Expert Analysis
3/18/24
8 min read
2024 NFL Free Agency: This Year's Most Underrated Signings
Over the past week, NFL teams have signed hundreds of players for millions of dollars. While the biggest players and the most millions will get much of the focus, some of the smaller signings will prove to make just as much of an impact for the coming season. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at a few of the most underrated signings in free agency.
All data provided by TruMedia unless noted otherwise.
Most Underrated 2024 Free Agent Signings
Kam Curl, SAF, Los Angeles Rams 
Kam Curl remains one of the league’s most underrated players and a two-year deal of $9 million, worth up to $13 million, is proof. Not only is that contract well below what Curl should be worth — at max value, the $6.5 million average is just 21st among safeties — but he landed in a perfect spot for his skill set.
During his tenure in Washington, the former seventh-round pick spent 44 percent of his snaps deep, 27 percent in the box, 21 percent in the slot and six percent at the line of scrimmage. He can be used just about anywhere that is needed.
The Los Angeles Rams have been a defense built around disguise throughout the different defensive coordinators during the Sean McVay era. Last season, they had the third-lowest rate of static looks in the league.
A player such as Curl will only help that given how many spots he can play at before and after the snap. He’s an effective blitzer, a strong run defender and can hold up in coverage. In Washington, especially in 2023, he was responsible for cleaning up some messes in front of him, which took away some of his overall impact.
Giving Curl the ability to move around more freely in a better-coordinated defense and a better secondary could unlock another level of a player who has been one of the league’s best at his position while not many noticed.
Zack Moss, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
There was a lot of early movement on the running back market but that doesn’t mean good deals were nonexistent. The Cincinnati Bengals signed Zack Moss for two years and $8 million with just $3 million guaranteed.
Moss has been an efficient back, and he filled in admirably as the starting back for Indianapolis when Jonathan Taylor was out last season. Most of his numbers compare favorably to Taylor in the same backfield after Taylor signed a three-year extension for $42 million.
Last year, Moss was fifth in rushing yards over expectation per rush according to Next Gen Stats, while Taylor was 15th.
Moss won’t have to be Taylor in Cincinnati’s backfield, but he’s more than capable of taking advantage of an offense that creates space with how often it uses 11 personnel.
At its best, the Bengals offense has operated out of the shotgun, and Moss was ninth in success rate on runs out of the shotgun last season. The Colts had the second-highest rate of snaps in shotgun last season (90.2 percent) and the Bengals were third (84.4 percent).
One thing Moss does not bring is an extensive history as a pass catcher, but some of that comes from the schemes he was in that did not often feature running back passes as more than a check-down option. Last season, Moss only ran three screen routes while Joe Mixon had 21.
Mixon’s receiving involvement was much greater than Moss’, but Moss had more targets (19) and receptions (15) beyond the line of scrimmage than Mixon (12 vs. 10). There are also flashes of what Moss can be as a receiver, like his leaping touchdown over Patrick Queen on a wheel route in Week 3.
>>READ: Hot Running Back Market Won't Last Long
Anthony Walker Jr., LB, Miami Dolphins
Anthony Walker Jr. has been an impactful linebacker in the middle of the Cleveland defense. His problem has been staying on the field. Walker played 13 games in 2021, three in 2022 and 12 in 2023. Last season, a knee injury in practice forced him to have arthroscopic surgery and put him on injured reserve to end the season.
Despite playing three games in 2022, Cleveland re-signed him on a one-year deal for 2023, and he was voted a defensive captain. In his 12 games, Walker had a productive season with a tackle on 16.1 percent of his run defense snaps. He was also 13th among linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.
The Miami Dolphins have the injury risk baked into Walker’s contract, which is for just one year and $1.3 million. Even for half a season of work, that will be worth it when Walker is on the field.
Miami also signed Jordyn Brooks for a reasonable three-year, $26.25 million to be the top linebacker. While Brooks has improved as a coverage linebacker throughout his career, it is still the weak point of his game.
Now with Walker, and 2022 nerd-favorite value signing David Long, there will be some help in coverage to complement Brooks and take some of that load off his plate.
Geno Stone, SAF, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals made a monetary choice last offseason when they allowed Jessie Bates to leave in free agency. Cincinnati went young to replace him last season with 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill and 2023 third-round pick Jordan Battle, along with Nick Scott, who signed a three-year, $12 million deal last offseason but was released last week.
Hill and Battle had flashes of good play, but the Bengals ranked 22nd in DVOA against deep passes last season. To shore that up, the team signed Geno Stone to a two-year, $14 million deal. In Baltimore, Geno Stone was often the deep safety who allowed other defensive backs to move around the secondary.
He was quite good in that role and led the league with seven interceptions in 2023 as the Ravens were first in DVOA against deep passes. Stone has the range to sit back and patrol the deep part of the field with 80 percent of his snaps deep and 11.4 percent as a single-high middle-of-the-field defender.
Stone allows the Bengals multiple ways to deploy their defensive backs. Cincinnati also signed Vonn Bell, who was with the Bengals from 2020-2022 and bounced around from playing deep in split-safety looks with Bates, in the box, and in the slot.
Between Stone, Bell, Hill and Battle, the Bengals are using just $11.5 million in cap space on safeties with two solid veterans and two young players who can continue to move around the secondary and develop.
Jonnu Smith, TE, Miami Dolphins
This might be cheating a little bit since Jonnu Smith was released and signed before free agency started, but that doesn’t make his addition any less impactful. Smith was meme fodder for getting opportunities over Kyle Pitts in Atlanta, but his skill set is useful and will play in the Miami offense.
Smith signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract that only has $3.96 million guaranteed, and he will slide into an offense that didn’t get much out of the tight end position last season. Part of that is by design because of how much of the passing game goes through WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but with those two creating space for others in the middle of the field, Smith can take the ball and run with it, literally.
Smith’s signing gives the Dolphins three of the top 25 receivers by yards after the catch per reception for the 2023 season — Smith (7.1, sixth), Waddle (5.8, 15th), and Hill (5.5, 22nd).
Putting Smith on the field gives the Dolphins a legitimate third or fourth option who can create the type of explosive plays the offense is built around. Being a low-volume, high-efficiency target should be the best type of role for Smith, and he’ll get the opportunity to find open space while the secondary is more concerned with stopping the wide receiver duo.
Denico Autry, EDGE, Houston Texans
Few players have been more consistent than Denico Autry. He’s had at least 10 quarterback hits in each of the past seven seasons with his best three seasons coming in the past three where he’s 25th among defenders over those combined seasons. Not bad for a player who turns 34 in July.
Autry will get to be a super third rusher for the Houston Texans behind Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who also signed with the Texans.
At 285 pounds, Autry is a bigger edge rusher who can use that mass to take up space and defend the run while he can also use speed off the edge. At his size, he can also wreck guards — on stunts and while lined up inside.
Without Maliek Collins inside, the Texans could use a bit more pass rush and on passing downs, could run out Anderson, Hunter, and Autry together.
Houston signed Autry for two years and $20 million. The Texans can start to replicate the San Francisco defensive line that had a deep rotation of pass rushers to keep fresh on the field. At 34, it could also help keep Autry fresh after he played 17 games just twice in his career, though those were two of the past three seasons.
