The 2024 NFL season turned out to be the year of the impact free agent.
The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX with two signings -- running back Saquon Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun -- playing starring roles. Tailback Derrick Henry joined the Ravens and looked five years younger overnight. The most shocking success story might have been quarterback Sam Darnold, who won 14 games with the Vikings after combining for 21 in his six previous seasons.
In each of those cases, the player benefited from jumping to a better situation. Barkley went from a dismal Giants offense to play behind Philadelphia's dominant offensive line. Henry benefited by being in the same backfield as dual-threat passer Lamar Jackson. Baun was moved back to linebacker by Eagles coordinator Vic Fangio (after serving as an edge rusher for the Saints) and coached up into an All-Pro campaign. And while Darnold spent 2023 as a backup with the 49ers, the presence of coach Kevin O'Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson put the 2018 No. 3 pick in a markedly better spot than he had been during his time with the Jets or Panthers.
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Plenty of players leave their teams each offseason, but it's rare to see the sort of results Barkley, Baun and Darnold produced. Is there anyone like that who moved teams this offseason? Talent is talent, but who benefited most from moving to a different context in a new organization over the past few months?
Let's run through 15 players who were either traded or signed somewhere else in free agency and analyze how they'll fit in their new surroundings. Who could make the most out of changing teams? Are there underlying metrics, archetypes or something about each player's past that hints toward a breakout performance? I'll begin with a new quarterback in New York and work my way through players on offense before ending with a few defenders:
Jump to a player:
Davante Adams | Joey Bosa | Dyami Brown
Evan Engram | Justin Fields | Kenyon Green
Najee Harris | Daniel Jones | Mac Jones
Azeez Ojulari | George Pickens | Deebo Samuel
Benjamin St-Juste | Laremy Tunsil | Javonte Williams
Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
Signed from Steelers as unrestricted free agent
This might not be Fields' last chance as a starter, but it's probably his last chance at entering an offseason with a meaningful guarantee to start somewhere. Traded by Chicago to Pittsburgh for a Day 3 draft pick last year, he did enough in six starts with the Steelers to earn interest in free agency from the quarterback-needy Jets. His new deal guarantees him $30 million of the $40 million he's owed over the next two seasons.
The hope for Fields is that the Jets lean into his strengths in the QB run game, which the Bears didn't really do. The Steelers jumped a little further in, but after he averaged just over five designed runs (excluding scrambles and kneel-downs) across his six games as a starter, he was benched for Russell Wilson.
While the Steelers went 4-2 with Fields throwing just one interception on 161 pass attempts, the best version of a Fields-led offense has to commit to his ability to create explosive plays. He has taken sacks on nearly 12% of his dropbacks as a pro, plays that usually kill drives. His 40.9% success rate as a passer ranks 24th out of 25 quarterbacks with at least 1,200 dropbacks over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats. With all of those negative or neutral plays, he has to produce big plays to survive as an NFL passer.
Will new Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand build an offense that consistently plays to Fields' strengths? Engstrand had been with the Lions since 2020, seeing up close how coordinator Ben Johnson elevated Detroit's offense. The Jets used their first-round pick on tackle Armand Membou and made an affordable addition on the interior in former Packers center Josh Myers. There's a legitimate No. 1 wideout here in Garrett Wilson. If it's ever going to happen for the 26-year-old Fields, now's the time.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Signed from Vikings as unrestricted free agent
Jones was cut by the Giants in November and then signed by the Vikings. There was a scenario in which he followed in Darnold's footsteps and learned from O'Connell. Unlike Darnold, however, Jones never saw the field in Minnesota, failing to play a single snap in a Vikings uniform. After the season, with J.J. McCarthy set to take over as the long-term starter in Minnesota, Jones negotiated with the Vikings before taking a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts.
