The first week of free agency is always crazy. Somehow, this year felt even wilder. There was plenty of money flying around. There were several teams that decided they were going to take major swings at filling holes in their rosters. There was also some news made in Baltimore that kept the league buzzing for days afterwards.
Now that the fireworks have slowed, we can all take a second to process what just happened. The new league year is nearly a week old, and there is already plenty to talk about when it comes to teams improving themselves. There have been a lot of interesting moves. This edition of The First Read will focus on what this writer believes are the 10 best of the offseason so far.
1) Los Angeles Rams trade for CB Trent McDuffie. This turned out to be the biggest blockbuster trade of the offseason, once the Maxx Crosby deal fell apart. The Rams sorely needed help at cornerback after that position became a major liability down the stretch last season and into the playoffs. McDuffie was looking for a massive new pact as he headed into his fifth-year option with the Kansas City Chiefs. You can question the idea of Los Angeles bestowing a four-year, $120 million extension on a player who excels mostly in the slot, but this situation is more nuanced than that. McDuffie is a two-time All-Pro who should match up well with Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year. The Rams also signed Jaylen Watson, Kansas City's other starting cornerback from last season, so the outside will be just fine in this secondary. The Rams believe they missed out on a second Super Bowl under head coach Sean McVay because their defensive backfield didn't hold up when it mattered most. Adding McDuffie goes a long way toward preventing that disastrous situation from repeating itself.
2) Baltimore Ravens sign edge Trey Hendrickson. For all the ruckus caused by the Ravens pulling out of the trade with the Raiders that would've brought Crosby to Baltimore, landing Hendrickson isn't a bad consolation. The whole reason Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta was willing to part with two first-round picks to acquire Crosby was his team's continual issues with rushing the passer. Hendrickson won't cost the Ravens valuable draft assets, and his four-year, $112 million contract will be money well spent if he creates the same level of chaos that was his trademark with the Bengals. Hendrickson produced at least 14 sacks in three of the five seasons he played in Cincinnati. He only had four sacks last year, but that's largely because core muscle surgery limited him to seven games. That operation isn't expected to hinder Hendrickson this fall. We also know he's not going to impress anybody when teams run the ball, but that's fine. The Ravens have plenty of people who can handle that. If Hendrickson can reach double-digit sacks, this defense will probably return to its place as one of the best in the league.
3) Kansas City Chiefs sign RB Kenneth Walker III. This signing is a major indication that Kansas City head coach Andy Reid is serious about revamping his offense. The Chiefs have spent the last eight seasons operating as if star quarterback Patrick Mahomes could solve any problem this team faced offensively. Last year was the moment when that mindset became faulty thinking. It wasn't just that Mahomes couldn't finish the season because of a torn ACL and LCL. It was because he sorely needed help before that point, the kind that Walker should be able to provide. The Chiefs were the worst team in the league in 2025 when it came to explosive runs. That should change with Walker in the lineup, as his speed and vision were a big part of why he wound up capturing Super Bowl MVP honors in Seattle's win over New England in February. He'll be playing behind a talented offensive line, and the big question here is whether Reid will move away from the run-pass options that Mahomes loved and offer more outside zone runs to capitalize on Walker's strengths. Given that Kansas City hasn't finished higher than 15th in scoring since 2022, this is a move that makes plenty of sense. Walker doesn't need 300 carries to have an impact. He just has to bring more than what the Chiefs have offered in the backfield in recent years, which is basically being a real threat to do something with the ball.
4) Tennessee Titans sign pass rusher John Franklin-Myers. Franklin-Myers was the best talent in a mediocre crop of interior defensive linemen. That qualifier shouldn't diminish what he brings to the Titans. For one, he played under new Tennessee head coach Robert Saleh when the two were together with the New York Jets. Franklin-Myers also should pair well with fellow Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who requires constant double-teams. Franklin-Myers is capable enough as a pass rusher that he should be able to create mismatches against opposing lineman when Simmons receives extra attention. The Titans also traded for another former Jet, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II, so you can see exactly what Saleh wants this defense to be up front. It's going to be all about making life miserable for every quarterback the Titans face. Franklin-Myers will play a huge role in that endeavor.
5) Miami Dolphins sign QB Malik Willis. Yes, this feels like a roll of the dice, given how little Willis has played in his career (he's appeared in 22 games and attempted 155 passes over four years). It also feels like a much smarter play to give him a three-year deal that averages $22.5 million annually than sticking with the idea that Tua Tagovailoa could ever contribute like a $50 million-plus-per-year QB. The Dolphins are trying to build something after releasing Tagovailoa and parting with some other key veterans over the past six months, as illustrated by their acquisition of extra capital in this year's draft (including a first-rounder) from the Broncos in exchange for receiver Jaylen Waddle. Willis' upside is also obvious. He played well when he was pressed into a starting role in Green Bay last season. Both Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan also worked for the Packers in 2025, so they gained valuable insights into what kind of leader Willis can be. This move was clearly about setting the Dolphins up for more flexibility in roster-building down the road. Willis might not look like a star at this stage, but this is a win if Miami's brain trust can fill more holes around him in the future.
