We’re a little more than a week into the 2026 NFL free agent period. The bulk of this year’s top 100 available veterans have already gone on to sign massive multi-year contracts. That’s great — we even graded a bunch of them! — but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.
Instead, we want to talk about the lesser-seen players who’ll take up considerably less space on each team’s salary cap.
Every year, a handful of quietly efficient veterans go on to make a big impact with new teams despite getting modest press at the time of signing. The New England Patriots’ got a major pass rushing boost from K’Lavon Chaisson, who had 52 pressures compared to higher profile signee Harold Landry III’s 34. Rico Dowdle signed the seventh-largest contract the Carolina Panthers gave out in 2025, then helped push the team to an NFC South title with nearly 1,100 rushing yards. Poona Ford was a quiet engine in the middle of the Los Angeles Rams line who was integral to a top-10 defense.
Who could follow in their footsteps and emerge to be difference makers in 2026? A few players make sense.
Houston Texans sign DL Logan Hall for two years, $13.75 million
One of the few weak points of a smothering DeMeco Ryans defense is the middle of the defensive line. That’s where Tommy Togiai shined as a run deterrent but Sheldon Rankins leaves questions to be answered as he faces his age 31 season. Hall is a high-ceiling contingency plan capable of lining up inside Houston’s four-man front or on the edge in relief of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Hall hasn’t lived up to his almost-first-round bonafides (he was selected 33rd overall in 2022), he remains an intriguing defender with tweener traits but also the versatility that comes with it. At 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, he has the size and strength to line up over interior gaps or flex outside to occupy tackles and create space for Houston’s dynamic edge rushers to feast.
One of his biggest issues was struggles against double-teams, which were a regular concern for a Tampa Bay team that was strong at the tackle positions but limited when it came to edge rushers. The Texans don’t have this problem, meaning Hall should see one-on-one matchups he can exploit with an explosive first step and the power to shuck guards aside. He’ll split time with Rankins on the inside after setting career highs in playing time last season, but should have his most efficient season as a pro even with fewer snaps.
Philadelphia Eagles sign EDGE Arnold Ebiketie for one year, $7.3 million
It isn’t a landscape-changing move, but it’s the exact kind of Howie Roseman decision that keeps the Eagles rolling. Philadelphia collects athletic young front seven defenders. Ebiketie may be 28 years old, but he’s only four seasons into his NFL career after being a top 40 pick in 2022. More importantly for our purposes, however, he’s coming off a year in which a revamped Atlanta Falcons pass rush helped push him to a 16.4 percent pressure rate — higher than Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson and Danielle Hunter.
Not all snaps are created equally. Ebiketie only played 35 percent of Atlanta’s defensive plays last season. But he’s shown the capability to shine in a part time role. He played about a third of the Falcons’ snaps in 2023 and finished with a 17.1 percent pressure rate. He had six sacks in only 181 pass rushing plays that fall, proving he may be a one-trick pony but that it’s also a pretty good trick.
Ebiketie’s liabilities against the run will be mitigated by a top-10 run defense whose tone is set up front by young goblins Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo. He’ll have the chance to rotate alongside Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith, staying fresh and optimized for that very important thing he does well. Ebiketie could be in line for the biggest season of his career, even if he only plays 40 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps.
Carolina Panthers sign LT Rasheed Walker for one year, $10 million
The majority of analysts assumed Walker would get a massive payday. After all, Dan Moore had signed for four years and $82 million the previous offseason. Walker was younger, a little better on the field and had been a key part of one of the league’s most efficient passing offenses with the Green Bay Packers. With players like Jawaan Taylor getting released and the Houston Texans overhauling their offensive line, demand seemed to suggest a monster deal for a good-not-great player in Walker.
Nope! Walker languished in free agency. He eventually wound up being the third-most notable signing the Panthers made, behind Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd (who is another solid value in his own right). It’s only a one-year, boost-your-value deal in Charlotte, but it’s at a minimal cost for a franchise facing a make-or-break year.
Walker will have the chance to supplant Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle or Taylor Moton on the right side — though staking his claim as Ekwonu’s successor (he’s a 2027 free agent) seems more likely. Bryce Young will get the opportunity to state his case as an extension-worthy quarterback behind an offensive line that’s both deep AND talented. Walker is a bruising run-blocker and effective pass protector. The Panthers have him for one year at the average salary of the league’s 25th-best *interior* lineman. That’s a deal.