For whatever benefits playing in Minnesota brings, it's inarguable that Jones has a clearer path to getting on the field in Indianapolis. While the Vikings clearly prioritized McCarthy in last year's draft before a season-ending meniscus injury -- in case you forgot, he was battling with Darnold to be the starter -- the Colts hardly seem thrilled with 2023 No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson. He was benched for Joe Flacco last season after briefly asking out of a game. And while his average pass traveled more than 2.0 yards in the air further than any other regular starter, his 47.7% completion percentage was the worst in NFL history after adjusting for era among passers with a minimum of 200 attempts. He started his season with one of the best pure throws you'll ever see a quarterback make, then routinely missed open receivers throughout the rest of the season.
Coach Shane Steichen and the Colts will hope Jones can hit some of those open receivers, but he shouldn't be considered a plug-and-play replacement. Richardson has been asked to attack downfield in Indy's offense, but that was never Jones' forte in New York. He posted some of the lowest air-yards-per-attempt marks of any quarterback in 2½ seasons under coach Brian Daboll. While the Colts have typically dialed up gap schemes and between-the-tackles runs for Richardson, the Giants used Jones in zone-read schemes and let him scramble on pass plays.
Jones' injury issues in New York kept the Giants from unleashing him as a runner, where he has been effective at times. He has missed significant time with knee and neck injuries during his career. The Colts haven't made a long-term investment in him the way the Giants did, which might encourage them to let him loose in the run game. Given Jones' habit of taking sacks when he isn't pushed to get the ball out quickly or tuck and run, though, it's tough to truly protect him from getting hit.
The Colts' offensive line also won't be doing Jones any favors. Unlike his former teammate Barkley, who moved from one of the league's worst O-lines to its best, Jones will face an uncertain situation in Indianapolis. The Colts lost a pair of starters on the interior in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, both of whom signed with the Vikings. Kelly had slipped from his peak and Fries missed most of last season with a broken tibia, but Indianapolis didn't add other options besides rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Travis. He profiles as a project and a potential swing tackle behind Braden Smith, who was being treated for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder last season.
There are reasons to be optimistic about Jones. He was miscast as a $40 million quarterback in New York, but he can be an accurate passer in rhythm and should be able to handle Steichen's RPO calls. Running back Jonathan Taylor finished the season strong, racking up 627 rushing yards and six scores over the final four games. And the Colts added tight end Tyler Warren to a group of pass catchers who get open more often than their numbers suggest. Whether through injury or benching, it seems likely Richardson will give way to Jones at some point this season. Jones will have to stay healthy and consistent to keep that opportunity.
Mac Jones, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Signed from Jaguars as unrestricted free agent
If there's one player attempting to explicitly go on the Darnold rejuvenation path, it's Jones. Darnold restarted his career by joining the 49ers in 2023, where he spent the season as a backup to Brock Purdy. Darnold threw only 46 passes in a San Francisco uniform, most of which came in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Rams. Working with coach Kyle Shanahan apparently did enough to rebuild Darnold's confidence before he left for a one-year deal with Minnesota, though. You know what happened next.
Like Darnold, Jones was once regarded as a promising young quarterback, only for his game to fall apart amid injuries, porous offensive lines and questionable coaching. That story was always a little too simplistic -- the Patriots did a great job of protecting him in obvious passing situations as a rookie -- but whatever confidence he had quickly fell by the wayside. He spent most of his sophomore season arguing with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. In Year 3, with undrafted rookie DeMario Douglas as his top wideout, he was benched for Bailey Zappe.
Moving on to Jacksonville last season and filling in for the injured Trevor Lawrence, Jones looked lost in moments. He was extremely sensitive to even the threat of pressure and sometimes missed open receivers from clean pockets. There's still some anticipation there -- he has moments when he looks like an accurate passer -- but he didn't have the sort of consistency needed from a starting NFL signal-caller.
Now, he gets to work with Shanahan, who debated drafting him over Trey Lance at No. 3 in 2021. Jones' lone successful season as a pro puts him one ahead of the guy the 49ers did go with, but I'm not sure either of those moves would be considered a success. Four years later, Shanahan got his man to back up Purdy on a two-year, $8.4 million deal.
