Top NFL free-agent bargains at each offensive position

With NFL free agency set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13, most teams have already started scouring the list of available players, trying to find cost-effective options to fill out their respective rosters.

Here’s a look at some of the offensive players who could provide teams with the most bang for their buck:

QB: Tyrod Taylor | projected market value: $3.3M per year

Taylor has flown under the radar as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL. A veteran of 58 starts, he threw for 1,341 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions with the Giants in 2023 while rushing for nearly 200 yards. Taylor started five games and appeared in 11.

He’s 28-28-1 as a starting QB in the NFL, throws far more touchdowns (63) than interceptions (29) and adds a running element that most other backups don’t (2,268 yards and 19 touchdowns over his career). Taylor’s value as a game-ready backup who can hold the fort down if needed is underrated, and for under $4M when the average QB salary is $11.3M per year, he will be one heck of a bargain for a team in 2024.

RB: D’Andre Swift | projected market value: $6.7M per year

The Detroit Lions may have sold low on Swift after they drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 draft The 25-year-old proved his worth with a career year on the Eagles, rushing for 1,049 yards (fifth-most in the league) and five touchdowns while adding 39 receptions for 214 yards and another score. He ranked in the top 20 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,263).

When healthy, Swift is a top-notch, do-it-all back. He’s not on the level of Christian McCaffrey or Alvin Kamara, but he’s only a step below those players. He's also younger and cheaper, and is just now entering his prime. To get a 1,000-yard rusher who can catch 40 passes per year for under $7M is a steal.

WR: Tyler Boyd | projected market value: $8.7M per year

The top receivers in the NFL are making $20M per year or more, and some of the really good No. 2s range between $10M and $16M per year, so signing Boyd for anything less than $10M is a coup.

Boyd, 29, has had two 1,000-yard seasons and he’s had 75 or more receptions three times. Even as Cincinnati’s No. 3 wideout for the last three years, Boyd has still outperformed some team’s No. 2. He hasn’t had fewer than 58 receptions since 2017 and he’s logged 650 or more receiving yards every year since then. He would make a solid No. 2 option for a lot of teams looking for a WR with a team-friendly salary who often exceeds expectations.

TE: Noah Fant | projected market value: $6.2M per year

Tight ends are becoming more and more involved in the passing game in the modern NFL, and Fant isn’t talked about enough in league circles as a difference-maker at the position. He’s only 26, he’s logged 40 or more receptions in four of his five seasons and he's finished with at least 550 yards three times. 

In a pass-heavy offense, Fant could likely put up Cole Kmet (73 receptions, 719 yards, six touchdowns) or Dalton Schultz-like numbers (65 receptions, 715 yards, six touchdowns). Those two players make $11.6M and $8M, respectively. Teams should be jumping at the possibility of signing Fant for a shade over $6M per year.

OL: Trenton Brown (OT) | projected market value: $7.1M per year

Brown was the 12th-highest-graded offensive tackle of 2023 by Pro Football Focus. He surrendered just three sacks and 17 pressures on 579 offensive snaps for the Patriots and he’s got the versatility to play on the left or right side, having played over 3,000 snaps at each position over his career.

There are 32 tackles making $10M or more per season, so to possibly sign Brown for just $2M over the league average ($5.19M) for his position is a win for any team looking for starting help on either side of its offensive line.