Baltimore Ravens sign S Jaylinn Hawkins for two years, $10 million
Hawkins’ steady veteran play as an over-the-top deep safety provided the foundation for rookie Craig Woodson to thrive in New England last season. Now he gets to play with Kyle Hamilton, which is the exact kind of Ravens move that feels patently unfair to the rest of the AFC North.
Hawkins looked like he’d be reduced to a role as special teams ace back in 2023. Instead, he worked his way into the starting lineup for the Patriots and was an absolute wolverine when it came to help downfield. He allowed a 27.3 passer rating as the nearest defender in coverage when lined up as free safety, hauling in four interceptions and knocking down six more passes on only 18 targets. He allowed only 1.1 yards after catch on those targets while situated deep, showcasing his ability to limit game-breaking plays when he can’t get to the ball.
That stability gives Hamilton the freedom to continue wrecking shop in the box. He had more than 500 snaps lined up in the slot or at linebacker last season. Though his production against the pass dipped, he remained a multi-faceted menace. Adding Hawkins means sharpening all the tools in his Swiss Army Knife of defensive excellence. While he lacks the name value of Trey Hendrickson, it’s possible Hawkins becomes the more impactful player in Baltimore — even if his counting stats don’t reflect it.
Chargers sign C Tyler Biadasz for three years, $30 million
The math here is simple. Los Angeles reinforced an offensive line that’s perpetually in injury hell with a former Pro Bowl center who isn’t yet 29 years old. Not too long after, the Las Vegas Raiders broke the center market by paying Tyler Linderbaum $81 million over three years. Linderbaum is undeniably the better player, but Biadasz can provide about 85 to 90 percent of Linderbaum’s play while making 37 percent of his salary.
Pro Football Focus rated Biadasz as the 11th best center of 2025. He’s played at least 15 games in each of the last five seasons, which should help provide stability for a franchise the injury gods perpetually have in their crosshairs. This was a solid deal before Linderbaum got a ridiculous contract. Now, it looks even better.
Lions sign RB Isiah Pacheco for one year, $1.8 million
Pacheco isn’t a perfect 1:1 replacement for David Montgomery. He’s 15 pounds lighter. In 2025 he turned 22 red zone rushing attempts into a single touchdown. Montgomery had eight in 34 red zone attempts. This isn’t a Sonic-and-Knuckles situation.
But if Pacheco can get back to 2023 form, it could be Sonic and Sonic now that he’s paired with Jahmyr Gibbs. A less-than-100 percent Pacheco was a plodder the last two seasons, but in 2023 he had 3.5 yards after contact per carry (third-best in the NFL) and was one of only five running backs to have at least three breakaway runs where he hit at least 20 miles per hour, per NFL+.
Those injuries may have drained him for good, but he’s also only 27 years old and has just over 800 NFL touches to his credit. The capacity to bounce back is there, and Detroit badly needs a player who can thrive amidst chaos up front after losing 80 percent of its starting offensive line from the 2024 season. Pacheco is an inexpensive flier with a high ceiling and low floor. He could simply be a useful RB2 when Gibbs needs a breather. Or he could return to his peak and give the Lions one of the league’s most explosive rushing attacks… again.
Bonus! Chicago Bears sign LT Jedrick Wills for one year, $1.2 million
There’s a dense layer of hopium involved here. Wills looked like a foundational cornerstone in his first three seasons as a pro. While he struggled with penalties and needed improvement as a run blocker, he was a solid pass protector on the blind side whose play as a rookie helped the Cleveland Browns earn the first postseason win since their 1999 rebirth.
Injuries sapped that effectiveness, limited the lateral quickness that gave him an All-Pro ceiling and eventually took him off the field entirely in 2025. He says his troublesome knee is fully healthy, allowing him to throw his hat into a competition with fellow injured former high(ish) ceiling starter Braxton Jones at left tackle. Getting a league-average starter at tackle for $1.2 million — very little, if any, of which appears to be guaranteed — would be a boon to an ascending team that just saw an array of expensive veterans leave in free agency. Heck, if he can stick around as a viable swing tackle that’s a solid deal.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The 6 best under-the-radar signings of 2026 NFL free agency (so far)