This will be the best offensive infrastructure Jones has played in since his time at Alabama. The question is whether he ever sees the field. There has been a need for a reliable backup in San Francisco, even after Purdy's ascension. Purdy suffered a serious elbow injury in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, left a 2023 loss to the Ravens with a stinger and missed two games in 2024 with shoulder and elbow injuries. Jones probably isn't going to win the job away from the $265 million QB, but don't be surprised if he plays well enough to get a more significant opportunity elsewhere on his next deal in 2026.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Signed from Steelers as unrestricted free agent
One year after Barkley and Henry produced legendary seasons while moving away from dismal situations, Harris hopes to follow in their footsteps. And while the Steelers' offensive line improved last season, Harris is moving into a better spot.
There's certainly much better quarterback play waiting in Los Angeles than there was in Pittsburgh, although the Steelers (16th) ranked higher than the Chargers (25th) in expected yards per carry last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The weakest spot up front for Jim Harbaugh's team was at right guard, where former Eagles and Jets lineman Mekhi Becton, who got a two-year, $20 million deal in free agency, will take over this season.
A scheme shift might also benefit Harris. The Steelers leaned into zone schemes during the majority of Harris' time, despite most teams recently preferring gap runs. His best stretch as a pro came at the end of the 2023 season with interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner, who leaned more into gap concepts. Harris has the size to succeed in those and has more wiggle when he's one-on-one against a defender than you might think.
Fantasy football managers were upset to see the Chargers add competition for Harris in the form of first-round pick Omarion Hampton, but that actually might help the 27-year-old be more efficient on a carry-by-carry basis. Harris ranks second in the league in carries over the past four seasons, trailing only Henry. While Henry has famously developed a reputation for getting better as the game goes along, that hasn't been the case for Harris; his success rate routinely drops after halftime.
The biggest problem with Harris? He really hasn't been a very good pro back. He has racked up a significant volume with below-average efficiency, ranking second to last in the NFL in cumulative rushing EPA since entering the league in 2021. He ranks last in success rate among backs with at least 600 carries over that span.
It's fair to wonder how much of that has to do with the Steelers' offense, but the problem there is Jaylen Warren was much more productive in the same attack. Over the past three seasons, Harris averaged minus-0.1 rush yards over expectation per carry; Warren was at 0.4. Warren had a 42.5% success rate; Harris was at 36.2%. Even though Harris was the power back of the duo, he generated 12 fewer first downs over expectation than an average back, per the Next Gen Stats model; Warren generated four more than an average back on his carries.
There's certainly some benefit to being the change-of-pace back, but as we saw with Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon on the Chargers or Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott on the Cowboys, there are times in which a team gets too attached to a first-round pick at running back and doesn't let the smaller, more productive back play more. Harris might be more productive than he has been in the past given a better situation, but that might only lead to league-average results as a rotation back.
Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Signed from Broncos as unrestricted free agent
In the time since the Cowboys' decision to give a huge contract extension to Ezekiel Elliott in 2019 backfired, the team clearly doesn't want to spend a ton at running back. For all the problems they had in 2024, that strategy actually worked. Rico Dowdle was perfectly reasonable in the lead role, posting above-average efficiencies in yards over expectation, EPA per rush and success rate. A 1,079-yard season for $1.3 million was great value for Dallas.
The Cowboys let Dowdle leave in free agency, despite the fact that he signed only a one-year, $2.8 million deal with the Panthers. Instead, Dallas budgeted about the same amount ($3 million) to sign Dowdle's replacement in Williams, who could end up costing it a compensatory pick.
Why replace Dowdle with a back who has averaged 3.7 yards per carry and posted the league's fifth-worst success rate since returning from a multiligament knee injury in 2023? The Cowboys would probably argue the move makes sense because of Williams' range of abilities. There's a case that he is a more complete back given his body of work as a receiver and pass blocker. Dallas didn't necessarily trust Dowdle with pass blocking until the second half of last season, when they named him the full-time starter.
