NFL Free Agent Signings: Ranking 25 Players Who Will Benefit New Teams Most

Football finally returned this week, and the free agency frenzy has almost completely come to a close.

With only a few free agents left on the market, it's time to take a look at what deals will benefit which franchises the most.

For the purposes of this list, we have not included any player who re-signed with his original team despite hitting the market.

Here are the 25 free agent signings that will benefit their new teams the most.

Cian Fahey is a serial tweeter about NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, soccer and rugby, and also writes for Irish Central and Fantasy Football Life.

25. Lawrence Vickers

Lawrence Vickers is a talented player who fills a need in Houston. However, he is nowhere near as good as the player he is trying to replace.

Vonta Leach was an absolute stud last season on his way to an All-Pro year, and expect Arian Foster's production to be hit by his exit.

Vickers may not see the field that often either, as the team will have Owen Daniels and Ben Tate returning, which could move them away from the I formation.

24. Danieal Manning

Danieal Manning is an underrated safety who was very good for the Chicago Bears last year. Manning has landed in the perfect spot to claim the respect he deserves with the Texans.

Wade Phillips should make good use of the speedy safety, who is also a reliable tackler. Manning, as well as Johnathan Joseph, should have every chance to prosper provided the Texans' transition to a 3-4 defense is smooth.

Manning also offers a threat on special teams should the team be willing to allow a starting safety to play.

23. Vonta Leach

Vonta Leach is a star—at least he's as much a star as any fullback can be.

He is currently the best blocking fullback throughout the NFL, but he's not the highest fullback on this list for good reason (Yes there is another fullback on the list, excitement!).

Leach will be a wrecking ball clearing paths for Ray Rice this year. However, he is not going to benefit the Ravens that much because the man he was replacing is also an All-Pro talent (and ahead of him on this list).

For all of Leach's blocking ability, the Ravens will lose some versatility to their backfield by bringing him in since he is not as proven running the ball receiving as the departed.

22. Matt Hasselbeck

It's still unclear to me whether Matt Hasselbeck benefits the Titans more than he hurts them.

With Hasselbeck under center, the team will have a better record than with Jake Locker. However, they won't be making the playoffs either way, so all that achieves it giving them a lower draft pick.

The Titans' offense is actually pretty quarterback-friendly. Locker would obviously have struggled the way rookies do, but I feel he'd have benefited from being the team's starter this year. Provided Chris Johnson returns, Locker  would have had a strong running game to rely on while the offensive line wouldn't have gotten him killed.

The Titans' receivers aren't the worst, and they would have given him confidence with their ability to go deep and their respective wingspans that could help with Locker's accuracy issues.

Hasselbeck is a nice addition, but does he really benefit the Titans that much?

21. Todd Heap

Todd Heap will be a huge piece for Kevin Kolb in what is essentially his rookie season. The Cardinals do not have many proven receivers; Heap is definitely a proven receiver, even from the tight end position.

Tight ends and a strong running game are a quarterback's best friends. The Cardinals look to be trying to create a good running game, while they definitely needed a tight end.

Jeremy Shockey could have also been considered for these reasons, but Heap is in a better position to help his team since he has more left in the tank.

20. Steve Smith

Steve Smith would be much higher on this list if he was fully healthy. Smith is a very talented receiver who will eventually give the team an improved possession receiver over Jason Avant.

Jason Avant is very talented and would excel as the fourth choice receiver. Smith is going to miss the whole of the preseason though and probably a large chunk of the start of the regular season.

The fact that he signed just a one-year deal means he may never have an impact or benefit the offense. But if Smith gets back to 100 percent and instantly picks up the offense, he could be a difference-maker late in the year.

19. Zach Miller

The Seattle Seahawks should be a running team this coming season. They will have the play-action threat of Sidney Rice, but for the most part, they will be a running team.

This is because the team will be starting an inexperienced quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson,—or possibly Charlie Whitehurst—while they added a lot of pieces along the offensive line. But Pete Carroll is setting up his offense very astutely to make the starting quarterback's life easier.

Zach Miller is a very good pass-catching tight end, and his addition is huge for the Seahawks because that gives the team two quality tight ends. Miller and John Carlson will be huge for Jackson or Whitehurst (should he win the job).

