NFL Free-Agent Signings: Assessing Most Notable Deals to Start Offseason

The poaching will begin Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET, and several big moves are quite likely at the start of the NFL free-agency signing period.

Teams are legally allowed to talk to any free agent they would like to consider as of Monday afternoon, and offers, negotiations and pitches help players understand which teams are going to give them strong consideration and which ones may just be paying lip service.

Teams have been able to sign their own free agents since the end of the season, and big-name tight ends Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles signed major extensions with their respective teams early in the offseason.

However, with time growing short, teams are urgently trying to make deals with their own players that they don't want to lose.

The Baltimore Ravens made one of those deals Monday with cornerback Shareece Wright. 

The Ravens signed Wright to a three-year deal, according to the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). The deal marked a memorable turnaround for Wright, who was signed midseason by the Ravens after he had been cut by the San Francisco 49ers.

Wright played in 11 games for Baltimore last season, starting seven of them. Head coach John Harbaugh explained that Wright is a building block for the Baltimore defense.

''He's just the kind of guy that we want to continue to build our defense with,'' Harbaugh said.

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The Indianapolis Colts made a key signing of their own when they came to terms with tight end Dwayne Allen and kept him from testing the free-agent market. 

Allen agreed to a four-year, $29.4 million deal, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a league source. Allen was a third-round pick in 2012 and caught 16 passes last season.

While Allen will stay with the Colts, they still have not come to an agreement with tight end Coby Fleener, and it remains to be seen if they will retain him before another team gets him to put his signature on a contract.

Fleener caught 54 passes for 491 yards and three touchdowns in 2015.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The San Diego Chargers retained offensive tackle Joe Barksdale after he agreed to a four-year deal, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

"We got the deal done," Barksdale said. "I'll be signing tomorrow."

Barksdale became a mainstay at right tackle for the Chargers last season. He was a free agent a year ago, but did not sign until May, and that was a one-year, $2 million deal.

While terms have not been released, Barksdale's new deal should be significantly more lucrative than his last contract.