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• CONTRACT: Three years, maximum value of $45 million.

Walker's decision to join the Chiefs projects as a spectacular move for both player and team. The MVP of Super Bowl LX will benefit from Kansas City's upper-echelon blocking; in 2025, the Chiefs' offensive line propelled the team's rushers to a 43.6% success rate (seventh-highest in the NFL). And K.C. achieved that despite being in desperate need of more dynamism from its running back room. Chiefs RBs have produced explosive runs of 10-plus yards at the lowest rate in the league in consecutive seasons (4.7% in 2024, 6.5% in 2025). Walker, on the other hand, generated explosive runs on 14.9% of his carries this past season, the second-highest rate among running backs with 150-plus attempts. His top career speed of 22.09 MPH is faster than any mark hit by a Chiefs back on a scrimmage play since at least 2016. 

• CONTRACT: Four years, $120 million.

The Panthers gave Phillips the largest contract a free-agent edge rusher has ever received, but it will be worth it if he can revitalize their beleaguered pass rush. Carolina's edges have recorded an average pressure rate below 10% in each of Ejiro Evero's three seasons coordinating the defense, producing a league-low mark of 8.7% in 2025. Evero has historically relied on a talent advantage to drive his best pass rushes, employing the likes of Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Bradley Chubb and Brian Burns in the past. But he's had no players of that caliber at his disposal over the last two seasons. Phillips' 63 pressures in 2025 were more than twice the total of any Panthers player, and his 34 pressures with the Eagles led the team following their Week 9 bye. Phillips can also help Evero mix up his looks, having produced an otherworldly 33.3% pressure rate when rushing from the interior in 2025. 

• CONTRACT: Three years, $81 million.

Klint Kubiak's scheme is deeply reliant on interior protection, but the Raiders struggled at the center position as much as any team in 2025. To help their new coach, they landed the best center on the market by far. In 2025, Las Vegas centers allowed 9.5 sacks, the most in the NFL. Their blocking did not do much for Ashton Jeanty, either, as the rookie running back gained just 3.3 yards per carry on inside runs, the fewest of any player with at least 100 such attempts. Linderbaum has allowed 10 sacks in his entire four-year career while giving up a quick pressure on just 0.6% of pass blocks in 2025, the fourth-lowest mark at the position. In addition to anchoring the blocking for presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the star center could help unlock Jeanty. During Linderbaum's time in Baltimore, Ravens RBs averaged 4.6 yards per inside run, the fourth-best mark in the NFL during that span. 

• CONTRACT: Three years, value TBA.

The six-time Pro Bowler joins a WR room that was depleted by injuries, one that returns fewer than 900 receiving yards from last season. Assuming Evans can bounce back from the most injury-marred season of his storied career, he should be a perfect "X" receiver for San Francisco. Brock Purdy and Mac Jones combined for five touchdowns and 11 interceptions when targeting receivers aligned wide last season, compared to 28 touchdowns and five interceptions targeting tight, slot or backfield alignments. Evans has aligned out wide on 76.1% of his snaps in the last decade and totaled at least five touchdowns from the alignment on his own in every season from 2018-2024. He has especially shined as the isolated receiver; in the last three seasons, his 13 touchdowns in such situations are tied with Davante Adams for the most in the NFL, while nobody else has reached double digits. Meanwhile, Evans has gained 2.3 yards per route run when aligned out wide since 2023, providing a stellar upgrade to a 49ers group that has produced an average of 1.6 in that time frame.

• CONTRACT: Three years, $40.25 million.

Cook steps in for Geno Stone as the Bengals’ deep-middle safety, and the two have employed very similar strategies with different levels of effectiveness in recent years. Both played at an average depth of exactly 10.4 yards off the line of scrimmage in 2025, shallower than most safeties. Cook, however, is a more reliable deep man than anyone Cincinnati has employed since the days of Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell. He has missed just 5.9% of his tackles over the past two seasons, the third-lowest rate among safeties with at least 100 opportunities, while Stone has missed tackles almost three times as often (15.9%) over that span. Cook is at his best as a single-high defender, having allowed three career receptions on 435 snaps in a single-high zone. He’ll be deployed in that role much more often with the Bengals, who played single-high coverage on 57.5% of snaps in 2025, than he was in Kansas City (45.2% in '25).

• CONTRACT: Three years, $30 million.

Dennis Allen’s defense is based out of Cover 2, which relies on highly athletic linebackers to account for significant space in the middle of the field. After releasing Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears were left with just two off-ball LBs on the roster who played 50+ snaps last season, and neither is a natural Cover 2 anchor. Enter Bush, who allowed 0.49 yards per coverage snap last season, the second-fewest of any linebacker who logged at least 250 coverage snaps. He also recorded three interceptions (returning two for touchdowns) while allowing just one touchdown. He and Edmunds were two of the 14 LBs who were trusted to play man-to-man over 20% of the time, suggesting Allen will continue to cater to Bush's strengths. Bush was a lynchpin of the Browns’ run defense in 2025, as well, recording 75 run tackles, more than any Bears defender not named Roquan Smith in a single season over the last decade.

• CONTRACT: One year, maximum value of $15 million.

Woolen was quietly an integral cog in Seattle's championship-winning defense last season, and he was at his best in man coverage. On 175 snaps in man, he allowed just 10 receptions for 85 yards on 32 targets, yielding the fewest yards per snap (0.49, minimum 100 snaps) and lowest completion percentage (31.3%, minimum 20 targets) among all cornerbacks. Eagles DC Vic Fangio used to avoid man coverage, but he gave his outside cornerbacks the fourth-most man assignments in the NFL last season (506). Woolen replaces Adoree' Jackson, who allowed a 53.8% completion rate and 1.43 yards per snap in man. The addition of Woolen also entrenches Eagles stars Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean at their best possible positions (boundary and slot, respectively), as Woolen will presumably serve as the full-time field-side corner, just as he did in Seattle. 

• CONTRACT: Two years, $17 million.

This former Florida Gator should immediately step in as the best coverage linebacker of Todd Bowles' tenure in Tampa. Over the past five seasons in Detroit, Anzalone allowed the second-lowest completion percentage in coverage of any LB (67.5%, minimum 100 targets) while recording 33 passes defensed, the fourth-most at the position. In 2025, Buccaneers linebackers allowed the highest completion percentage of any team's 'backer unit (84.4%) and recorded just eight passes defensed combined; Anzalone totaled nine on his own. Anzalone will also slide seamlessly into Bowles' blitz scheme. His 2025 numbers (17 pressures and 2.5 sacks on 91 pass rushes) almost perfectly match those of incumbent starter SirVocea Dennis (19 pressures and three sacks on 95 pass rushes).