Ranking the 10 Biggest Steals from the First Week of 2026 NFL Free Agency

Free agency in the NFL is well underway, and as it is every year it has been madness. Chaos. Anarchy. And that's without even taking into consideration the unprecedented un-trade that un-happened in Baltimore.

Someone needs to get Eric DeCosta some thermal socks. Just saying.

For fans, free agency is about the massive "slash" signings like the windfall deals given to the likes of edge-rushers Jaelan Phillips and Trey Hendrickson and wide receiver Alec Pierce. But as often as not, those deals wind up more boondoggle than blockbuster. The more cash that is handed out, the higher the chance it backfires.

Those deals make for great television, but they aren't how teams make real hay in free agency. No, it's the second-tier signings. The one-year, "prove it" pacts. The contracts that wind up looking like larceny a year or two from now.

And taking into account the modest risk involved, the potential reward and some good old-fashioned subjectivity (don't judge me), these are the 10 biggest steals of 2026 free agency to date.

10. RB Tyler Allgeier to Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Terms: Two years, $12.25 million

Tyler Allgeier's NFL career got off to an outstanding start. As a rookie with the Atlanta Falcons, Allgeier topped 1,000 rushing yards on just 210 carries, averaging a robust 4.9 yards per carry.

But then Bijan Robinson showed up, and Allgeier was relegated to backup status—his 514 rushing yards were a career-low, although he scored a career-best eight times on the ground.

Now, Allgeier will get another chance to be a lead running back after inking a two-year deal averaging just over $6 million a season.

Yes, James Conner is back in Arizona after renegotiating his contract. But Conner is also about to turn 31 and is coming off a season in which he played in just three games and barely averaged three yards per carry.

In an offseason where a pair of running backs received contracts averaging at least $13 million a season, the Redbirds got Allgeier for less than half that. And there's a real chance that Allgeier will wind up with more rushing yards than one of those high-priced ball-carriers.

9. EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson to Washington Commanders

AP Photo

Terms: One year, $11 million

The Washington Commanders went into the offseason with a clear and glaring need on the edge. And the team didn't play around about addressing it.

The signing of Odafe Oweh was one of the largest of this free agency cycle to date—he is one of just four players so far who received a $100 million deal. But that blockbuster of a deal wasn't a steal. He's not who we are here to discuss.

No, we're here to talk about the other guy.

Last year with the New England Patriots, edge-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson finally looked the part of the first-round pick he was back in 2020, logging a career-high 7.5 sacks with the New England Patriots.

At 26, Chaisson is only just now entering his prime. Playing opposite Oweh should help minimize double-teams. A 10-sack 2026 is a real possibility.

And getting a 10-sack edge-rusher for $11 million on a one-year deal is a steal.

8. LB Tremaine Edmunds to New York Giants

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Terms: Three years, $36 million

This writer will freely admit that when the Chicago Bears signed linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million contract back in 2023, I blasted the deal as an overpay for a player who is admittedly very good—but not elite.

However, if you knock 33 percent off that annual salary, it's another story. And that's what has happened after Edmunds was released by the Bears before landing with the New York Giants.

The 2026 season will be Edmunds' ninth, but he's still just 27 years old, because his NFL career started when he 12. In all eight of Edmunds' pro seasons, he has surpassed 100 total tackles. The former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills has made two Pro Bowls. And he has started all 119 games he has played in over his career.

Edmunds has the range to stay on the field in passing situations. He has extensive experience wearing the "green dot" helmet communicator. And he should be a leader for John Harbaugh's defense in New York.

7. CB Nahshon Wright to New York Jets

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Terms: One year, $5.5 million

It's hard to find much fault with most one-year signings. One-year deals at a premium position are that much better. One-year deals at premium positions at below market value are how free agency is "won."

The Jets got just such a signing with cornerback Nahshon Wright, who was a Pro Bowler last year with the Chicago Bears.

In his first season as a full-time starter, Wright logged 80 total tackles and intercepted five passes. He also sported a respectable passer rating against of 86.8.

Is it possible that Wright's breakout season was a fluke? Yes—but the risk it was is baked into this modest contract. There are multiple cornerbacks who received contracts far larger than Wright's who didn't have the 2025 season he did. Some have never had the season that Wright just did.

Hey. Sometimes even the New York Jets do things right.

6. OT Braden Smith to Houston Texans

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

Terms: Two years, $20 million

There are quite a few offensive linemen listed among these steals—partly because NFL teams have something of a history of blindly overpaying marginal talents at the position in free agency. The Tennessee Titans gave Dan Moore over $20 million a season last year and he is, um, not good. The Cleveland Browns just handed Zion Johnson $16.5 million a year to be OK on a good day.

