Free agent signings and trades continue to trickle in, but the seismic shakeup across the NFL has mostly settled after the flurry of moves last week.
We’ve already spotlighted our favorite free agent signings as well as the ones we found the most questionable for one reason or another (mostly value).
Breaking Down The 5 Teams That Made The Most Impactful NFL Free Agent Moves
Let’s take a more big-picture look now and highlight the teams who improved the most overall in the last week-plus.
1. Buffalo Bills
It started before free agency, back on March 5, when the Bills addressed a priority need to upgrade their wide receiver corps, trading a second-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears for DJ Moore and a fifth-round pick.
As we noted at the time, it would have really been impressive if Buffalo had gone all in on giving quarterback Josh Allen a true star No. 1 WR and pried A.J. Brown away from the Philadelphia Eagles. But Moore is a significant upgrade nonetheless. He’s only two years removed a career-best season with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns, will be just 29 years old this year and should be highly motivated to prove himself after having his role marginalized by a new staff and youth movement last season in Chicago.
If Moore can re-emerge as a true No. 1 WR, it checks the missing box to an offense led by arguably the best quarterback in football, with the NFL’s reigning rushing leader in James Cook and a fine complementary cast of pass-catchers in one of the league’s better slot weapons Khalil Shakir, one of the best tight end tandems in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox and the potential that wideout Keon Coleman can still be salvaged after a rocky start to his NFL career.
Allen is always a fine preseason pick for MVP, but he’d be our top choice entering 2026 now.
The Bills also managed to add some key defensive upgrades too, though.
The big one was edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who inked a three-year, $43.5-million deal ($29 million guaranteed). The No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and a two-time Pro Bowl selection, Chubb is maybe past his prime, but he returned after missing the 2024 season due to a torn ACL and played all 17 games for the Miami Dolphins with 8.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles and 47 total tackles. Per PFF, he had 48 total pressures, which was 28th among edge rushers.
The Bills lost versatile defensive back Cam Lewis and depth safety Darnell Savage to free agency and brought in two proven assets in cornerback Dee Alford and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — a net gain.
Alford, who signed for three years and up to $21 million, had a career-high 3 interceptions and 13 passes defended with 67 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks for the Atlanta Falcons last season.
Gardner-Johnson got a modest one-year deal worth up to $6 million. The well-traveled veteran doesn’t turn 29 until December and has 20 career interceptions and posted 66 tackles and 3 sacks last season between the Bears and Houston Texans.
All in all, one of the top teams in the NFL got better the last two weeks.
2. Minnesota Vikings
This really comes down to one singular move.
The Vikings knew they couldn’t go into another season counting on former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, and so they landed arguably the best free agent QB available in Kyler Murray.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals after seven up-and-down seasons, making him available to any team on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal ($1.3 million) because the Cardinals are still on the hook for the rest of his $36.8 million guaranteed for 2026.
We already addressed the absurdity of the Cardinals preferring to pay Murray, a dynamic albeit imperfect quarterback, that much money to go away just to have Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew battle it out in training camp, rather than see if new offensive-minded head coach Mike LaFleur could get more out of the soon-to-be 29-year-old dual-threat signal-caller.
Alas, it was the Vikings’ gain as they upgraded their QB position exponentially with minimal financial investment or liability.
And with Murray on a one-year deal, they can essentially audition him for a season before deciding if they want to commit beyond that, while also giving McCarthy another year to develop behind the scenes to see if he can still be salvaged.
Murray was limited to five games in 2025 due to a foot strain, but in his last full season he passed for 3,851 yards, 21 TDs and 11 INTs and rushed for 572 yards and 5 TDs.
Minnesota won 14 games two seasons ago with Sam Darnold at the helm of the offense before dropping to 9-8 last year and missing the playoffs. The difference came down to one position — which the Vikings have now addressed.
Aside from re-signing some veterans, the only other free agent addition Minnesota made was cornerback James Pierre on a two-year, $8.5-million deal. He started 13 of the 95 games he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers the last six years.
But this is a team that didn’t need much more than solving its one glaring issue, so the Murray signing alone puts Minnesota high on our list.
3. Washington Commanders
Last season was a worst-case scenario for the Washington Commanders all around.
They were the surprise of the NFL in 2024, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game in coach Dan Quinn’s first season, as quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Then Daniels was felled by one significant injury after another last year, playing just seven games, while the defense (Quinn’s specialty) concurrently regressed substantially with the Commanders finishing dead-last in the NFL in yards allowed (384.0 per game).
Washington was aggressive in rebuilding its defense, prioritizing upgrades at edge rusher while letting Jacob Martin depart via free agency while veteran Von Miller is also now a free agent. Miller had a team-high 9 sacks last season but is about to turn 37 years old, while Martin had 5.5 sacks.
To replace them, the Commanders signed one of the most coveted edge rushers on the market in Odafe Oweh to one of the biggest deals of this free agent cycle — four years, $100 million ($68 million guaranteed).
Oweh had 7.5 sacks in 12 regular-season games after a mid-season trade from the Baltimore Ravens to the Los Angeles Chargers last year and then 3 more sacks in the team’s playoff loss. He had 10 sacks in 2024 for Baltimore and is just 27 years old.
