Highlighting Under-the-Radar Winners of Early NFL Free Agency

It's fairly easy to look at the money spent and players acquired and find the obvious "winners" of NFL free agency. 

The New York Giants handed out over $200 million to four players, while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders signed many of the top players with their millions in cap space. On paper, these three teams hit the jackpot on the open market. 

Dig deeper, and it's possible to find teams that won free agency without being top spenders or acquiring huge names. 

In the following slides, we will highlight the under-the-radar winners of the first week of free agency. These teams made their rosters better without all the fanfare.

Honorable Mention

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Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons added a top center (Alex Mack), an ascending pass-rusher (Derrick Shelby) and a potential long-term No. 2 receiver (Mohamed Sanu) while re-signing defensive end Adrian Clayborn and bringing back linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. 

New York Jets

Losing nose tackle Damon Harrison hurts, but the Jets avoided overpaying for running back Chris Ivory while also upgrading the position through veterans Matt Forte and Khiry Robinson. What happens at quarterback—where Ryan Fitzpatrick remains unsigned—will still drive the judgment of New York's venture in free agency. 

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings failed to land another important defensive piece for head coach Mike Zimmer, such as safety George Iloka. But Minnesota did restructure right tackle Phil Loadholt's contract and land veteran guard Alex Boone. Releasing Mike Wallace rid the franchise of an expensive mistake. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

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By re-signing a few quality starters and finding a strong investment on a young, ascending player, the Pittsburgh Steelers handled early free agency like every successful team should this time of year.

Pittsburgh prioritized its own free agents, bringing back reliable guard Ramon Foster, veteran cornerback William Gay, young safety Robert Golden and receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey on team-friendly deals. The Steelers also attacked a weakness, signing 25-year-old tight end Ladarius Green to help replace Heath Miller and give the offense a playmaking pass-catcher with limitless potential in Pittsburgh's system.

In fact, Green might be one of the biggest bargains of the first week. A long, fast tight end who has worked under Antonio Gates for four years, he's ready to fully break out in an offense filled with difference-makers. Ben Roethlisbeger could make him a star right away.

Kansas City Chiefs

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Free agency could have ripped a gaping hole in the Kansas City Chiefs roster, but general manager John Dorsey made sure his playoff team from a year ago would enter 2016 mostly intact. 

Kansas City went to work on its long list of free agents, re-signing linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson and defensive lineman Jaye Howard to new deals.

Hali and Johnson have been rocks for the Chiefs defense for years, while Howard looks like an up-and-coming interior pass-rusher. Losing two veteran stalwarts and an ascending lineman would have been devastating blows for a defense that gave up the third-fewest points in the NFL in 2015. 

The Chiefs also signed Mitchell Schwartz, who was one of the best right tackles in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns last season. 

Cornerback Sean Smith, guard Jeff Allen and quarterback Chase Daniel found new homes, but Dorsey wasn't going to be able to keep everyone. He locked up a few of Kansas City's most important pieces while saving enough to add an immediate starter on the offensive line. 

Philadelphia Eagles

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Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman worked a bit of magic during the first week of free agency. 

Not only did he trade away Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, DeMarco Murray and Mark Sanchez, but he also signed deals for guard Brandon Brooks and safety Rodney McLeod and provided new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz with a few familiar faces. 

Ridding the Eagles of busts from the Chip Kelly era will help reshape the image of the Eagles moving forward while also saving the franchise millions on the salary cap in 2016 and beyond.

The additions were also strong. Brooks and McLeod are young players with potentially bright futures, and linebacker Nigel Bradham and cornerbacks Ron Brooks and Leodis McKelvin should help Schwartz reconstruct a defense that was one of the NFL's best in Buffalo in 2014. 

Say what you want about how the Eagles handled the quarterback position, but Roseman hit a home run in taking a broken roster and starting it down a new road in his vision. 

Chicago Bears

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Arguably the best fit between player and team from the first week belonged to linebacker Danny Trevathan and the Chicago Bears. 

An ideal modern linebacker coming off a Super Bowl win, Trevathan reunited with head coach John Fox, who helped bring him to Denver. The Bears, in desperate need of inside linebacker help, signed the best player on the market at the position. 

Chicago even doubled down at linebacker, snagging Jerrell Freeman from the Indianapolis Colts. The two could give defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the Bears one of the best inside linebacker tandems in the NFL, especially after massive defensive lineman Akiem Hicks decided to sign in Chicago, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. 

On offense, the Bears dropped tackle Jermon Bushrod but added Bobby Massie, who can be a starting-quality player along the offensive line. If he ever figures out his consistency problems, Massie could be a good addition. 

The Bears are slowly but surely rebounding from the disaster left by former GM Phil Emery and former coach Marc Trestman. Adding three starters at good value is another step in the right direction. 

San Diego Chargers

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The Chargers re-signed tight end Antonio Gates and tackle Joe Barksdale while also managing to lure receiver Travis Benjamin, cornerback Casey Hayward (who signed on Sunday, per the team's website) and defensive lineman Brandon Mebane to San Diego.

Gates is one of the top players in franchise history, while Barksdale was a bright spot for an otherwise terrible Chargers offensive line last season.

The new additions have impact potential.

Benjamin had a career year in 2015, catching 68 passes for 966 yards and five scores from an interesting collection of Browns quarterbacks. Hayward once intercepted six passes as a rookie, and he has experience playing in the slot and on the perimeter. Mebane can still be an asset against the run, although his best days are in the rearview mirror.

The Chargers lost emerging tight end Ladarius Green, but it's hard to say they didn't get better during free agency's first week.