Dallas' biggest problem on offense last season was in the red zone, where it ranked 31st in conversion rate. I'm not sure Williams really helps there, as he generated minus-7 FDOE over the past two years. Since 2021, the only back with at least 600 carries to post a worse success rate than Williams is Harris. Williams is saying all the right things this offseason about recovering from his injury and being at his best, but he was league-average before the ACL tear and hasn't reached that level since.
Only $1 million of Williams' $3 million is guaranteed, so there's a slim-but-plausible chance he doesn't even make the active roster in Week 1. I would say it's likely Williams gets there, but that we see him strictly in a rotational role. He's not likely to reach Dowdle's heights in workload or production.
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Acquired via trade from the Steelers
Williams' new teammate, on the other hand, has more reasons to be optimistic. Pickens is moving from one of the league's least pass-happy offenses to one of its most. The Cowboys threw at the third-highest rate in neutral game scripts on early downs before Dak Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9. The Steelers ranked 25th by the same metric over that span. Dallas also plays at a faster pace than Pittsburgh, something likely to continue with Brian Schottenheimer taking over as coach.
Pickens is also going to get a massive upgrade at quarterback. For whatever flak Prescott gets for his weaknesses, he throws one of the most consistently accurate balls of any quarterback. His ball placement on slants, digs and back-shoulder throws, in particular, has been excellent over the past few years. Pickens is going to see plenty of those routes. With CeeDee Lamb operating out of the slot, the Cowboys have needed an "X" receiver since they moved on from Amari Cooper before the 2022 season. Between Cooper and Dez Bryant, Prescott had that big, physical receiver on the outside for most of his career. Pickens should be that guy.
What the Cowboys really need, as I mentioned regarding Williams above, is help in the red zone. Pickens has the frame and catch radius to be an impactful player in close quarters, but that has never really shown up inside the 20-yard line. He had just five touchdowns on 48 targets inside the red zone in his first three NFL seasons. I'd like to see Schottenheimer create one-on-one opportunities for his new wideout to leverage that 6-foot-3 frame.
For all the positives of Pickens moving to Dallas, the downside has to be a reduction in target share. He drew targets on more than 25% of the routes he ran a year ago, which ranked 25th among all wideouts. Brandin Cooks, whose role in the lineup is nominally going to Pickens, drew targets on just under 19% of his routes in 2024. That might not sound like a big difference, but over a full season, that gap could amount to 40 extra targets.
It's clear Pickens had fallen out of favor with a normally patient Steelers coaching staff, and the track record for much-ballyhooed wideouts outside of Pittsburgh isn't great. Antonio Brown, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace and Chase Claypool all failed to live up to high expectations elsewhere. With Pickens in a contract year, he has every reason to be motivated in Dallas. Few players have a wider range of potential outcomes in 2025; he could be a top-15 wideout or end the season on another roster.
Dyami Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Signed from Commanders as unrestricted free agent
A 2021 third-round pick who had fallen down the Washington depth chart, the arrival of Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator last year and the trading away of Jahan Dotson helped revitalize Brown's career. He saw regular snaps throughout the season and was an able blocker on the outside, but he didn't start amassing meaningful production until the postseason. After a career-high 308 receiving yards during the regular season, he had 229 more during the postseason, including games with 89 and 98 receiving yards during the Commanders' two playoff victories.
Did Brown turn into a different player during that playoff run? I'm not sure I see that on film. Several of his big plays over that stretch came on blown coverages and scramble drills. Those yards count, but they're a product of scheme as opposed to Brown getting himself open. He had a 24-yard catch-and-run on a screen and a 42-yard completion against Lions backups who failed to pass off a route concept correctly. Brown did have a 38-yard gain on a seam route running past rookie corner Terrion Arnold out of the slot, but that was the exception for his production during the playoff run. He also fumbled twice, losing a key fumble early on against the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Over the regular season, Brown averaged 1.4 yards per route run, which ranked 68th out of the 114 wideouts who ran at least 200 routes. While he saw steady work, there were few wideouts who ran routes less often when they were on the field than him. He ran routes on 50.6% of his offensive snaps, the sixth-lowest rate for any wideout.
