

Sutton can go up against the NFL’s best receivers and come out on top. I’m not quite sure why he didn’t have a more robust market, but kudos to the Lions for leaping all over this one.

Philadelphia Eagles CB James Bradberry

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with all kinds of leakage on their defense via free agency — they’ve already lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers, linebacker T.J. Edwards to the Chicago Bears, linebacker Kyzir White to the Arizona Cardinals, and safety Marcus Epps to the Las Vegas Raiders. But general manager Howie Roseman did get one major re-signing done on Tuesday, as cornerback James Bradberry now has a new three-year, $38 million contract with $20 million guaranteed to prevent him from finding a new home in similar fashion. Add that to the re-signing of Darius Slay, and hey — at least the bookends are back.

We had Bradberry ranked as the fourth-best free agent in this class, so we think it’s a pretty big deal. And with those numbers, it’s a very good deal, as well.

Bradberry’s defensive holding penalty with 1:54 left in Super Bowl LVII set the Chiefs up to beat the Eagles, 38-35, on Harrison Butker’s last-second field goal, but he shouldn’t be remembered for the last thing he did in the 2022 season.

It was an unfortunate way for Bradberry’s season to end, because for the most part, he was dynamite for the Eagles on a one-year, $7.25 million deal. The former Giants salary cap casualty allowed just 46 catches on 98 targets in the 2022 season for 489 yards, 159 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 12 pass breakups… and for the record, just three penalties all season long.

Bradberry’s old team really felt the sting in Week 18 and the divisional round, as he was targeted nine times, allowing three catches for 41 yards, 13 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception and a slew of pass breakups. If Bradberry is on you in press coverage, good luck disengaging.

Bradberry showed a ton of improvement in Jonathan Gannon’s defense last season, and now that Sean Desai has taken Gannon’s former role, it was very smart for the Eagles to take advantage of that as they look to fill holes in other parts of that defense.

Minnesota Vikings CB Byron Murphy

(AP Photo/David Becker)

Once Patrick Peterson agreed to his two-year, $14 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Minnesota Vikings went from cornerback-light status to REALLY cornerback-light status. They’re still in that position, and this deal shouldn’t preclude Minnesota from taking at least one cornerback in the draft, but the addition of Byron Murphy, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, should help a bit.

The Vikings will give Murphy a two-year, $22 million deal when the league year turns over on Wednesday, and that’s not a bad deal for where the 2019 second-round pick out of Washington is at this point in his career. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Murphy isn’t scheme- or technique-transcendent, but you can see why new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores would be able to get the best out of him. During his time in New England and Miami, Flores presided over defenses in which aggressive press coverage was generally the order of the day, and that’s where Murphy is at his best.

Last season, Murphy (who missed the second half of the 2022 season due to injury) allowed 36 catches on 56 targets for 350 yards, 155 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, no interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 105.5. Based on charting, when Murphy was pressed against his receiver, he allowed just three catches on eight targets for 36 yards.

Clearly, that’s where Murphy is comfortable, and you can see it on tape. In Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Davante Adams did everything he could to shake Murphy out of press on this fade ball, and Murphy wasn’t having it.

So, while Murphy isn’t anybody’s idea of a shutdown cornerback, he’s a nice cog in a defense that’s going through all kinds of changes, and the money isn’t out of hand for what he can bring in the right coverages.

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