NFL free agency’s 6 biggest bargains in 2025 on offense

Super Bowl winners aren’t based entirely on superstars; they’re created by filling all the holes on their rosters intelligently and with the right money allotted to the right talent.

As much as the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles had it going on with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, the best offensive line in football, and a host of first-line defensive talent, there were as many guys like Zack Baun, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract to be part of the show. Vic Fangio saw enough in Baun to expand his role, and Baun responded with an All-Pro season that netted him a fat three-year, $51 million contract this year.

So, when you’re looking to fill out your roster in the hopes of making it to next season’s Super Bowl, it behooves you to strike as many ridiculous bargains as possible. Based on the contracts that have already been drawn up in the 2025 free-agency space, here are the best bargains on the offensive side of the ball – the potential difference-makers whose contracts barely made a dent in the salary cap.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers

If you’re familiar with the “Secret Superstars” column I did for SB Nation last season, you may remember that Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle made the team following his explosive performance vs. the Carolina Panthers in a 30-14 Week 15 win. Dowdle, the 2020 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, had a career day with 149 yards and several explosive plays on 25 carries. But this wasn’t the only highlight reel Dowdle had last season. He put up 131 rushing yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, 112 against the New York Giants in Week 13, and 104 against the Eagles in Week 17.

After three seasons of never gaining more than 372 yards in a season, Dowdle somehow managed to save a Dallas running game that was supposed to be nonexistent. He totaled 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries (4.6 yards per carry), with 45 forced missed tackles and 26 runs of 10 or more yards.

So the Panthers did the old “If you can’t beat him, have him join us” thing and signed Dowdle to a one-year, $6.25 million deal that is one of the sneakier-good bargains in this free-agency cycle. A versatile back equally adept in zone and man blocking concepts, Dowdle should be an important addition to Dave Canales’ Panthers offense.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Miami Dolphins

There are always those contracts that make you wonder if you’re missing a typo, or perhaps somebody forgot to carry the 1. In the case of former Tennessee Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with $3.2 million guaranteed, it would appear that the entire National Football League is unaware of what this guy can do.

Last season, with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as his primary quarterbacks, the 2020 UDFA from Indiana caught 32 passes on 56 targets for 497 yards… and nine touchdowns. And on a per-target basis, there were few more effective deep targets in the league. In the eight times he was targeted on passes of 20 or more air yards, Westbrook-Ikhine caught four passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns. And at 6’2 and 211 pounds, Westbrook-Ikhine is also an outstanding contested-catch receiver (the secret to a lot of those touchdowns), and a fine blocker when it’s time to run the ball.

Dolphins head coach and offensive shot-caller Mike McDaniel has been working for years to put a track team on the field with his receiver corps, and now he’s got another effective speedster to go along with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Moreover, he’s got his new one at a ridiculous price.

Dyami Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Last season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie first-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr. stuck out in a sea of relative mediocrity at the position – especially when it came to dominating defenses vertically. Thomas caught 12 passes of 20 or more air yards in his debut season on 30 targets for 479 yards and four touchdowns, and he was the only Trevor Lawrence target to bag more than five deep passes, and more than one deep touchdown.

This may be one reason that the Jags, under new head coach Liam Coen, sought out former Washington Commanders receiver Dyami Brown and got him into the fold on a one-year, $10 million contract that could turn out to be a major bargain if Brown is able to replicate the vertical success he had last season when Jayden Daniels was throwing him the ball.

Last season, Brown managed four deep catches on just nine targets for 179 yards and a touchdown, and the tape tells you that if the Jags want to double Brown’s target share on the deep stuff, he’s more than up for it. Add in Brown’s ability to take screen passes and simple stop routes upfield, and his knack for taking end-around stuff for long gains, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Brown is one of those Secret Superstars more than once in the 2025 season.

Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos

On the other side of things, the Jaguars released tight end Evan Engram in early March, and the Denver Broncos signed the veteran to a two-year, $23 million deal with $16.5 million guaranteed. Engram had been one of the NFL’s most-targeted tight ends in both 2022 and 2023, his first two seasons with the Jags. But a torn labrum in his left shoulder limited Engram to just 47 catches on 62 targets for 365 yards and a touchdown.

Engram might not be ready for action until the season begins (or close to it), and perhaps that’s why he was available for a lowball deal in contrast to his production before last season, But what the 30-year-old put on tape in the 2024 season makes me wonder if the rest of the league missed something.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has always been a master when it comes to developing and deploying tight ends, and he doesn’t need to worry about the development part here. Engram is still a considerable vertical threat in the right route combinations, he’s an outstanding contested-catch target, he knows how get open in compressed spaces (hello, red zone), and in the short-to-intermediate areas of the passing game, he could be Bo Nix’s new best friend.

Also: It would appear that Engram has been told he’ll be moved around the formation in Denver, and he’s pretty happy about that “Joker” role.

Morgan Moses, OT, New England Patriots

When it comes to offensive tackles, it’s not always necessary to have Hall of Fame attributes. Sure, it’d be great if your team could find the next Walter Jones or Joe Thomas in the draft, but the hit rate on such players isn’t exactly high. Generational guys are rare for a reason. Most of the time, what you want (and need) from a left or right tackle is a player who will hold up his side of the line more often than not, understand the protections, and be able to block in any scheme at an above-average level.

This is certainly true for the New England Patriots, whose 2024 offensive line was problematic just about everywhere, and especially on the outside to both sides. At right tackle, the combination of Mike Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, and Vederian Lowe did very little to give rookie quarterback Drake Maye the ideal opportunities to succeed.

In comes veteran Morgan Moses on a three-year, $24 million contract with $11 million guaranteed. Moses isn’t the NFL’s best right tackle, but he’s reliable and consistent in all the ways we’ve discussed, and he brings leadership to a line that will be in flux once again.

Last season for the New York Jets, Moses allowed two sacks, two quarterback hits, and 12 quarterback hurries on 467 pass-blocking reps in an Aaron Rodgers/Nathaniel Hackett offense that didn’t often make a lot of sense. And he’s stout enough as a run-blocker to be a major improvement for a team in desperate need.

Spectacular? No. Good enough to help you win? Absolutely, and that’s good enough in this case.

James Daniels, OG, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are another AFC East team for whom “league average” would be a big upgrade – and here we’re talking about the guard positions. Losing Robert Hunt to the Panthers in free agency before the 2024 season was a hit from which the franchise wasn’t able to recover, and having Liam Eichenberg replacing Hunt at right guard? Well, that didn’t work out so well.

In the interest of making things better for Tua Tagovailoa and all those speedy receivers, Miami signed former Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers right guard James Daniels to a three-year, $24 million contract with $10.735 million guaranteed.

2024 was shaping up to be a great season for Daniels until he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 4, and that was it for his season. But when on the field for the Steelers, Daniels was right in there, doing his job in every way possible – very good pass pro, the ability to physically dominate defenders at the line of scrimmage and the second level, and no issues with any kind of scheme.

If Daniels comes back fully healthy in 2024, that injury discount for the Dolphins will be significant… and Daniels will announce his presence with authority on the field.