6) Atlanta Falcons sign QB Tua Tagovailoa. Speaking of Tagovailoa, his one-year deal with Atlanta is a shrewd move for both sides. The Falcons have plenty of talent, especially on offense, with All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts (who finally matured into a real difference-maker last season). What they haven't had in a long time is reliable quarterback play. The team has been hoping that Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, could provide that, but he's been inconsistent and is now recovering from a torn ACL. Adding Tagovailoa on a veteran-minimum deal gives new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski another potential option who could help him turn this team into a postseason contender. As much as Tagovailoa has his own long injury history in this league, he has been a good player when healthy. All he has to do is provide a little bit of consistency, and the Falcons should be in the mix for the NFC South title. We've seen players like Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Daniel Jones turn around their careers with a change of scenery. Tua could do the same thing in Atlanta at an extremely discounted cost.
7) San Francisco 49ers sign WR Mike Evans. We get it. It's fair to wonder about an injury-plagued team committing to a 32-year-old receiver who missed nine games last season because of a balky hamstring and a broken collarbone. But the 49ers desperately needed help at the position after giving up on the Brandon Aiyuk, watching Jauan Jennings leave in free agency and getting just nine appearances out of former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall in Year 2. Staying on the field had never really been a concern for Evans until last season, the first of his 12-year career in which he failed to play in at least 14 games -- and failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards. If Evans can be anywhere close to the player who topped that mark 11 straight times (tying the legendary Jerry Rice for the NFL record), the 49ers are going to be better for it. This was a team that found its way into the playoffs in 2025 despite a myriad of health issues, especially at receiver. You give head coach Kyle Shanahan a future Hall-of-Fame wideout, and it's hard to imagine it not working -- as long as Evans avoids the trainer's table.
8) New Orleans Saints sign RB Travis Etienne. The best way to make life easier for second-year quarterback Tyler Shough is to give him what New Orleans lacked last season: a viable running game. After the Saints ranked 28th in rushing yards, a new back was bound to arrive this offseason, one way or another, and Etienne makes sense on a lot of levels. He rushed for at least 1,000 yards in three of his four NFL seasons in Jacksonville. He set a career high in total touchdowns in 2025, with 13 (seven on the ground, six through the air), and he's always been a reliable weapon in the passing game (168 career receptions). Now think about how Saints head coach Kellen Moore deployed running back Saquon Barkley when Moore was the Eagles' offensive coordinator in 2024, guiding Barkley to 2,283 yards from scrimmage, the 14th-most in a season in NFL history. Nobody here is predicting Etienne will smash records, but it's fair to expect him to log a slightly heavier workload than what he received in Jacksonville. The success of their young signal-caller depends on it.
9) New England Patriots sign WR Romeo Doubs. The Patriots had to do something at wide receiver once they decided to release Stefon Diggs. Doubs was one of the most sensible options available to them. He's not a true No. 1 receiver, but New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels doesn't run an offense that relies heavily on a player with that skill set. The Patriots like receivers with versatility, and that is what Doubs brings to the table. He can create problems for defenders on short, intermediate and deep routes, and he's used to being a part of an ensemble after spending four seasons in Green Bay. And aside from in 2024, Doubs has not made headlines at nearly the same rate as Diggs has throughout his career. While the possibility of a trade for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown -- who played for Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee -- , signing Doubs is the kind of lower-profile acquisition that could pay huge dividends real fast.
10) Pittsburgh Steelers trade for WR Michael Pittman Jr. Pittsburgh still needs to figure out what to do with its quarterback situation (again), but there's no question that the job should be more attractive with Pittman coming to town following a trade with Indianapolis. The Steelers made a blockbuster trade last year with the acquisition of DK Metcalf. The move to land Pittman -- and reward him with a three-year, $59 million extension -- means Pittsburgh is serious about putting more offensive weapons on the field. It was woefully apparent that the Steelers relied heavily on Metcalf to make that offense go in 2025. Now, Metcalf can still provide an explosive vertical threat while having another receiver who can take the pressure off him. Pittman isn't as productive as he was a couple years ago, finishing with just 80 catches for 784 yards last season (compared to his career-best totals of 109 receptions and 1,152 yards in 2023), but that's still better than what Pittsburgh had to offer. Metcalf caught 59 passes in 2025. The next two most-accomplished pass catchers, tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receiver Calvin Austin III, combined for 72 receptions. Pittman will make life easier for everyone with his ability to do the dirty work on underneath routes. Is that enough to keep Aaron Rodgers from walking away from football? Who knows? This much is clear: the Steelers will have a better passing game for whomever ends up under center.