On one hand, the limited usage suggests Brown's modest regular-season numbers were deflated by a lack of opportunity. On the other, it seems telling the Commanders didn't prioritize targets for Brown despite Terry McLaurin being the only imposing option. Don't be surprised to see more of that in Jacksonville, where the throws will go to Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Instead of reaching his January form, Brown is likely to make more of an impact as a blocker and clear-out receiver.
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Signed from Jets as unrestricted free agent
If we were going to compare Adams to one of last year's star movers, it would be Henry: The veteran star who finds the fountain of youth after moving to a better offensive situation. And certainly, I don't think you'll find many people who will argue that playing with Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay and the Rams is worse off for Adams than the Raiders or the mess that was the 2024 Jets.
The 32-year-old Adams' underlying metrics from last season suggest he's still an impactful player. He had 1,063 receiving yards and eight touchdowns across 14 games, figures that were impacted by his midseason move to New York. He averaged 2.1 yards per route run, which ranked 32nd in the league and was up from 2.0 YPRR the prior season in Vegas. Those numbers were buoyed by Adams' outlier game, a 198-yard, two-touchdown performance in December against the Jaguars; 135 of those yards came in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. It was proven that Adams can't be covered by Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, which will be helpful when the Rams play the Jags in the James Gladstone Bowl in October.
ESPN's receiver score metric ranked Adams 70th last season, which isn't quite as disappointing as it sounds. That metric is broken into three components. Adams ranked 15th in open score, suggesting his ability to shake away from defensive backs and find space is still present. He was solid by YAC score, but his catch score ranked 153rd out of 159 pass catchers. He hasn't had a great catch score over the past few years, but it's tough to believe his true ability to catch the ball is among the worst in football. I'd count on that to improve.
There are a few factors that leave me hesitant to project Adams as the next Henry, however. Adams turns 33 in December, and while he might feel ageless, his performance has dropped from the All-Pro level he showed at his peak in Green Bay. The shift to the Rams should help him, but it's tough to find receivers who make significant improvements in their mid-30s.
Adams has been a star for nearly a decade, but it's also fair to point out the vast majority of his success has come with quarterbacks he has developed a long chemistry with in Rodgers and Derek Carr, who helped Adams earn his final All-Pro nod in Las Vegas in 2022 and was his college teammate at Fresno State. Adams won't have that same familiarity with Stafford, at least at the beginning of the season.
And while Adams is a more comfortable fit than Cooper Kupp was as the outside receiver alongside Puka Nacua, previous players in that role didn't live up to expectations. Sammy Watkins was one-and-done after the Rams acquired him via trade from Buffalo. They soured on Brandin Cooks after two years and traded him to the Texans. Odell Beckham Jr. won a Super Bowl with the Rams as a midseason addition, but after tearing an ACL, they replaced him with Allen Robinson, who was one of the worst free agent signings in recent memory. L.A. got 33 catches for 339 yards from him before eating more than $10 million to get him off their roster.
I'm not expecting that sort of fiasco to happen again, but there's more downside here than the fit might suggest. The most likely scenario is that Adams is a solid No. 2 receiver who doesn't get the sort of target share he's used to while still influencing games. There's a universe in which he feasts on one-on-one coverage and makes it back to the Pro Bowl, but this is a spot where the Rams have swung and missed recently.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Washington Commanders
Acquired from 49ers via trade
Samuel is the YAC god. Samuel has ranked first (2021), first (2022), first (2023), and second (2024) in ESPN's YAC score over the past four seasons. While he benefited from playing around other star playmakers and for Kyle Shanahan, he exhibits a generational ability to break through tackles and run away from defenders.
That's a great trick, but it hasn't led to spectacular seasons. Samuel's 1,405-yard campaign in 2021 was three full years ago now, and it's the only time he topped 900 receiving yards in a single campaign. Samuel had five plays of 50 or more yards that season, which is more than he had over the other seasons of his career combined (four). Even for a player with his talents, that sort of performance was unsustainable.