18. Kevin Burnett

Kevin Burnett was a starter on one of the best defenses in the league last year. He had six sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles with one touchdown in 2010.

The scary prospect is that he has potentially landed in a better position to eclipse that stat line this year.

The Miami Dolphins look to have one of the best front sevens throughout the whole league. Burnett next to Karlos Dansby, with a strong defensive line and Cameron Wake on the outside, could cause problems for any offense.

Mike Nolan has a habit of getting the best out of untapped potential. Until last season, Burnett hadn't started 16 full games in a season. Now that he has, the potential could be endless with a defensive mastermind watching over him.

17. Ray Edwards

Ray Edwards is an overrated football player. He has never eclipsed eight sacks in one season despite playing on one of the best defensive lines in football. He may still be young, but that doesn't guarantee he is going to get any better.

Edwards hasn't been getting on the field for the Falcons in training camp either, which only hurts his stock for the coming season.

The Falcons brought Edwards in to take some of the pressure off John Abraham. No disrespect to Abraham, but Edwards was only average complementing Jared Allen. Abraham is not Allen.

16. Jared Gaither

Franchise left tackles are almost as difficult to find as franchise quarterbacks these days. They're just as important too.

Don't believe me?

Just ask Peyton Manning what it was like trying to throw with Charlie Johnson protecting his blindside.

When on the field during his short career, Jared Gaither was a franchise-level left tackle. He repeatedly put up great showings against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers' linebackers, and the Baltimore Ravens only noticed how good he was when Michael Oher struggled to adjust.

The Chiefs picking up a potentially elite tackle for little risk could be huge for their season, as their offense looks to be one of the most talented throughout the league. The only question mark is Gaither's health.

15. Mike Sims-Walker

The St. Louis Rams have gone from having very few receivers to having way too many. The Rams are set to have a very nice receiving corps to complement Sam Bradford this season.

Sims-Walker figures to be a starter across from Donnie Avery with Danny Amendola in the slot. With Josh McDaniels calling the plays, Walker could have a huge year.

I always felt Sims-Walker was underappreciated nationally because he played in Jacksonville. He's only 26 years old, but he had 14 touchdowns the past two seasons on a team that wasn't receiver-friendly. With Marcedes Lewis being his only other matchup problem, teams could focus their secondaries on Sims-Walker (Mike Thomas may be good, but he's not a matchup problem for anyone).

14. Jason Babin

I'll probably be accused of simply hating on the Eagles, but I didn't really see the need for the Jason Babin signing. Daryl Tapp is a solid player, while Cullen Jenkins could play defensive end if need be.

It would have made more sense, to me, for the team to bring in a cheaper player for depth and wait for Brandon Graham to return from injury. Instead they paid (perhaps overpaid) Babin for his single-season heroics last year.

Babin should be a good player for the Eagles, but I don't think Jim Washburn really needed him. Washburn obviously knows what to expect from Babin having worked with him previously, and Babin could be a great complement to Trent Cole.

13. LeRon McClain

A fullback this high? Come on now!

LeRon McClain may be a fullback, but he's very versatile. McClain's arrival in Kansas City made that trio of running backs the best in the whole league, in my mind.

McClain can help both Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones with his blocking, while also offering his skills as a runner and receiver to Matt Cassel. McClain also adds versatility to a running game that was pretty rigid last season.

Of course, rigid isn't a bad thing when you're handing the ball off to Thomas Jones and Charles in particular, but with McClain added to the backfield, the Chiefs could run all day and still have success.

Imagine how difficult it will be for defenses to take a beating from Jones, then McClain, before having Charles come onto the field. That strategy was destructive enough with just Jones and Charles last year.

12. Bob Sanders

Bob Sanders may be injury-prone and unreliable on big money, but the San Diego Chargers signing him to a one-year deal has absolutely no risk attached to it.

The reward?

The reward with Bob Sanders is huge. Whenever you can make a deal in free agency that basically has no risks and carries the potential to be a huge reward, you have to take it.

