NFL free company’s 6 greatest bargains in 2025 on offense

Tremendous Bowl winners aren’t based mostly fully on superstars; they’re created by filling all of the holes on their rosters intelligently and with the appropriate cash allotted to the appropriate expertise.

As a lot because the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles had it occurring with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, the perfect offensive line in soccer, and a number of first-line defensive expertise, there have been as many guys like Zack Baun, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract to be a part of the present. Vic Fangio noticed sufficient in Baun to increase his function, and Baun responded with an All-Professional season that netted him a fats three-year, $51 million contract this 12 months.

So, if you’re trying to fill out your roster within the hopes of constructing it to subsequent season’s Tremendous Bowl, it behooves you to strike as many ridiculous bargains as doable. Based mostly on the contracts which have already been drawn up within the 2025 free-agency area, listed here are the perfect bargains on the offensive aspect of the ball – the potential difference-makers whose contracts barely made a dent within the wage cap.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers

In case you’re aware of the “Secret Superstars” column I did for SB Nation final season, it’s possible you’ll do not forget that Dallas Cowboys working again Rico Dowdle made the staff following his explosive efficiency vs. the Carolina Panthers in a 30-14 Week 15 win. Dowdle, the 2020 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, had a profession day with 149 yards and several other explosive performs on 25 carries. However this wasn’t the one spotlight reel Dowdle had final season. He put up 131 speeding yards in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, 112 in opposition to the New York Giants in Week 13, and 104 in opposition to the Eagles in Week 17.

After three seasons of by no means gaining greater than 372 yards in a season, Dowdle one way or the other managed to avoid wasting a Dallas working recreation that was presupposed to be nonexistent. He totaled 1,079 speeding yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries (4.6 yards per carry), with 45 pressured missed tackles and 26 runs of 10 or extra yards.

So the Panthers did the outdated “In case you can’t beat him, have him be part of us” factor and signed Dowdle to a one-year, $6.25 million deal that is without doubt one of the sneakier-good bargains on this free-agency cycle. A flexible again equally adept in zone and man blocking ideas, Dowdle ought to be an necessary addition to Dave Canales’ Panthers offense.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Miami Dolphins

There are at all times these contracts that make you surprise in the event you’re lacking a typo, or maybe someone forgot to hold the 1. Within the case of former Tennessee Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with $3.2 million assured, it could seem that your entire Nationwide Soccer League is unaware of what this man can do.

Final season, with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as his major quarterbacks, the 2020 UDFA from Indiana caught 32 passes on 56 targets for 497 yards… and 9 touchdowns. And on a per-target foundation, there have been few simpler deep targets within the league. Within the eight occasions he was focused on passes of 20 or extra air yards, Westbrook-Ikhine caught 4 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns. And at 6’2 and 211 kilos, Westbrook-Ikhine can be an excellent contested-catch receiver (the key to numerous these touchdowns), and a positive blocker when it’s time to run the ball.

Dolphins head coach and offensive shot-caller Mike McDaniel has been working for years to place a observe staff on the sphere together with his receiver corps, and now he’s acquired one other efficient speedster to go together with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Furthermore, he’s acquired his new one at a ridiculous worth.

Dyami Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Final season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie first-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught out in a sea of relative mediocrity on the place – particularly when it got here to dominating defenses vertically. Thomas caught 12 passes of 20 or extra air yards in his debut season on 30 targets for 479 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he was the one Trevor Lawrence goal to bag greater than 5 deep passes, and a couple of deep landing.

This can be one cause that the Jags, below new head coach Liam Coen, sought out former Washington Commanders receiver Dyami Brown and acquired him into the fold on a one-year, $10 million contract that would develop into a serious discount if Brown is ready to replicate the vertical success he had final season when Jayden Daniels was throwing him the ball.