Samuel also had a wild rushing efficiency in 2021, scoring eight touchdowns on 59 carries. That hasn't stuck around either, although the 29-year-old still managed to score nine times on 121 rush attempts over the ensuing three years. Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury might not be as inclined to use Samuel at running back, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Commanders lined him up there as window dressing for some of their quarterback run concepts.
Leave that 2021 season out of the analysis and there's a relatively consistent player here. Samuel will create a few big plays out of nothing and run through a few defenders. He's going to drop a few more passes than you would like and miss a couple of games each season, but that's perfectly reasonable for a WR2. He will do well with the high quantity of screens and RPOs the Commanders ran last season, but don't expect his production to reach the 2021 heights.
Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos
Signed from Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent
I wrote about Engram and his fit as a potential "Joker" with the Broncos in my AFC Superlatives column. In short, he's a curious fit in that role. The tight ends who have been Sean Payton's "Joker" in the past were Jeremy Shockey and Jimmy Graham. Engram lacks Shockey's physicality, as well as Graham's verticality and ability to win in the red zone.
Engram has been more of a safety valve than a threat with the ball in his hands: His 22 YAC score in 2024 ranked 158th out of 159 pass catchers, just behind new teammate Courtland Sutton. Engram was better (69th) in terms of getting open, and that's what Payton will ask of him in favorable matchups.
While Engram had a career-high 963 receiving yards in 2023, he needed 143 targets and 558 routes to get there. His 1.7 yards per route run ranked 11th among tight ends who ran at least 200 routes. In nine games last season, that figure fell to 17th. Given that Engram doesn't offer much as a blocker, the vast majority of his value comes from his receiving work.
It would be a surprise if the volume was there for Engram to reach 140-plus targets again. If you believe Engram will have a career year, you need to believe Payton can coax an entirely different player out of Engram than what he has shown since being drafted in Round 1 in 2017. I'm inherently skeptical of those sorts of bets, but Payton is the only one who could convince me otherwise.
Laremy Tunsil, OT, Washington Commanders
Acquired from Texans via trade
There's an interesting thing happening here, right? The Texans want to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was beaten up and eventually injured by the end of the playoff loss to the Chiefs. There's no doubt they needed to address their offensive line this offseason, and their method was moving on from their cornerstone left tackle. Clearly, Houston prefers trying out several draft picks while hoping Cam Robinson will be its short-term solution on Stroud's blind side.
The Commanders, meanwhile, have their own young quarterback they want to protect. And while it looked like they were comfortable keeping Brandon Coleman along as their left tackle of the future, general manager Adam Peters clearly thought Tunsil wasn't a liability or on the downswing when he traded a pair of Day 2 picks to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler.
The numbers suggest Tunsil was solid last season -- as a blocker. NFL Next Gen Stats credits him with 2.5 sacks allowed, which is a good number for a left tackle playing a full season. His quick pressure rate was right around league-average (2.2%). He had some trouble with speed around the edge, as Will McDonald IV and James Houston were able to go outside him and create sacks of Stroud, even if they didn't finish the job themselves.
The problem was what happened before and after the snap. Referees flagged Tunsil a league-high 19 times, including for 12 false starts. He was penalized three times for illegal formation as part of a six-penalty game against the Vikings early in the season. Later in the year, a 77-yard Nico Collins touchdown was wiped off by Tunsil getting downfield prematurely. A veteran tackle of Tunsil's stature shouldn't be making those sorts of mistakes.
Serving as his own agent, Tunsil has done a masterful job of creating leverage for himself and negotiating a series of player-friendly contracts. He's coming up for another one after this season, and it's entirely possible the Texans didn't think the 2024 version of him was worth a raise to whatever the top of the left tackle market is after Rashawn Slater soon signs his extension with the Chargers.
The Commanders, on the other hand, probably see a player who has another contract or even two ahead of him. The illegal formation penalties were all in one game, suggesting they might have been from an overzealous officiating crew. Tunsil has had issues with flags in the past, but 2024 was the first time he led the league in penalties or came close since 2019. And frankly, in an offseason when Dan Moore Jr. and Jaylon Moore signed for at least $15 million per season to play left tackle, Tunsil making $21 million per year in 2025 and 2026 might feel like a bargain.