Should Sanders be fully healthy, he creates the best safety tandem in the whole league with re-signed free agent Eric Weddle (Weddle didn't make this list because he didn't sign with a new team). While that may be a big ask of Sanders,—who's landed on IR the last two seasons—even if it doesn't happen, the Chargers won't lose anything.

A secondary of Antoine Cason, Quintin Jammer, Eric Weddle and Bob Sanders couldn't be replicated across the whole league.

Without Bob Sanders? This was still one of the best defenses in the league last year.

11. Nnamdi Asomugha

Nnamdi Asomugha may have been the most talented available free agent, and was paid as such, but the Eagles don't benefit as much from his addition as you would imagine.

If you consider that at the time the Eagles signed Asomugha for upwards of $12 million per year they had a starting corner pairing of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel, Asomugha really wasn't a need.

It's great to have three standout cornerbacks, but the Eagles may have been better served using that money to round out their defense rather than have a rookie such as Casey Matthews playing the pivotal role of middle linebacker.

The one major flaw the Eagles' defense could have is that the spine of their defense looks susceptible to a strong running game. Jim Washburn will need to get the best out of his defensive line week in and week out because only Mike Patterson is a notable run-stuffer.

Asomugha is a great addition, but he really doesn't benefit the Eagles that much more than spending the money elsewhere would have.

10. Quintin Mikell

Quintin Mikell didn't take long to make an impact in St. Louis,—he had an interception on his third play from scrimmage in the preseason opener—and the Rams will be looking for him to continue in that form.

Mikell played under current Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo for the Eagles during his time there, and Spagnuolo had no problem giving the Pro Bowler a big contract despite Mikell being 30 years of age.

The Rams were in need of an impact player at safety after the departure of O.J. Atogwe. While Mikell won't play the free safety spot in St. Louis, he can definitely make the same impact on a defense that looks set to take another step this year.

9. Steve Breaston

Todd Haley definitely knew what he was getting when he brought Steve Breaston to Kansas City; Haley and Breaston worked together to great success in Arizona when he was the offensive coordinator there.

This move is one of the most astute, because Breaston will be in a similar position in the Chiefs' offense to the one he was when he put up the best numbers of his career. With Dwayne Bowe providing a Larry Fitzgerald-like deep threat and the numerous weapons that will force defenses to play him honest, Breaston should have plenty of chances to excel.

With Jonathan Baldwin and Tony Moeaki, as well as possibly the best running game in the league, Breaston was the final piece to the offense that is relying on Matt Cassel to perform now.

8. Stephen Tulloch

Stephen Tulloch, for me, was overrated as we entered free agency. He is not an elite linebacker, but many looked at him like a star simply because the quality of backers in free agency wasn't very high.

Tulloch was better than Paul Poszluzny and makes it this high on the list because of where he landed. The Detroit Lions had a need at linebacker that wasn't as publicized as their issues in the secondary, but was nonetheless important.

With the addition of Tulloch, the Lions moved DeAndre Levy from MLB to OLB, while Justin Durant—another addition—should prove solid to round out the group.

Tulloch, in this position, benefits the Lions a lot because of the quality of defensive line play in front of him. With the strength of the defense being the defensive line—even with Fairley's injury—Tulloch will have plenty of chances to make plays.

7. Cullen Jenkins

If Cullen Jenkins could be reliable as far as his consistency and health, he would have been higher on this list.

Jenkins' versatility to play both the run and the pass in various roles on the field makes him a very valuable piece for any defense. However, in my mind, Jenkins' worth grows in a 3-4 scheme as opposed to a 4-3.

While he is not undersized as a 4-3 defensive tackle, the Eagles will definitely need Mike Patterson to stay healthy and play alongside him if they are to consistently shut down opposing running backs.

6. Barry Cofield

Barry Cofield benefits the Washington Redskins simply by bringing an intensity and work rate to the line that wasn't there last season.

I had my reservations about Cofield coming into this year. I wasn't sold on his work rate, considering his best season came in a contract year. Those worries were dispelled after the first preseason game of the year since Cofield's attitude was excellent when he would have been excused from taking it easy.

Another reservation I had was Cofield's ability to man the nose tackle position. He is undoubtedly physically able, though, and showed a stoutness in that game. Cofield has apparently bought into the system and is eager to learn his new position.

