The Most Underrated Free-Agency Moves as 2019 NFL Draft Nears
Not every NFL signing can make massive headlines.
The public attention tends to zero in on a contract worth potentially north of $100 million for Nick Foles, or whether Le'Veon Bell made the right move after his long holdout led him to the New York Jets.
But less heralded moves often have as big of an impact—if not more. A year ago, it was Mike Pouncey's move to the Los Angeles Chargers and Tyrann Mathieu's prove-it deal with the Houston Texans.
Monetary value, context of the market, a team's situation and simple fit define the most underrated free-agent moves. The following transactions may have gone under the radar but are capable of having a big impact next season.
Tyrell Williams, WR, Oakland Raiders
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It was tough for most wideouts to make headlines this offseason.
Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. dominated the trade scene. Free agents Golden Tate and Adam Humphries led the open-market charge.
But Tyrell Williams will have a massive impact for the Oakland Raiders after he signed a four-year, $44 million deal. He's a 27-year-old, 6'4" wideout who hasn't missed a game in the last three seasons. Over that span, he's caught 41 or more passes each year and scored 16 times while averaging 15.9 yards per catch.
Granted, Williams is trading in Philip Rivers for Derek Carr at quarterback. But he'll also benefit from the coverage Brown will draw. Maybe his big-play ability and reliability still won't make him a star given the attention No. 84 will get, but the Raiders quietly acquired one of the market's better players to round out a good-looking passing attack.
Jason Verrett, CB, San Francisco 49ers
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If Jason Verrett can stay healthy, the San Francisco 49ers will look like geniuses.
Verrett, 27, has only played in five games over the past three seasons and hasn't played in more than four since 2015.
Yet, there is a reason the 49ers went after him. A 2014 first-round pick, the TCU product was a rare lockdown corner when healthy—something teams need more than ever.
While Verrett does have to work his way back from a torn Achilles and prove the injuries haven't ruined his game, the 49ers made a low-risk, high-upside move (one year, $3.6 million) for a corner who could form a great pair with Richard Sherman.
Jordan Hicks, LB, Arizona Cardinals
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Jordan Hicks was never going to get the money or attention of a Kwon Alexander, Anthony Barr or C.J. Mosley.
But he could end up having a bigger impact than any of them.
The Arizona Cardinals weren't afraid to roll the dice on Hicks, whose injury history may have scared some teams. He has appeared in just one 16-game season (2016), missing eight, nine and four games in the other years—a span that included a torn Achilles in October 2017.
But Hicks does it all—both against the run and pass. On top of solid tackling numbers, he's recorded five sacks and seven interceptions in his career, missing just 25 tackles over his 43 games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Even if he stays healthy in the middle of his prime and plays well, Hicks likely won't get the spotlight he deserves in Arizona. But those Cardinals surely won't complain about his four-year, $34 million deal if he does so.
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Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans Saints
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Jared Cook was the best tight end on the market, yet his dragged-out free-agency process didn't make much of an impact on the national scene.
Still, Cook landed with the New Orleans Saints on a two-year, $15 million pact, which figures to turn out well for all involved.
Cook, smack in the middle of his prime at 31 years old, didn't have a deal with the Saints until late March. But he'll give Drew Brees a weapon who's coming off career highs of six touchdowns and 68 catches in Oakland a year ago.
In New Orleans, Cook's undervalued skill set will show up big while opposing defenses focus on Michael Thomas. Brees will also get him the ball in advantageous situations with accuracy.
It was fitting that his signing was quiet despite the ideal location. Cook hasn't always been in the best offenses with the best passers, but it's all set to change, which means hindsight will smile on this one.
Devin Funchess, WR, Indianapolis Colts
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Like Williams, Devin Funchess was going to have a hard time making free-agent headlines almost regardless of what he did.
That makes him a perfect fit for the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year, $10 million deal.
Those Colts had a quiet free agency in the face of big expectations given their gobs of cap space. They brought back Pierre Desir (three years, $22.5 million) and ended up winning big with Justin Houston (two years, $24 million) late in the process. Funchess is a steal, too.
After all, he's a 24-year-old wideout who's coming off a down season in Carolina—which was to be expected given the injury issues with quarterback Cam Newton and a spread-it-around attack. But the year before, the 6'4" target had 840 yards and eight touchdowns on 63 catches and has scored 21 times over four seasons.
Funchess' prove-it deal is a big win for all parties. He gets to show his worth in a system led by Andrew Luck while defenses pay attention to T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron. The Colts get a big target for Luck to spam the ball out, deepening the looks the offense can throw at opponents.
Matt Paradis, C, Carolina Panthers
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One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Carolina Panthers this offseason was their offensive line—and, by extension, Newton's health.
To the front office's credit, it retained right tackle Daryl Williams (one year, $6 million), shoring up one side of the line.
While that seemed to make national waves, former Denver Broncos center Matt Paradis could have a bigger impact.
Paradis had a fractured fibula last season, but he's arguably an upgrade over Ryan Kalil, who retired. Ben Cooper and Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus contextualized just how good Paradis was last season: "[He] ranked fourth among centers with a 99.1 pass-blocking efficiency in 2018; in nine games, he surrendered just five quarterback pressures."
Landing a 29-year-old starting center for three years and $29 million is a big get for a team that's trying to protect one of football's best weapons.
Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers
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Running back Tevin Coleman joins a crowded San Francisco 49ers backfield and doesn't have a defined role.
His signing is a big win for the 49ers. He'll join Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida in what was already a top-15 rushing attack.
Coleman's two-year, $8.5 million deal means the 49ers get a 25-year-old who received sporadic touches over four seasons in Atlanta yet still rushed for 2,340 yards and 18 touchdowns on a 4.4 per-carry average. He also averaged 11 yards per catch and grabbed 11 more touchdowns through the air.
Even better, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan worked with Coleman in Atlanta, so the that connection could lead to a run-first attack where a player who fell far behind free-agent names such as Le'Veon Bell ends up having a massive impact.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington Redskins
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Adrian Peterson was an underrated acquisition a season ago for the Washington Redskins.
There, Peterson had little time to save a Washington offense that was trying to adapt to new quarterback Alex Smith. Rookie Derrius Guice had just gone down with a season-ending torn ACL in August and Chris Thompson couldn't do it all on his own.
Peterson, 34, rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores on a 4.2 per-carry average—his best marks since 2015 in Minnesota.
Once again, Peterson represented a superb, quiet move for the Redskins when they brought him back on a two-year, $5 million deal this offseason. He'll enable the coaching staff to bring back Guice slowly. His presence will also preserves Thompson, who missed six games last year.
It's good for Peterson, too—he's visibly lost a step but can still excel in this offense, which is reliant on the ground game because the play under center is lacking.
Darqueze Dennard, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals weren't guaranteed to keep cornerback Darqueze Dennard in the fold.
The 27-year-old hit the open market and flirted with at least one team before he went back to the Bengals.
He signed a one-year deal with little in the way of a notable cap hit ($4.5 million), which is a big surprise given Dennard's status as one of the NFL's better slot corners. He's a superb run defender, too.
Dennard's open-market stumble and return on a cheap prove-it deal means the Bengals retain their starting trio of corners and can focus elsewhere during the draft. They also got a superb slot corner who's once again playing in a contract year just in time to combat an AFC North that houses Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield.
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