Washington also scooped up edge K’Lavon Chaisson, who had a career-high 7.5 sacks in the regular-season last year and then 3 more in the postseason to help the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl. The Commanders got him for a reasonable one-year, $12-million contract.
They also added defensive tackle Tim Settle, who started his career in Washington as a fifth-round pick back in 2018 and started 23 games the last two seasons for the Houston Texans’ elite defense; linebacker Leo Chenal, who started 44 games the last four seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs; cornerback Amik Robertson, who had 1 INT, a career-high 12 PDs and 2 forced fumbles for the Detroit Lions last year; safety Nick Cross, who racked up 266 tackles and 4 INTs the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts; and edge Charles Omenihu, who had 3.5 sacks as a rotational player for the Chiefs.
Washington was as aggressive as any team in the league in free agency, with most of its investments going to turning that defense around.
Meanwhile, fixing the offense essentially comes down to Daniels staying healthy and returning to top form next season, but the Commanders made some moves on that side too.
They lost one complementary running back in Chris Rodriguez and signed two more in Rachaad White and Jerome Ford, signed reliable former Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (at least 52 catches and 479 yards each of the last three seasons) for three years and $30 million, brought back wide receiver Dyami Brown after he spent last year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and re-signed star left tackle Laremy Tunsil for ton of money (two years, $60.2 million) among others.
This should be a much-improved team in 2026 … if Daniels stays healthy.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders thought they were expediting their rebuild by trading star edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks, but Baltimore backed out of the deal over concerns raised in Crosby’s physical (as the story goes).
So for now, Crosby is back on the Raiders’ roster, but in the time he was presumed gone they spent a ton of money in free agency. We didn’t like all the moves (like giving former Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye $16 million a year), but Las Vegas certainly improved its roster overall.
The big signings were linebackers Quay Walker (from the Green Bay Packers) and Nakobe Dean (from the Philadelphia Eagles) for a combined $76.5 million over three years, making former Ravens three-time Pro Bowl selection Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid center in the league (three years, $81 million with $60 million guaranteed) and adding another wide receiver in former Viking Jalen Nailor (29 catches for 444 yards and 4 TDs last season) along with re-signing some of their own free agents.
There’s some question as to how it’s all going to work now if Crosby’s salary is back on the books, or whether he will still be dealt, but that will work itself out.
With the Raiders expected to draft Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall next month, giving him one of the most reliable centers in the league to work with was a savvy move (even if they overpaid).
Adding two proven linebackers will help the defense, as Walker is coming off four straight 100-tackle seasons (including a career-high 128 in just 14 games last year) for the Packers while Dean (128 tackles, 9 TFLs in 2024) has untapped potential if he can finally stay healthy after playing just 47 games in four years for the Eagles.
And Nailor could have a breakout season in a bigger role in Las Vegas after being stuck behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota.
All in all, the perpetually floundering Raiders definitely got better this month and still have a full spate of draft picks (even without the added draft capital from a Crosby trade) to use on other needs next month.
T5. Los Angeles Rams/Baltimore Ravens
There were several considerations for this final spot.
The Carolina Panthers swung big to upgrade their defense with edge Jaelan Phillips (the largest free agent deal overall this year at four years, $120 million) and linebacker Devin Lloyd (three years, $45 million), but we’re seemingly in the minority in remaining dubious that Phillips will prove worth that sizeable investment. But they could have made the list, sure.
The Tennessee Titans sure spent a lot of money, but we’re not sure how wisely it was spent.
Even the New York Jets (some notable defensive upgrades) and Cleveland Browns (who invested in the offensive line) were considered for this spot.
Ultimately, we’ll instead spotlight two top Super Bowl contenders who each invested big in addressing their most glaring respective need.
The Rams are loaded on offense and have a solid front-seven on defense, but they needed a makeover at cornerback. That’s exactly what they got — and a very expensive one.
First, Los Angeles traded 2026 1st, 5th and 6th-round draft picks and a 2027 3rd to the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie and then reset the cornerback market by giving him a four-year, $124-million extension. The Rams then signed the Chiefs’ other top cornerback, Jaylen Watson, to a three-year, $51-million deal ($34 million guaranteed).
We’d caution that PFF grades aren’t always the most reliable comparative tool, but for what it’s worth, McDuffie had the 12th-highest season grade (75.6) out of 114 qualifying NFL cornerbacks while Watson ranked 16th (74.1).
The Rams also re-signed safety Kamren Curl (three years, up to $39 million) after a career-best season of 122 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 sacks, and tight end Tyler Higbee (a bargain at two years, up to $8 million).
Meanwhile, Baltimore backed out of the Crosby trade but still managed to strike big in addressing its priority need for a proven elite edge rusher by signing former Bengals star Trey Hendrickson for four years and $112 million — while keeping those two first-round draft picks!
Hendrickson is coming off an injury-shortened 2025 season, but he had 17.5 sacks each of the previous two seasons, leading the NFL in that category in 2024 while finishing second in defensive player of the year voting.
Baltimore was tied for 28th out of 32 teams last season with just 30 sacks.
Baltimore also signed interior offensive lineman John Simpson (72 starts in six NFL seasons, including 2023 with the Ravens) to a three-year, $30-million deal and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (71 tackles, 4 INTs this past season for the Patriots) to a two-year, $10-million contract.
The Ravens should be back in the playoffs and among the short list of top Super Bowl contenders again in 2026.
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