Considering the talent Cofield obviously has, his attitude will make him a great addition for the 'Skins.

5. Shaun Ellis

Shaun Ellis benefits New England in a number of ways.

First, his move from the New York Jets to the Patriots removes the Jets' most disruptive member of their front seven from last season. Ellis destroyed the Patriots in the playoffs and was their best player throughout the three games of the postseason.

Ellis now brings his disruptive play to the Patriots, who are in a position of need. While they added Albert Haynesworth through a trade, Ellis figures to feature much more on the defensive line than he does.

The Pats released Ty Warren and Marcus Stroud after the lockout, which gave them a need for a proven defensive end. Ellis perfectly fits with what the Patriots are trying to do, as his versatility is what makes him special. Ellis can excel in both a 3-4 scheme or 4-3 as a defensive end. He will rarely come off the field next year as the Patriots fluctuate between both defenses.

4. Sidney Rice

Sidney Rice is obviously very talented. He is a massive upgrade for the Seattle Seahawks over Mike Williams as the team's No. 1 receiver.

Rice's ability to stretch the field will do a multitude of things for Seattle's offense. The Seahawks have built a strong running game through the draft and the addition of Zach Miller. With those two aspects in place, Rice was the team's final piece in what looks like the perfect play-action offense around Tarvaris Jackson.

Stretching the field and moving receivers down the depth chart will allow guys like Mike Williams and, in particular, Golden Tate to improve next season should the quarterback situation pan out.

Rice may not have proven himself over the years, but he has shown on the field that he excels in jump ball situations and can repeatedly beat defenders deep. The only risk with this addition is if Rice really was just a one-year wonder.

For now, however, the Seahawks benefit from adding a new dimension to their offense.

3. Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris is a very good right tackle who likely only signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal because of their chances at making the Super Bowl this year.

Harris will essentially be as valuable as a left tackle is to most teams since Michael Vick's blindside is on the right-hand side of the line. Harris will be a huge part of the Eagles' defense because Winston Justice was the weakness in pass protection last year.

With Danny Watkins entrenched as the right guard and Jamaal Jackson returning to be the starting center, Harris' and Jason Peters' abilities on the outside will give the team some level of consistency to rely on.

2. Johnathan Joseph

The Houston Texans are transitioning from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 scheme this year under Wade Phillips. However, that would be pointless without an improvement on the back-end of the defense.

Johnathan Joseph is not Nnamdi Asomugha, but he could have as great an impact for the Texans. Joseph was part of one of the best tandems in the whole league in Cincinnati. It was difficult to determine who was the better part of that tandem, but many people put Joseph ahead of his teammate, Leon Hall.

Regardless of who was the No. 1 in Cincinnati, Joseph will definitely be first choice in Houston. The Texans' secondary was horrific last year, but if the improved front seven is really as good as what it advertises, then Joseph will be a difference-maker for this team.

1. Aubrayo Franklin

Aubrayo Franklin? Who the hell is that guy? Seriously?

Heck...I'm done with Bleacher Report, this guy is an idiot...

Yes, I am very serious!

Aubrayo Franklin is a former 3-4 nose tackle who specialized in stuffing the run in San Francisco. The 49ers looked to re-sign Franklin, but did not want to commit to him long term at 30 years of age.

Patrick Willis' loss, is definitely Johnathan Vilma's gain.

Franklin landing in New Orleans couldn't have been a more perfect fit. His addition was the final piece for a Saints team that quietly had one of the best offseasons by any team this year. It was obvious to anyone who watched Marshawn Lynch gut the team last year in the playoffs that the Saints were in dire need of help stuffing the run.

The additions of Cameron Jordan, Shaun Rodgers and Martez Wilson preceded Franklin's arrival, which hugely adds to the benefit of the Saints signing him.

The Saints should benefit massively from the addition of Franklin, as his ability against the run will be a huge upgrade over the departed Remi Ayodele. The Saints' offense looks to have improved since last season with their offseason additions, and the defense has undoubtedly vaunted itself to potentially being one of the best in the whole league.

Franklin is a huge reason for that.