Over an eight-year career spent entirely with the Indianapolis Colts, Braden Smith established himself as one of the better right tackles in the NFL. His level of play in 2025 wasn't the same as in his heyday, but Smith allowed just one sack in over 750 snaps per Pro Football Focus.

The Texans essentially swapped out Tytus Howard (who was traded to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft) for a better player making less money—while adding a pick.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

5. OL Elgton Jenkins to Cleveland Browns

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Terms: Two years, $24 million

The Cleveland Browns aren't exactly famous for making wise offseason decisions. This, after all, is the team that not only gave up multiple first-round picks to the Houston Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson but then gave him a five-year, $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed.

Um, oops.

But occasionally, the Browns get one right—and that was the case when the team signed veteran offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins to a two-year, $24 million contract.

It was hardly a state secret that the Browns needed to revamp an offensive line that was equal parts old and bad last year. In Jenkins, the Browns got a two-time Pro Bowler who has shown that he can play both guard and center at a high level.

Durability has admittedly been an issue in the past—he has missed multiple games in four of the last five years, including eight a year ago.

But Pro Bowl-caliber play for $12 million a season is well worth the gamble.

4. S Kevin Byard to New England Patriots

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Terms: One year, $9 million

In 10 professional seasons, veteran safety Kevin Byard III has made the Pro Bowl and been named a first-team All-Pro three times—including in 2025. Last year, the 32-year-old logged 93 total tackles and tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions. It marked the second time that Byard has paced the NFL in interceptions, and he has logged more than 100 total tackles four times in 10 professional seasons.

Byard isn't a flawless player. His passer rating against last year was nearly 100, and he allowed seven touchdowns in coverage. But while the Patriots were excellent against the pass last year (ninth in the NFL), the AFC champions struggled taking the ball away, logging just 10 interceptions.

The Patriots needed to add a ballhawk on the back end. Byard has tallied 36 career picks, and getting a veteran defensive leader on a relatively modest one-year deal was an excellent acquisition.

3. OL Tyler Biadasz to Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Terms: Three years, $30 million

The free agent market at the center position got reset in a seismic way when the Las Vegas Raiders handed Tyler Linderbaum a three-year contract averaging a staggering $27 million a season. Linderbaum is admittedly an excellent offensive lineman. But the Los Angeles Chargers were able to add a Pro Bowl center of their own—and his entire three-year deal isn't that much bigger than Linderbaum's average annual salary.

Tyler Biadasz made the Pro Bowl as a member of the Dallas Cowboys back in 2022. Last year with the Washington Commanders, the 28-year-old started 16 games, allowing three sacks in 954 snaps per Pro Football Focus.

Biadasz isn't an elite player. And his 2025 campaign was cut short by injury. But there has been nothing to indicate he won't be 100 percent to start his tenure in Los Angeles, he's a capable starter who is equally adept and run blocking and pass protection and the Bolts got him for a fraction of what the Raiders are paying Linderbaum.

2. QB Tua Tagovailoa to Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

Terms: One year, $1.3 million

It's fair to question what the Atlanta Falcons are doing under center. This is a team that gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $185 million contract in 2024. Then, before Cousins ever played a snap for the team, Atlanta spent a top-10 draft pick on Michael Penix Jr. Now, just two years into Penix's career, the Falcons could be pivoting again after signing Tua Tagovailoa to a veteran minimum deal.

But the Falcons just added an experienced starting quarterback who is 12 games above .500 as a starter who led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 and paced the NFL in completion percentage two years ago.

Yes, Tagovailoa's last two seasons haven't been his best. But it's not every day that an NFL team gets to add an experienced starter under center for what amounts to a box of Cheez-Its and some Capri Sun puches.

Of course, it helps that the Miami Dolphins are on the hook for $54 million in guarantees to Tagovailoa.

If it works out, the Falcons have their quarterback. If it doesn't, the team is out some crackers and juice.

1. QB Kyler Murray to Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Terms: One year, $1.3 million

Granted, the best part of Kyler Murray joining the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year, league-minimum deal is the fact that the Arizona Cardinals will be paying the 28-year-old $36 million in 2026 to play in the Twin Cities.

But still—landing an upgrade at the game's most important position on the cheap has to be considered a coup.

Yes, Murray had an injury-marred 2025 season. And after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and making the Pro Bowl the next two years, Murray's level of play has fallen off in recent years.

But just two years ago, Murray completed almost 69 percent of his passes for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns. Murray has also tallied almost 3,200 rushing yards over his career.

Whatever you think of Murray, he's a better option under center for a Vikings team with a playoff-caliber roster than J.J. McCarthy. And given Minnesota head coach Kevin O' Connell's history of reclamation projects at the position, if Murray is going to get his career back on track, this is the best opportunity to do it.