Kenyon Green, G, Philadelphia Eagles
Acquired from Texans via trade
The Eagles revitalized one former first-round pick's career last year by getting him behind a great offensive line. Could they do the same for another by putting him on that same line? There's a big difference here. While Barkley was solid-to-excellent in New York when healthy, Green was one of the league's worst linemen when he was on the field for Houston. He missed all of 2023 with a shoulder injury, and before going down last October with another shoulder issue, he led all guards in pressures allowed (36). He ranked third in quick pressures allowed (14), per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Green was once an elite prospect, though, playing four different positions on the line during his final season at Texas A&M in 2021. The Texans thought enough of him to draft him at No. 15, ahead of interior linemen Tyler Smith and Tyler Linderbaum, who both went later in Round 1. And the Eagles won't pay much to see what Green has in the tank. They sent likely cut candidate C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Houston to acquire Green and will pay him only $1.4 million in 2025. That sort of contract is usually saved for backup guards or utility linemen in the modern NFL.
Louis Riddick explains why the Commanders pose the biggest threat to the Eagles' chances of repeating as NFC champions this season.
General manager Howie Roseman & Co. have a reason to believe they'll get more out of Green than the Texans, too. Legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has developed a series of linemen into standout contributors and cornerstones of the franchise. Last year, Stoutland's project was former Jets tackle Mekhi Becton, who had missed nearly two years of football with injuries before struggling in 2023. The Eagles moved Becton to the interior, and while he had a few hiccups, the 363-pound guard was more than capable as a run blocker and played his part on a run to the Super Bowl.
Could Green be that guy this year? Becton left in free agency for the Chargers, leaving a competition at right guard between third-year lineman Tyler Steen and Green. If Steen wins that job, Green could compete with Kendall Lamm for the sixth or seventh lineman role in the lineup. If Stoutland can make Green a more consistent blocker, there's a chance he reaches the star potential that the Texans expected from him. Going from arguably the worst offensive line situation in the league to its best, Green needs to succeed in Philadelphia. Otherwise, it's probably not going to happen anywhere else.
Joey Bosa, Edge, Buffalo Bills
Acquired from the Chargers as an unrestricted free agent
"If he could just stay healthy." You know the story with Bosa. After a 10.5-sack, 20-knockdown season in 2021, the 2016 No. 3 pick has been unable to stay on the field. Injuries have cost him 23 games over the past three seasons and limited him to a part-time role in 13 more. He had to take a pay cut to stay with the Chargers last offseason, and that wasn't enough to keep him around for a final go-round in 2025.
When Bosa has been healthy enough to play a significant portion of the snaps, he has been good, if not the superstar we saw earlier in his career. Leaving those 36 games I mentioned aside and looking at the 15 where he was able to suit up for more than 50% of the offensive snaps, he racked up eight sacks and 17 knockdowns. His pass rush win rate from the edge last season was 11.1%, which isn't spectacular, but it was right in line with Josh Sweat and Jonathon Cooper.
If Bosa is going to succeed somewhere, the Bills are an ideal landing spot. Coach Sean McDermott has a track record of getting more out of defenders than other coaches have elsewhere, which includes Jordan Phillips up front and Taylor Rapp, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde in the secondary. Buffalo has a deep edge rotation. Bosa is nominally taking Von Miller's spot in the lineup -- after the former Broncos star tore an ACL in 2022, he only played about 33% of the defensive snaps in his final season in Buffalo. No Bills edge rusher played more than 67% of the defensive snaps during the regular season.
The injury prevented Miller from making the impact the Bills wanted when they signed him to a six-year, $120 million contract. They are signing Bosa with the hope he can be a difference-maker in the postseason when they have their seemingly inevitable matchup against the Chiefs. Spotting the five-time Pro Bowler's snaps during the regular season to help keep him healthy before expanding his workload in the playoffs would make sense.