Final season, Brown managed 4 deep catches on simply 9 targets for 179 yards and a landing, and the tape tells you that if the Jags need to double Brown’s goal share on the deep stuff, he’s greater than up for it. Add in Brown’s capacity to take display screen passes and easy cease routes upfield, and his knack for taking end-around stuff for lengthy positive factors, and it wouldn’t be a shock if Brown is a kind of Secret Superstars greater than as soon as within the 2025 season.

Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos

On the opposite aspect of issues, the Jaguars launched tight finish Evan Engram in early March, and the Denver Broncos signed the veteran to a two-year, $23 million take care of $16.5 million assured. Engram had been one of many NFL’s most-targeted tight ends in each 2022 and 2023, his first two seasons with the Jags. However a torn labrum in his left shoulder restricted Engram to simply 47 catches on 62 targets for 365 yards and a landing.

Engram won’t be prepared for motion till the season begins (or near it), and maybe that’s why he was obtainable for a lowball deal in distinction to his manufacturing earlier than final season, However what the 30-year-old placed on tape within the 2024 season makes me surprise if the remainder of the league missed one thing.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has at all times been a grasp in the case of growing and deploying tight ends, and he doesn’t want to fret concerning the growth half right here. Engram continues to be a substantial vertical menace in the appropriate route mixtures, he’s an excellent contested-catch goal, he is aware of how get open in compressed areas (hi there, purple zone), and within the short-to-intermediate areas of the passing recreation, he could possibly be Bo Nix’s new greatest buddy.

Additionally: It could seem that Engram has been informed he’ll be moved across the formation in Denver, and he’s fairly glad about that “Joker” function.

Morgan Moses, OT, New England Patriots

With regards to offensive tackles, it’s not at all times essential to have Corridor of Fame attributes. Positive, it’d be nice in case your staff may discover the following Walter Jones or Joe Thomas within the draft, however the hit fee on such gamers isn’t precisely excessive. Generational guys are uncommon for a cause. More often than not, what you need (and wish) from a left or proper deal with is a participant who will maintain up his aspect of the road as a rule, perceive the protections, and have the ability to block in any scheme at an above-average degree.

That is actually true for the New England Patriots, whose 2024 offensive line was problematic nearly in all places, and particularly on the surface to either side. At proper deal with, the mixture of Mike Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, and Vederian Lowe did little or no to provide rookie quarterback Drake Maye the best alternatives to succeed.

In comes veteran Morgan Moses on a three-year, $24 million contract with $11 million assured. Moses isn’t the NFL’s greatest proper deal with, however he’s dependable and constant in all of the methods we’ve mentioned, and he brings management to a line that might be in flux as soon as once more.

Final season for the New York Jets, Moses allowed two sacks, two quarterback hits, and 12 quarterback hurries on 467 pass-blocking reps in an Aaron Rodgers/Nathaniel Hackett offense that didn’t typically make numerous sense. And he’s stout sufficient as a run-blocker to be a serious enchancment for a staff in determined want.

Spectacular? No. Ok that can assist you win? Completely, and that’s adequate on this case.

James Daniels, OG, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are one other AFC East staff for whom “league common” could be a giant improve – and right here we’re speaking concerning the guard positions. Shedding Robert Hunt to the Panthers in free company earlier than the 2024 season was a success from which the franchise wasn’t in a position to get better, and having Liam Eichenberg changing Hunt at proper guard? Nicely, that didn’t work out so nicely.

Within the curiosity of constructing issues higher for Tua Tagovailoa and all these speedy receivers, Miami signed former Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers proper guard James Daniels to a three-year, $24 million contract with $10.735 million assured.

2024 was shaping as much as be an ideal season for Daniels till he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 4, and that was it for his season. However when on the sphere for the Steelers, Daniels was proper in there, doing his job in each method doable – excellent move professional, the flexibility to bodily dominate defenders on the line of scrimmage and the second degree, and no points with any type of scheme.

If Daniels comes again totally wholesome in 2024, that damage low cost for the Dolphins might be important… and Daniels will announce his presence with authority on the sphere.