Of course, the Bills have to make it to the postseason, and Bosa has to make it to the regular season. He already has been sidelined by a calf injury that is expected to keep him out until training camp. While that wouldn't be the end of the world, Chargers fans can attest to how the timeline for his injuries can linger on months past their expected ending. A healthy Bosa would be the exact sort of addition the Bills need. It's just not clear whether we'll ever see that guy for 17 games again.
Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Philadelphia Eagles
Acquired from Giants as an unrestricted free agent
With the Eagles fielding the most expensive offense in NFL history for the second consecutive season, it was inevitable that they were going to need to find cheaper solutions on defense. Defensive tackle Milton Williams played his way out of their budget with his 2024 season. Pass rusher Josh Sweat might have been the best player on the field in the Super Bowl. Veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham retired. The Eagles are stacked with young defenders at all three levels, but they were going to need to find some veteran depth on the cheap.
General manager Howie Roseman could have built his equivalent of an NBA team and found ring-chasing veterans who were willing to sign on the cheap, but I liked the decision to try to find some players who still have upside. The Eagles know Ojulari well, as the 2021 second-round pick just finished out his rookie deal with the Giants and has three sacks in his past two games against Philadelphia.
Injuries have set back Ojulari. After racking up eight sacks and 13 knockdowns as a rookie in what has been his only full season as a pro, he has only played 29 of the ensuing 51 games over the next three seasons. Over that time, the Giants have added Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, moves that eventually consigned Ojulari into a reserve role. Over that three-year span, though, Ojulari generated 14 sacks and 24 knockdowns in 29 games, numbers almost identical to his rookie production.
Listed at 240 pounds, Ojulari is one of the league's smallest edge defenders, which limits his ability to play a heavy workload on early downs. His role will likely be to replace free agent disappointment Bryce Huff, who wasn't able to carve out a steady role in his debut season in Philadelphia and appears to be on his way to the 49ers in a salary-dump trade. In a situational role on passing downs behind Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, Ojulari should be able to tee off on opposing quarterbacks. On an Eagles defensive line that is thinner than recent years, he could end up being a surprisingly important player.
Benjamin St-Juste, CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Acquired from Commanders as an unrestricted free agent
The Dan Quinn revolution made a lot of guys look good in Washington last season. One of the few exceptions was St-Juste, who was the Commanders' top cornerback to begin the season. Noah Igbinoghene emerged in the slot, though, which pushed rookie Mike Sainristil outside. St-Juste was already struggling when the Commanders traded for Marshon Lattimore, and when the former Saints corner was finally healthy enough to play regularly, St-Juste got bumped to the bench. He played just 24 defensive snaps during Washington's run to the NFC Championship Game.
It was no surprise to see the Commanders let St-Juste leave in free agency this offseason, and his landing spot makes all the sense in the world. Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter were the league's cornerback rehabilitation factory a year ago. In addition to getting excellent seasons from Day 3 rookies Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still, the Chargers coaxed a solid year from Kristian Fulton and a career season from Elijah Molden, who shifted to safety on a full-time basis with glowing results.
Fulton and injured incumbent Asante Samuel Jr. left the Chargers this offseason, opening up an opportunity to take another chance on rebuilding a cornerback's confidence. St-Juste was probably expecting to sign a much larger second deal heading into last season, but his one-year, $2.5 million contract is a relative bargain for L.A.
The Chargers focused on size and physicality across the board this offseason, which should hardly be a surprise given their coach. When St-Juste has been at his best, he has been able to leverage his 6-foot-3 frame to challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage and on contested catch opportunities. He has a solid missed tackle rate (8.4%) as a pro, and while he entered the league as a 24-year-old, the Chargers might feel like there's more refinement to come to his game with better coaching.
St-Juste won't have a guaranteed starting role with Hart and Still returning. L.A. also signed Donte Jackson to a two-year, $13 million deal, which should bump him ahead of St-Juste on the depth chart as training camp begins. St-Juste could end the season as a key starter on a potential playoff team or buried in a fourth or fifth cornerback spot. I'd argue he has more upside than most of the other cornerback signings this offseason.